Anzac Day 2015 is particularly special. It is the centenary anniversary of the commencement of the WW1 Gallipoli Campaign in which young troops from Australia and New Zealand made their fateful landing at what is now called Anzac Cove.
Of course, approximately 73,000 British and Irish troops were among the 400,000 casualties and losses, from both sides, in the campaign. So the 25th of April is a solemn day in the UK and Ireland, as well as in Turkey and back at home.
Commemoration services marking what we know as Anzac Day are being held right across England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Below is a fantastically comprehensive list of the 2015 events which you can attend, as compiled by the New Zealand Embassy in London. The list is not necessarily complete though, and it is advised that you get in touch with your nearest branch of the Royal British Legion or the Gallipoli Association to find out if there are other events near you.
For London services, see: Anzac Day 2015 events in London: what you need to know
The Derby City Council and the Royal British Legion are arranging an ANZAC Day service at 11am on Friday 24 April.
For more information, contact Bernard W Page MBE, Chairman, Derby & District Ex-Services Association Tel 01332 513336 or email bwplegion@binternet.com
There will be an ANZAC Service at St Machars Cathedral at 11am on Saturday 25 April. More information will be added as it becomes available. For more information please contact Dr Alan Fenwick, Email: fenwich3eh@btinternet.com
The Arboretum’s annual Anzac Day Service of Remembrance will be held on Saturday 25 April 2015 in the Millennium Chapel, the time for the service is still to be confirmed, and we will update this listing when the information is available. The Service will be followed by the laying of wreaths at the Gallipoli Memorial.
Note that seating in the Chapel is limited.
The Arboretum is located in Croxall Road, Alrewas Staffordshire. DE13 7AR. For further information, please contact the Arboretum tel: 01922 406 604 or or see the NMA website: www.nationalmemorialarboretum.org
There will be two services organised by the Fusilier Museum. On Saturday 25 April a concert service starts at 1430, and includes a special piece of music composed by Martin Ellerby, composer in residence to the Royal Marines. On Sunday 26 April a commemoration service starts at 11.30 am(see listing below), followed by a parade and march past through Bury Town Centre.
For further information contact the Fusilier Museum, Moss Street, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0DF, Tel 0161 7638950 or email enquiries@fusiliermuseum.com
The Cambridge Branch of the Britain-Australia Society holds a service to commemorate the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli. The service will take place at 3:00 pm on Saturday 25 April 2015 in the Church of St Andrew the Great, St Andrew’s Street, Cambridge. Guests are requested to arrive from 2.30 pm
For further information contact Pauline Grounds, Secretary, Cambridgeshire Branch, Britain-Australia Society. E-mail: thegroundsfamily@hotmail.com
The Church of St Andrew the Great is in the centre of Cambridge immediately opposite the entrance of Christ’s College. For those attending the service by car it is most conveniently placed, being very near the Lion Yard Car Park.
There is a Commemorative Parade and Service to mark the 100th Anniversary of Gallipoli Campaign (ANZAC Day) on Saturday 25 April 2015. The Parade will form up in Welsh Street Car Park at 10.35am for march off at 10.45am. It will proceed into Welsh Street pass under the Town Arch down the High Street towards the “War Memorial Gun”. The laying of wreaths will be followed by the Act of Remembrance and a short service conducted by The Reverend Canon Christopher Blanchard, Vicar of Cheptstow.
For further information please contact Bryan Rendell Email: rendell73@talktalk.net
A Dawn Service, organised by the Codford Parish Council, will be held at the Anzac Cemetery, Codford St Mary New Churchyard, Church Lane, Codford, Wiltshire at 6.30am. The cemetery is approximately 30 minutes north west of Salisbury by car.
The Service includes a Roll of Honour for the 98 men from WWI in the Cemetery, 66 of whom are New Zealand servicemen.
After the service there is a Gunfire Breakfast held in the Village Hall in the High Street (there is a small cost for the breakfast which was £6 in 2013).
The Parish has created a 24 page booklet, ‘ The Men of St Mary’s and the ANZAC War Graves’, with short biographies of all the men in the ANZAC Cemetery, soldiers buried in St Mary’s Churchyard and those remembered on the WWI Memorial in the church. This brochure will be available for a small charge in the church & at the breakfast.
