A.N.Z.A.C. stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, originally talking about the soldiers in World War 1, but now referring to our soldiers in any war.
"Corps" is a French word which is used to describe a large group of soldiers. It sounds like "CORE".
Lest We Forget is a saying we use on ANZAC Day to encourage everyone to keep remembering what a horrible thing war is - we don't want history to repeat itself. Unfortunately, it has repeated many times, but we should still think back and reflect until we finally learn our lessons from history.
The red Poppy flower has come to be an ANZAC symbol of the terrible loss of lives. It refers to the flowers that grew on the graves of the soldiers who did not survive the war. It is found in poetry as well, most famously this poem called "In Flanders Field" by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Lest you forget, take some time to explore these resources. Think, feel, and act upon the stories of this very dark time in human history. Maybe you have a family member who was an ANZAC.
Things to watch:
* Your classmate Oliver's great uncle, Max Collett, will be interviewed in a documentary
"NZ Air Force, Then and Now" on Prime TV at 7:30pm, Saturday 25th April.
He was a Spitfire pilot in WW2! Check out the trailer here.
* The ANZAC Collection at NZ On Screen has many short films and documentaries here.
Things to Read:
* A newspaper article about Oliver's great uncle can be found here.
* Find out the full story about the poppy flower here.
* This is just one part of a series about ANZAC Day. Get the full story here.
Things to Do:
* Lots of information and activities about ANZAC Day can be found here and here.
Hello teacher-dad! I've been learning lots about Anzac day! I'm sure you have too!
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