Monday, April 25th, is ANZAC Day. As this weekend is a long weekend, many people will be travelling to enjoy a holiday. However, many people will also attend ANZAC Day services on Monday morning, especially the dawn service. It was at dawn that the soldiers landed at Gallipoli in Turkey.
In Christchurch, the service will be held at the Bridge of Remembrance. This memorial bridge was damaged in the earthquake in 2011. Repairs will be finished in time for the service on Monday morning. Here is a photo of the ANZAC Day parade of soldiers at the Bridge of Remembrance in 1926. The bridge was opened on November 11th 1924.
You have probably noticed people wearing a red poppy made of cloth. The poppy is a symbol of the soldiers who died in the First World War. A Canadian soldier, John McCrae, wrote a poem called In Flanders Field Here is part of it:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; . . .
We are the Dead.
Poppies were flowering in Flanders, Northern Belgium, in a cemetery where soldiers were buried. Their graves were marked by white crosses. This poem is often read at ANZAC services.
Remember that shops will be closed on Monday before 1pm. This includes supermarkets.
Listen to April 25th 2015 for more about ANZAC Day.
Question
Does your country have a memorial day to remember soldiers who died in wars?