For further information contact Mrs Rosemary Wyeth, Codford Parish Council. email: rosemarywyeth@btinternet.com
In 2015, for the first time, a Commemorative Service will be held at Coventry Cathedral to mark the anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli. The service will commence at 4.00pm on Saturday 25 April 2015.
A service will be held at St Georges Church on Saturday 25 April 2015 at 2.30pm to commemorate the Gallipoli Landings that will mark the 100th anniversary of this historic event. In St Georges Church grounds there is a monument to Arthur Tisdall who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his valiantry during this campaign. The monument also lists the names of men who lost their lives during WW1.
For more information please contact Mrs Lorna Crow, Town Clerk, Deal Town Council Email:deal.town.council@deal.gov.uk
The Australian Embassy, Dublin, will hold an Anzac Dawn Service at 6.30am on Saturday 25 April 2015, at Grangegorman Military Cemetery, Blackhorse Avenue, Dublin 7.
The cemetery is situated on Blackhorse Avenue, off Navan Road, Dublin 7, facing the Phoenix Park and the McKee Barracks. The service will last approximately 40 minutes. All are welcome and there is no requirement to notify the Embassy of attendance in advance. There will be no parking on site but on-road and off-road parking is available within walking distance of the Cemetery.
If you have any questions, please contact the Public Affairs Officer at the Australian Embassy on 01 6645312.
Please note: as this is an outdoor event you may wish to bring an umbrella in the event of wet weather.
The New Zealand Ireland Association, with support from the New Zealand Government, will host a screening of rare photographic and film footage uniquely curated for the NZIA to mark the anniversary of the WWI landing at Gallipoli. In a world-first cinematic experience, the event will also include a satellite broadcast of the Centenary ANZAC Dawn Service from Gallipoli from that same morning. The screening will take place at the Irish Film Institute (IFI) on ANZAC Day, Saturday, 25 April 2015 from 11.15am to 14.00pm.
Tickets, which must be purchased in advance, cost a nominal €15 per adult and €5 per child (plus booking fee) to cover expenses. Ticket price includes tea, coffee and pastries which will be served in advance of the screening. For more information please see the New Zealand Ireland Association’s website.
There will be an ANZAC Day Memorial Service held at the Durrington Cemetery on Saturday, 25th April 2015 at 10am. After the service, students from the local schools will place memorial flags at the graves of all those buried from WW1. Refreshments will be provided afterwards.
For more information contact Cllr David Healing, Durrington Town Council, Email: dave@reprotec-ltd.co.uk or Tel:01980 652852
The ANZAC and Gallipoli Day Service of Commemoration to mark the 100th Anniversary of the start of the Gallipoli Campaign will be held in the Scottish National War Memorial (SNWM), Edinburgh Castle from 7.45 – 8.45am on Saturday, 25 April 2015. For the first time it will be broadcast live to a large screen on the Castle esplanade to allow active participation in the service from those gathered there to join in the commemoration.
For more information please contact The Royal British Legion Scotland, New Haig House, Logie Green Road, Edinburgh EH7 4HQ, Email: info@legionscotland.org.uk Tel: 0131 550 1583
In 1915, the then Vicar of Holy Trinity, Revd Henry Hall, was Chaplain to the British Army’s 29th Division which landed on Gallipoli. On his return to London, he was responsible for transforming the Gallipoli Memorial Chapel, which was dedicated to the memory of those who did not return.
Every year since 1921 an Act of Remembrance and wreath laying has been held at the Gallipoli Chapel during the Parish Eucharist at Holy Trinity Church.
This year the Church will hold two separate services, the first on Saturday 25 April at 2pm, at which the Bishop of Woolwich will preach. Representatives from all Regiments which served at Gallipoli are being invited to attend.
A second service will be held on Sunday 26 April – see listing below.
For further information contact the Church Office – Tel: 020 8859 6274, or www.ht-e.org.uk
A service will be held at 4.00pm on Saturday 25 April 2015 to commemorate the lives of the New Zealanders, including the 3rd Māori Contingent, who were treated at the New Zealand Convalescent Hospital. The graveyard at St Andrew’s became the final resting place for those who passed away.
