One of Australia's great heroes has died. Tell me about him

A. Roy Longmore, the oldest Anzac has died aged 107. That leaves only one Anzac still alive - 102-year-old Alec Campbell of Tasmania.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

�

Q.� Now Anzacs are given the deepest respect in Australia and New Zealand

A.� Never was a true word spoken. You can read my feature on the subject by clicking here Article.go id=781&category_id=null. However, to give a brief recap, Anzac is 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. It was one of he worst military blunders of the war.

�

Q.� How

A. The plan was for the Allies to attack and take the Gallipoli Peninsula, on Turkey's Aegean coast. 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. Instead of finding a 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. 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.

�

Q.� Appalling. Tell me a little more about Mr Longmore, please.

A.� He died in his sleep at his Melbourne nursing home on 21 June with his family at his bedside. A state funeral was held at the weekend. Roy Longmore, a motor driver and mechanic in Melbourne, enlisted in July, 1915, and arrived at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli, three months later. He served as a bombardier, a treacherous task that involved digging tunnels under the enemy trenches and then blowing them up.

�

Q.� So after the dreadful disaster of Gallipoli he left the army

A.� Hardly. After the campaign, he returned to Egypt, transferred to the 2nd Pioneer Battalion and embarked for France. The 2nd Pioneer Battalion served on the Western Front and saw action at Pozieres, Flers, Bullecourt, Ville-sur-Ancre, Morlancourt, and Montbrehain. He was wounded in action at Pozieres in August, 1916, but courageously remained on duty. After a brief time in England, he returned to France where, in April, 1918, he was again wounded in action, but continued to serve. He was promoted to lance sergeant in June, 1918. After the war he returned to his family home in Victoria.

�

Q.� And he got a medal for this

A.� Yes. Two. In 1998 France awarded him the Legion of Honour and in 1999 he received the federal government's 80th Anniversary Armistice Remembrance Medal.

�

Q.� And a state tribute

A.� Bruce Scott, Australia's Minister for Veterans' Affairs, said: 'Roy Longmore was one of those who forged the Anzac legend, whose courage, service and sacrifice at Gallipoli laid down the tradition that for more than 85 years has helped define us as Australians. His passing is a great loss to a country that in recent years has come to a new understanding of the part the Anzacs played in shaping our nation.'

�

Q.� Any other honours

A.� In January last year Roy Longmore and Alec Campbell were featured on postage stamps as part of Australia Post's legends series. A third face was also featured - that of Walter Parker. He died the next day.

�

To ask another question about People & Places, click here

By Steve Cunningham