We got up just after 5 a.m. and went in to town to the Dawn Service. The local paper estimated that there were about 6,500 people there. It was a very poignant service. Every year 30 names are read from the list of fallen on the cenotaph and it will take 21 years for all the names to be read out. This is just the ones in the city itself as there are numerous war memorials around the area.
There was a strong police presence (as there was at all services with many cancelled as a result of the Terrorism in Christchurch) however, although we saw several police cars, we did not see any police.
It was then home for breakfast and a finally a fairly quiet day.
We thought of you all. I'm here atall because the Australian army didn't shoot those with ptsd..they invalided grandpa out....
ReplyDeleteOne of the lucky ones.
DeleteThere's an ANZAC memorial in our country, near Beeri settlement at the border with Gaza strip. I've been there in March 2017, and mentioned the memorial with photos, in a post on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI just had a look at that blog post. The memorial looks impressive.
DeleteA dawn service must be very moving.
ReplyDeleteThere are services here at the war cemeteries on the island of Limnos, Crete and Athens .
Yes the dawn service was very moving. I only remember services at 11 a.m. (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month) growing up in England.
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