More information on the area can be found at https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/greytowers.html
Organised by the RBL Morecambe and Heysham Branch for the first time in 2008, a small service is held at the graveside of Flight Sergeant Jack Wilson, RNZAF. The Service will be held at the Torrisholme Cemetery in Morecambe, Lancs, LA3 3LN, on Saturday, 25 April 2014, at 12.00 noon, and will be followed by a wreath-laying ceremony, the Last Post and a 2 minutes silence.
For further information contact Malcolm Brown, Hon Secretary, RBL Morecambe & Heysham Branch. E-mail:malcolmbrown@tiscali.co.uk or
Mr Leslie Croombs, Email: chef.service@outlook.com
A service will be held in Northampton on ANZAC Day, Saturday 25 April at 11 am, to remember 11 members of the Australian Forces who died in Northampton, and other Australian and New Zealand servicemen who are buried elsewhere in Northamptonshire.
For further details please contact Councillor David Mackintosh, Northampton Borough Council, Tel 01604 837210 or email cllr.dmackintosh@northampton.gov.uk
This Anzac Day, St Mary’s will hold a special church service, and unveil a memorial dedicated to the crew of Wellington Bomber HE740, The bomber crashed on 4 January 1945, killing all of the six crew, four of whom were New Zealanders. The time for the service is still to be confirmed, and we will update this listing when the information is available.
A service to commemorate Anzac Day, hosted by the Oxford University Australia and New Zealand Society, will be held at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin at 6pm on Saturday 25 April 2015. Guests should be seated by 5.45pm. The service is a free event and tickets are not required. The service will be followed by a reception and formal dinner at Somerville College from 7.15pm. Tickets for dinner are available by contacting the Secretary of OUANZ, Robert O’Shea at robert.oshea@pmb.ox.ac.uk
For further information about the venue for the service and dinner bookings contact Robert O’Shea E-mail:robert.oshea@pmb.ox.ac.uk
A service will take place at 2pm on Saturday 25 April 2015 at the grave of Sergeant Thomas Hunter – ‘The Lonely Anzac’ – in The Broadway Cemetery.
Sgt Hunter received the following Medals: 1914-1915 Star. The British War Medal 1914-1920 and the Allied Victory Medal 1914-1920
For further information contact Shirley Blackwell, Hon. Secretary RBL Peterborough Branch E-mail:shirleyblackwell@hotmail.co.uk Tel: 01733 570312.
There will be a commemoration of ANZAC Day on Saturday 25th April at 09:00am in St Thomas’s Church.
For the first time this year there will be a formal dawn parade on 25 April 2015 at the Torquay Cemetery where there are six New Zealand graves from WW1. The parade commences at 5am during which there will be an Act of Remembrance which will include the Last Post and the laying of crosses at each grave and a wreath at the central memorial.
There will be a 100th anniversary remembrance service on Saturday, 25 April 2015 at noon, beginning with a formal civic parade at the Paignton War Memorial, followed by wreath laying.
The events of the day will end with a small reception at the Conservative Club in Palace Avenue, Paignton where various items from the Gallipoli Campaign will be on show. This will also include images and a film show.
For more information contact Kevin Jeffery, Paignton Branch of the Royal British Legion, Email:rblpaignton@gmail.com
The Vicar and the Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Harefield Anzac Day Service is to be held at 3.00pm on Saturday 25 April 2015. The service is open to all and is followed by a wreath-laying ceremony in the Anzac Cemetery and concludes with refreshments.
For further details consult www.stmarys-harefield.com or contact Rowena Scott. Email: office@stmarys-harefield.org.uk
In June 2005, an Anzac Memorial was unveiled on Weymouth Seafront to commemorate the thousands of New Zealand and Australian volunteer servicemen who passed through Camps and Hospitals in Dorset during the Great War (1914 – 1918) between battles in the Middle East and those on the Western Front in Europe.
This year there will be a short Service of Remembrance, including a Wreath Laying ceremony, at 11.00am on Saturday 25 April 2015. The Mayor of Weymouth and Portland, Cllr Kate Wheller will attend.
