What are the origins of Anzac Day

A.� Anzac Day is�on 25 April. Anzac was the name given to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps soldiers who landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in the East Mediterranean early on 25 April, 1915 ,during the First World War.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Q.� It's very important to Australians

A.� Oh yes, it's a sacred day.

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Q.� So give me a rundown of what happened.

A.� Australia was fighting with the British Empire and her allies (Russia and France) against Germany, which was supported by Turkey. Russia was under heavy pressure from the Turks in the Caucasus, so the Allies decided to begin a campaign to distract the Turkish army.

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Q.� How

A. The plan was for the Allies to attack and take the Gallipoli Peninsula, on Turkey's Aegean coast, near the site of the ancient city of Troy. From there, the Allies believed they could take control of the Dardanelles - a 42-mile strait connecting the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara�- and besiege Turkey's main city, Constantinople (now Istanbul). Australian troops were brought in from training in Egypt.

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Q.� It went badly

A.� It was terrible. Instead of finding the expected flat beach, they were landed at the wrong position and were confronted by steep cliffs and constant enemy shelling. About 20,000 soldiers landed on the beach over the next two days to face a well-armed, large Turkish force determined to defend their country. Thousands of Australian men died, and many others suffered appallingly from typhus, lack of fresh water, poor quality food, and terrible sanitary conditions.�The beach would eventually come to be known as Anzac Cove.

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Q.� Who was at fault

A.�� Poor leadership in London was blamed. Senior politicians resigned. Eventually it was decided that the Allied troops would be withdrawn. The Anzacs returned to the Middle East and the Western Front where they were involved in other battles.

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Q.� So the day is commemorating as defeat

A.� Yes ' the campaign was a terrible failure. The Anzacs were on the Gallipoli Peninsula for eight months;� 8,587 died and 19,367 were wounded. But the day also marks the spirit and bravery of the Australian and New Zealand soldiers. Thousands of troops from France and Britain were also killed. An Anzac commemorative location has been built at Gallipoli with the New Zealand government and with the approval of the Turkish government. And there's another reason why the Anzac soldier is so important to Australia and New Zealand.

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Q. Which is ...

A.� The Anzac was an independent-spirited soldier. They were brave and loyal, but hated military rules -- particularly the British officer class. They wouldn't even salute a superior officer. One academic has said 'the Gallipoli campaign was the beginning of true Australian nationhood.' Another observer wrote: 'Anzacs are an inextricable part of the Australian tradition of masculinity.'

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By Steve Cunningham