New Zealanders and Australians
Few of the Anzacs had any previous military experience, which makes their achievements all the more remarkable.
It is important to remember that Anzacs came from two distinct nations, subtly reinforced by the New Zealanders who include the simple inscription on the base of their memorials “From the uttermost ends of the earth.”
In general, the records are very similar to British ones. Indeed there are some shared records, such as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission ( www.cwgc.org).
In addition, gallantry awards and details of officers in Dominion forces appear in the London Gazette. TNA has copies of many ANZAC unit war diaries.
The National Archives of Australia holds service documents for Australian service personnel. The records are at naa.gov.au/ collection/explore/defence/servicerecords/army-wwi.aspx.
The Australian War Memorial ( awm. gov.au) has a superb collection of material relating to Australian forces since 1901. Many records have been indexed or digitised,
www.awm.gov.au/collection/ digitised- record for more details.
They include a roll of honour for those who did not return; Nominal and Embarkation Rolls; Honours and Awards with details of recommendations; War diaries for Australian units and Official histories
And through the Anzac Collections programme, the Memorial is digitising the personal papers and diaries of 150 Anzacs. Details are at awm.gov. au/1914-1918/ anzacconnections.
Online records of nearly 120,000 men who served in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force are with Archives New Zealand ( archway.archives.govt.nz).
In addition the Archives has nominal and casualty rolls, rolls of honour, unit diaries and records relating to honours and awards, which are described in a research guide at archives.govt.nz/research/guides/ war# first.
The Auckland War Memorial Museum’s Cenotaph Database found at muse. aucklandmuseum.com/databases/ cenotaph has brief details about most New Zealand troops, particularly those who did not return.
TNA has copies of many of the ANZAC unit war diaries
Simon Fowler is the author of
The Gallipoli Association This group runs a couple of tours a year for members. It is possible to do day tours from Istanbul. TripAdvisor members recommends: Gallipoli Tour gallipolitour.com
rsltours.com JOIN
www.gallipoli-association.org. If you want to know more about the Gallipoli Campaign then you should join the Gallipoli Association, which studies the events of 1915 and preserves the memory of those who fought there.