The memorial is located opposite the Russell Hotel, which was used as a hospital by the Anzac servicemen during the First World War.
For further information, please contact:
Ms Charlie Shepherd, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council
E-mail: c.sheppard@westdorset-weymouth.gov.uk Tel: 01305 838 512
It is now over 10 years since the first annual Anzac Day ceremony in Arbroath. The ceremony is arranged by the New Zealand Society (Scotland) with the co-operation of the Royal British Legion (Arbroath). Guests are requested to arrive by 11.15am on Sunday 26 April 2015. The service will commence at 11.30am at Western Cemetery, Arbroath, Scotland. Wreaths are laid at the graves of New Zealand Airmen and the Last Post is played.
All are invited to the Royal British Legion HQ Clubrooms for refreshment after the Service. For further information see www.nzsscotland.org.uk or contact Angus Robertson, Email: angusnzscot11@btinternet.com
The Anzac Memorial Parade and Service will be held at St Nicholas’ Church at 2.45 for 3.00pm on Sunday 26 April 2015, followed by wreath laying in the churchyard, where children will place flowers at the graves of the 94 Australian and New Zealand servicemen buried there.
Further information can be obtained from Mr A F G Foulger MBE, (RBL Brockenhurst Branch) ‘Elmina’, Woodlands Road, Brockenhurst, Hants SO42 7SF. E-mail: patonyfoulger@hotmail.co.uk
There will be two services organised by the Fusilier Museum. On Saturday 25 April a concert service starts at 1430 (see listing above), and includes a special piece of music composed by Martin Ellerby, composer in residence to the Royal Marines. On Sunday 26 April a commemoration service starts at 1130, followed by a parade and march past through Bury Town Centre.
For further information contact the Fusilier Museum, Moss Street, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 0DF, Tel 0161 7638950 or email enquiries@fusiliermuseum.com
The Anzac Day Commemoration Service, which takes place at the Commonwealth Military Cemetery, Brocton, Cannock Chase, will be held this year on Sunday 26 April 2015. The Parade forms up at 10.30am for the short march to the cemetery where there is then a short service, Last Post & Reveille followed by a Wreath Laying Ceremony.
Guests are asked to arrive by 10.15 am, and should be aware that parking is very limited. For further information contact Mr Alan Preece, County Secretary, RBL Staffordshire. E-mail: apreece@britishlegion.org.uk Tel: 01785 226 526.
Directions to the Cemetery are available on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website: www.cwgc.org
A Remembrance Service of Peace and Reconciliation, will take place on Sunday 26 April 2014, at 3.30pm. Please note the change of venue, for 2015 the service will take place at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (also known as Christ Church Cathedral)
In 1915, the then Vicar of Holy Trinity, Revd Henry Hall, was Chaplain to the British Army’s 29th Division which landed on Gallipoli. On his return to London, he was responsible for transforming the Gallipoli Memorial Chapel, which was dedicated to the memory of those who did not return.
Every year since 1921 an Act of Remembrance and wreath laying has been held at the Gallipoli Chapel during the Parish Eucharist at Holy Trinity Church.
This year the Church will hold two separate services, one on Saturday 25 April at 2pm (see listing above), and a service on Sunday 26 April during the 10.00 a.m. Mass. The Lord Bishop of Lincoln will attend this service.
For further information contact the Church Office – Tel: 020 8859 6274, or www.ht-e.org.uk
The Manningtree and District branch of The Royal British Legion will be hosting a Comemoration Parade and Service to honour the fallen at Gallipoli on April 26th 2015 at the Manningtree War Memorial , High Street, Manningtree Essex.
The parade steps off at 10.50am from South Street up to the War Memorial with the service to follow at 11.00am. The whole Comemoration event will last approx an hour. For more information please emailsharonrobinson163@yahoo.com
The Mayor of Ipswich will be leading an ANZAC Day Commemoration in Ipswich, Suffolk on Sunday 26 April 2015 as part of a weekend of WWI commemorations from 24th – 26th April.
