World War I consisted of two, armed camps. On one side was the Triple Alliance made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and their enemy was the Triple Entente made up of France, Russia and Great Britain.  As other countries began to join sides, the Triple Alliance became known as the Central Powers and the Triple Entente became the Allied Forces.

 

LIFE IN THE TRENCHES

Most of the action took place in the trenches. They were dug deep into the ground in a zigzag pattern to protect soldiers from advancing enemies. Soldiers spent an average period of eight days in the trench, where they were constantly under threat of attack from shellfire, snipers and diseases. Soldiers experienced everything from Trench Fever (a painful infection caused by lice feaces) to Trench Foot, which caused a fungal foot infection that could result in amputation!
 

FIGHTING ON THE FRONT

On October 3, 1918, Germany requested a cease-fire. The war ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, when the warring parties signed the Armistice and agreed to stop fighting.

 

GALLIPOLI

Of all the events in Australia’s history, the battle at Gallipoli in World War I, stands out as having defined the spirit of our nation.

After four months of training in Egypt, the ANZAC troops left for Gallipoli. At dawn on 25 April 1915 they landed at a beach now known as ANZAC Cove. The landing was nightmarish; the beach was at the bottom of a steep Cliff, meaning that the ANZACs had a tough and dangerous struggle to climb up the beach as the well-organised Turkish troops rained shells and gunfire down onto them from the top of the cliff.

Here is the failure and the legend of the ANZACs: they had landed in the wrong position. They had meant to land on a flat beach where they would have had a better chance of reaching the shore to attack enemy troops.

Instead, the ANZACs and the Turkish troops reached a deadlock, with neither able to take any new ground for months. The ANZACs began evacuating on 20 December 1915. The Australians had spent only eight months in Gallipoli, but in this short time had suffered 25,000 casualties, including 8700 deaths.

The bravery and endurance of Australian troops in the face of death is what turned this horrific event into a legend that has helped to shape our country.

 

FACTS

• During the Christmas of 1914, soldiers from both sides temporarily stopped fighting and called a Christmas Truce. They laughed, sang carols and exchanged presents!

 

• Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was a surgeon during WWI. Inspired by the sight of red poppies growing among the graves of fallen soldiers, he wrote the memorable poem called In Flanders Field. 

 

• So far about 4,159 coalition soldiers have died during the latest war in Iraq - compare that to 7,996,888 soldiers who died in WWI.

 

• It is 100 years since Australia became involved in the First World War. The ANZAC Centenary will be commemorated from 2014 to 2018.

 

• The mothers, sisters and wives left behind during World War I sent ANZAC biscuits made of oats, sugar, flour, coconut, butter and golden syrup to their sons, brothers and husbands at Gallipoli. ANZAC biscuits were hard and long-lasting, designed to survive the long journey to the troops. They were eaten instead of bread (which went stale quickly). Some men crushed them, mixed them with water and ate them like porridge.

 

• The last surviving ANZAC, Alec Campbell, died on 16 May 2002.

 

• World War I was often referred to as the ‘Great War’.

 

• In World War I, Australians not only served at Gallipoli but also on the Western Front (France and Belgium) as well as in the Middle East.

 

• The Australian Imperial Force (AIF), the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Australian Light Horse and the Australian Flying Corps all fought in World War I.

 

• The word ANZAC has been protected by Australian legislation since 1921. This ensures that the word is not misused. To use the word you must seek permission from the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs.

 

• Although women were not allowed to fight in World War I, many tended to the injured troops overseas and in Australia as members of the Australian Army Nursing Service.

 

• On October 3, 1918, Germany requested a cease-fire. The war ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, when the warring parties signed the Armistice and agreed to stop fighting.