Last week I discovered that the entire ANZACS TV series was available to watch on YouTube … and I’ve been watching it ever since.
This five-part miniseries was first broadcast in 1985 and it follows the story of a number of young Australian men who enlist in the 8th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force in 1914.
After undergoing basic training, the battalion took part in the ANZAC landings and fighting on Gallipoli. After the withdrawal from Gallipoli, they were deployed to France and took part in the fighting around Pozières during the Battle of the Somme. The battalion subsequently fought at Ypres before returning to the Somme during the winter of 1916. It then participated in the attack on the Hindenburg Line and the 3rd Battle of Ypres (1917). When the Germans mounted their spring offensive in 1918, the battalion helped to defend the area near Amiens before taking part in the Allied counter-offensive from August to September 1918.
The five episodes are entitled:
- The Great Adventure
- The Big Push
- The Devil's Arithmetic
- Fields of Fire
- Now There Was A Day
The battles are depicted with commendable accuracy and I thoroughly recommend this series to anyone with an interest in the fighting that took place at Gallipoli and on the Western Front.
I have seen & enjoyed - in Australia the ANZACS are revered & respected its a point of pride to say you had an Anzac as an ancestor- every town & city has a cenotaph - in Canberra & Melbourne the war memorials are almost like "temples" with the Honour Rolls, Pools of Reflection, Eternal Flames & fantastic displays of war memoribillia - if you're looking for a film try "Galllipoli"
ReplyDeleteAndrew,
DeleteThe series was excellent.
One of my relatives served - and died - at Gallipoli and is buried at Helles. With hindsight, the whole Gallipoli operation was a misconceived and wasteful diversion that might just have worked if the army and navy had actually coordinated there efforts.
Almost every town and village in the UK has a memorial to the dead of the two World Wars, and they are central to events on Remembrance Day.
I have seen the film ‘Gallipoli’ and it is a very moving one.
All the best,
Bob
Sometimes the Australian war films can be a bit embarrassing in how they portray British officers etc - my apologies to my British brethren
ReplyDeleteAndrew,
DeleteSome British officers were very good, many were average ... and some were indeed very poor.
I am always put in mind the definition of officers used in the 'Sharpe' TV series; that there are killing officers and murdering officers. The former might get you killed but for a good reason whilst the latter would get you killed for no reason.
All the best,
Bob