The ANZAC Legend.

Ashmead-Bartlett did however, romanticize the horrors of the tragic Gallipoli campaign. In wartime propaganda, the ANZAC forces were portrayed as the loyal sons of the British Empire, fighting as much for the 'mother country' as for their own. Beyond the military campaign, the ANZAC soldiers represented the ethos of their rural Australian background. The values of equality, good humor and mateship were transplanted to the situation in Turkey.

It is easy to understand why the ANZAC legend became so popular. The Gallipoli campaign was described as the baptism of the newly federated Australia, and a chance for Australian soldiers to prove themselves to the world. They were not ultimately victorious, but the soldiers came to represent the character traits of the new country: fit and healthy, duty bound and courageous, good humored and egalitarian. The ANZAC image allowed Australians to both demonstrate loyalty to Britain, and claim an identity of their own.

There is much to challenge the factual accuracy of the ANZAC image. The idea that Australians were loyal Britons was questionable even in 1915. At the time, over 80% of Australians were Australian born, not English. Archbishop Mannix expressed the discrepancies in the ANZAC image in a wartime statement that England 'is not my motherland ... indeed it is my stepsister'. Publications in existence from the nineteenth century, such as 'The Bulletin', rejected 'British Australia'.

There is much to suggest that the good humor of the ANZAC image was not representative of the corps as a whole. Rather, in the words of one British sergeant, the larrikinism of some ANZACS induced them to 'terrorize' local towns. Equally, the Australian equality and irreverence for authority meant that many thought that they were not model soldiers. Indeed, some have contended that it was often used as a mask for the real fear and cowardice of war.

Perhaps the strongest criticism leveled at the ANZAC image is its exclusiveness. Undeniably white and masculine, it denies women, migrants and Aborigines any share in its image of Australian identity.

Despite its acknowledged inaccuracies, the ANZAC legend continues to be an enduring and endearing representation of Australia. Some suggest this is because, in an increasingly secular society, the ANZAC image provides a focus for belief in a higher ideal, that is, in the sacrifice of self for the benefit of a greater good. The ANZAC attributes still appeal to a sports-loving, anti-authoritarian culture where mateship still holds pride of place.

Bibliography

http://www.asu.net/turkiye/anzac_02.htm (7/10/03)

http://www.acn.net.au/articles/anzac/heroes.htm (7/10/03)

By Scott Perfrement