Before Turkey entered the war
on the side of the Central Powers on 29 October 1914 and four weeks before Newcombe
and Lawrence were ordered to Cairo in support of the Allied move to protect
Egypt and the Suez Canal, a massive mobilisation of Colonial troops was already
underway, a great gathering of troops and materiel from every corner of the
Empire.
During those early months of the war in the Middle
Eastern theatre, Egypt was flooded with colonial soldiers who had readily
answered the call to arms. They gathered in makeshift transit camps en route to
the bloody stalemate that was unfolding on the Western Front or to be
dispatched locally to guard the Suez Canal and its approaches. Many more would
be sent off to train in three large camps around Cairo to await their turn on
the beaches and slopes of Gallipoli. The largest contingent was the Australian
and New Zealand Army Corps, who for shorthand became better known by their
initials. The new word this acronym
formed was so obvious that the full stops were omitted and
ANZAC entered the military lexicon and into the annals of war.
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| Kangaroo mascot at Mena Camp |
On the other side of the world the small but
strategically important port town of Albany, Western Australia, had been chosen
to host the largest assembly of men and materiel the country had ever witnessed.
Its natural harbour, home to a thriving whaling industry, was the most obvious
starting point for such an endeavour. Riding
at anchor for five clear days out in the Southern Ocean in the protected waters
of King George Sound and in Princess Royal Harbour, sat thirty-eight ships of
the fleet waiting to embark upon a journey across the world and into history.
The thirty-thousand troops and seven-thousand five-hundred horses had been
gathered from across the young nation, full of
optimism and pride in their massive undertaking on behalf of the ‘old country’. The federation of six Australian colonies was
only fourteen years old but they came to
help their mates ‘fight the Hun in Europe’.
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| Ships bunkering in Princess Royal Harbour |
For weeks the troops had been assembling in
their thousands on ships that came in ones and twos and threes, till at last all the fleet was gathered. The lucky ones were those on ships close to the wharves as they were able
to carry on with short route-marches on shore to keep active, the envy of those
placed farther out in the Sound. On Sunday, 1 November 1914, as a grey dawn
rose over the town, the long wait was finally
over. Andrew Barton Paterson, who went by the pseudonym ‘Banjo’ after the name
of his favourite horse and who was already one of Australia’s most celebrated
poets and balladist, was aboard the Euripides
and recorded the moment for The Sydney
Morning Herald:
‘The only sign of life is the column of smoke
pouring from each funnel, and this alone it is that tells us that Australia’s
greatest maritime adventure is about to put out to sea. Each ship seems to
stand out double her natural size, every spar and rope showing clearly outlined
against a rosy sky.’
All eyes were turned to the flagship of the fleet waiting for a signal. At 6.25am, as a red sun rose behind Breaksea Island creating
a sharp silhouette of its convict-built lighthouse, two escort
ships, Sydney and Minotaur, silently weighed anchor and moved
out past Breaksea and Michaelmas Islands. Thirty minutes later these ‘two grim,
gliding leviathans, going majestically out to sea to take their places as
guardians of the fleet’ were followed by the ships carrying the First
Australian Division. As they passed the
New Zealand ships waiting their turn to depart they were saluted with the old Maori
war cry of "Ake, Ake, Ake, Kia Kaha!" - Forever!
And ever! Be strong!
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| Albany, Western Australia |
Then division by division, in a carefully
orchestrated procession, set sail into the eye of the sun with
all transports clear of the harbour by 8:53am. As each ship left the security
of the Sound the volunteers watched as the
townsfolk of Albany lined the shores, with many climbing the peaks of Mount Clarence and Strawberry
Hill to bid farewell to the brave young men embarking on their long journey to the
battlefields of Europe or the Middle East. The Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli was
where the legend of ANZAC was born out of the horrors of
a war that was to be on a scale never before imagined. Their adventure was to turn the federation
of colonies into a proud and respected nation. For so many of the men, the beautiful soft
green hills surrounding the bay of Albany would be their last sight of
Australia.
ALBANY 2014 – THE CENTENARY
Centenary
memorials have been taking place in Albany this November. You can now visit the
new $10.6 million National Anzac Centre located
within the Albany Heritage Park, which includes the Princess Royal Fortress,
the Desert Mounted Corp Memorial, Padre White Lookout, and the Avenue of
Honour. The Centre was officially opened on 1 November 2014 by both Australian
Prime Minister Tony Abbott and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key. The Centre is a show-piece for the
Anzac Centenary and will provide a unique opportunity for people to
experience an emotional connection with the men and women who were involved in
the First World War, understanding the sacrifice that they, their friends and
families, made on behalf of their nation and its allied nations. The Centre is also
accessible via the internet and highlights the significant role Albany played
in the creation of the Anzac Spirit.
Visit The National Anzac Centre
in Albany or online.
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| National Anzac Centre, Albany |
For more details on Albany’s Anzac
role visit Anzac Albany
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