The ANZAC Day Commemoration on Sunday 26 April begins at 2.30pm when a parade forms up outside the Town Hall, Ipswich for procession to St Mary Le Tower Church, Ipswich. The service includes wreath laying and ends at 4.00pm.
For further details on all commemoration events from 24th to 26th April 2015 please contact Christine Christensen Email: Christensen@ipswich.gov.uk
Organised by the Gloucestershire Group of the Royal British Legion, the Leighterton Anzac Day Parade will be held on Sunday 26 April 2015. The Parade forms up at the school at 1.30 pm for inspection and then marches to the Cemetery for a short service at 2.00 pm, in remembrance of the young air cadets who died at Leighterton and who are buried there.
The village is situated just off the A46 approximately 10 miles south of Stroud. It is a fine example of the Cotswold village and is within easy distance of many local attractions.
For further information contact Angela Darnley, RBL Gloucestershire County Secretary, Eastgate House, Eastgate Street, Gloucester GL1 1PX. E-mail: adarnley@britishlegion.org.uk
The Northenden Branch, Manchester of The Royal British Legion will be organising its annual ANZAC Service on Sunday, April 26th. The Service will start at 11.00 a.m. The Service will be held at The Commonwealth War Grave site in The Southern Cemetary, Chorlton, Manchester. Nearest access to the Service is from the entrance to the Cemetary on Barlow Moor Road, M21 7GL. Local Members of The Gallipolian Association and any visiting Kiwis have been invited to attend.
Light refreshments will be served at The Northenden Social Club, 412 Palatine Road, Manchester M22 4JT, all in attendance are warmly invited.
For any further details please contact Stephen Morrison, Secretary, RBL Northenden onrblnorthenden@aol.com or 0161 376 2867.
A service to commemorate the Centenary of the ANZAC Landings at Gallipoli will be held at Manchester Cathedral on Sunday 26 April at 2.30pm.
Coincidentally the date 26th April 2015 is also the centenary of the award of the Victoria Cross to Corporal Issy Smith then serving with the Manchester Regiment at Ypres. He is commemorated in the Regiment Chapel at Manchester Cathedral. Issy Smith went on to have a distinguished public service career in Melbourne. Representatives of the Jewish Community are also welcome to the service.
The Cathedral Choir will be complemented by the Menorah Synagogue choir and by the singing group Notability.
The Norfolk Branch of the Britain-Australia Society will be holding a service to commemorate Anzac Day on Sunday 26 April 2015. This year the service will be held at Norwich Cathedral at 3.30pm. Those attending are asked to be seated in good time.
For further information contact Jane Colman. E-mail: janecolman@me.com
The Newcastle Branch of the RAF Association arranges an Anzac Service each year on a Sunday close to 25 April. The service includes a parade and wreath laying and is held at the gravesides of the 7 New Zealand and 3 Australian airmen who were casualties of WWII. This year the service will be held on Sunday 26 April 2013, and will commence at 2 p.m.
Chevington Cemetery is approximately one hour north of Newcastle by car – directions can be found on theCommonwealth War Graves Commission website.
For further information and directions, contact Sydney Graham, Chairman, Newcastle on Tyne Branch, RAF Association, Tel: 01670 731196
A Service of Commemoration to mark ANZAC Day has been held since 1919 at the Church of St John The Evangelist.
This years’ service will take place on Sunday 26 April at 3.00pm; the preacher will be The Bishop of Ramsbury. The service will be followed by wreath-laying at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission plot in the churchyard.
For further information contact Maj. Gen. C H Elliott. E-mail: celliott@ascb.uk.com
Since 1920 a service has been held at Walton-on-Thames to remember the 27,000 soldiers from New Zealand who were treated at the Mount Felix Hospital during the First World War. This years Anzac Parade and Church Service will be held on Sunday 26 April 2015 at St Mary’s Church, Church Street, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, please arrive by 6.15pm.
After the Church service, wreaths will be laid around the Memorial in the adjacent churchyard. At the end of the wreath laying service, light refreshments will be served in St Mary’s Church hall.
For more information: Alan Curran, Branch Secretary, Walton & Weybridge, Royal British Legion, Tel: 01932 242 691 or visit the website: www.waltonparish.org.uk
Lest we forget