A newly released book has provided a glimpse into life on the front for ANZAC troops during World War I, with haunting images of the battlefields and also brief moments of joy amid the carnage.
Instead of focusing on the brutality of war, the images in ‘Anzac Memories: Unforgettable Images From The Great War’ reveal what day-to-day life was like for Australian and New Zealand soldiers.
The pictures include soldiers playing with kangaroos in Egypt, a Kiwi soldier proudly writing a New Zealand sign on the side of a shed, and a large band playing music while walking through the destroyed streets of France.
The images in the book were released ahead of Anzac Day commemorations such as the dawn service, which will be held via livestream due to the coronavirus pandemic.
1st Australian Division walking on a duckboard track near Hooge, Ypres. 5 October 1917 which circled around Ypres and Belgium, and was the site of many battles and fights between German and Allied forces.
Two unidentified men sheltered under a piece metal with a carriage flipped over on top at Westhoek, during the fighting in the Ypres sector, 1917
The First Australian Imperial Force and 1st New Zealand Expeditionary Force combined in the Mediterranean Expeditionary Forces formed in Egypt in December 1914.
On the front cover of the book, the 1st Australian Division are pictured walking on a duckboard track near Hooge, Ypres in Germany on 5 October 1917.
Hooge was one of the eastern-most sectors of the Ypres Salient, which circled Ypres and Belgium, and was the site of epic battles between German and Allied forces.
Another photo taken in the same area shows two unidentified men sheltered under a piece metal with a carriage flipped over on top of it at Westhoek, during the fighting in the Ypres sector, 1917.
Another captured the life of the Australian 9th and 10th Battalions at Mena Camp, Giza, in December 1914 as a soldier plays with a kangaroo.
Many Australian units smuggled kangaroos and other Australian animals with them to Egypt, leaving some with the Cairo Zoological Garden when they headed off to Gallipoli.
The Australian 9th and 10th Battalions at Mena Camp, Giza, December 1914. Many Australian units smuggled kangaroos and other Australian animals with them to Egypt, leaving some with the Cairo Zoological Garden when they headed off to Gallipoli
Across a morass of flooded shell holes, Australian troops walk on duckboards near Passchendaele, Belgium, 1917. The forest behind them has been completely destroyed by artillery fire
Three soldiers watch on as a Kiwi soldier establishes a home away from home on the Western Front by writing ‘New Zealand’ on the side of a makeshift shed
Another image shows Australian troops walking on duckboards across flooded shell holes in Anear Passchendaele, Belgium, 1917.
The forest behind them has been destroyed by artillery fire and only tree stumps remain.
One photo shows three soldiers watching on as a Kiwi soldier establishes a home away from home on the Western Front by writing ‘New Zealand’ on the side of a makeshift shed.
A troop transport was pictured as it prepared to sail with a ship full of reinforcements from Brisbane, 1916 as hundreds stand on the dock to wave goodbye to family and friends
The last photo was taken with 19 months of war still remaining. The band of the 5th Australian Infantry Brigade passes through the ruined Grande Place of Bapaume, France, playing the ‘Victoria March.’
This Saturday, the usual Anzac Day marches have been cancelled and the services closed off to the public to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The Anzac Day dawn service held in Canberra will be available to watch via livestream and people are invited to light a candle or lay a wreath on their driveway at 6am on Saturday to honour service men and women.
The Anzac Day service will go ahead at the Melbourne Cricket Ground despite the suspension of the AFL due to COVID-19.
The Ode of Remembrance and the Last Post will be played to an empty MCG and for the first time since the game’s inception 25 years ago, Collingwood and Essendon players will not take to the field.
Carrying reinforcements, a troop transport prepares to sail from Brisbane, 1916 as hundreds stand on the dock to wave goodbye to family and friends
With 19 months of war still remaining, the band of the 5th Australian Infantry Brigade passes through the ruined Grande Place of Bapaume, France, playing the ‘Victoria March’
World War 1 began in 1914 after Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated and lasted until 1918.
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire fought against Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan and the United States.
Due to new developments in military technology, including poisonous gas, and the horrors of trench warfare, World War 1 saw unprecedented levels of carnage, bloodshed and carnage.
By the time the war ended and the Allied powers claimed victory, more than 16 million people, including soldiers and civilians, were dead.
Anzac Memories, New Holland Publishers, RRP $16.99, is available from all good book retailers or online at www.newhollandpublishers.com.