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As history unfolds: Gallipoli 100 commemorations at Chunuk Bair

12:34 PM Sunday Apr 26, 2015

• Rolling coverage of the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings in New Zealand and Turkey from our team of reporters and photographers. All times in NZST.

• Your Anzac Day, your photos: The New Zealand Herald wants to share how you are commemorating the centenary and build up a permanent digital record of the day. Share your Anzac Day photos here. Or tweet or Instagram your Anzac Day photo with @nzherald and the hashtag #YourAnzacDay

Kiwis reactions at Chunuk Bair

Anna Hughes, a 24-year-old farmer from Rotorua living in Scotland, was blown away by the Chunuk Bair service.

"It was so special to be here," she said.

After what was a "pretty wow" dawn service, she joined the thousands of other Kiwis and Australians who walked from Anzac Cove up Artillery Road to Lone Pine, and on to Chunuk Bair.

"It was like a pilgrimage - it was really nice."

She stopped at "four or five" cemeteries. The thing that really struck her was that many of the dead were younger than her.

"So many people wanted to be here and couldn't, so it's been a privilege to be here."

Continued below.

Related Content

Josh and Jaylene Young visited Gallipoli as part of a World War I tour that also includes Passchendaele and Belgium.

Kiwis Josh and Jaylene Young at Chunuk Bair. Photo / New Zealand Herald
Kiwis Josh and Jaylene Young at Chunuk Bair. Photo / New Zealand Herald

"It was really nice. It was a little bit less formal than the Dawn Service," Mr Young said.
"It's about the sacrifice our boys gave."

Amy Wade said visiting Chunuk Bair and Gallipoli was a trip of a lifetime.

"When the Youth Ambassadors sang Welcome Home by Dave Dobbyn. That made me a bit homesick and I remembered why I'm proud to be a Kiwi. I even got a bit misty eyed."

Amy Wade said visiting Chunuk Bair and Gallipoli was a trip of a lifetime. Photo / New Zealand Herald
Amy Wade said visiting Chunuk Bair and Gallipoli was a trip of a lifetime. Photo / New Zealand Herald



11.44pm

The official part of the service has now concluded, and once again the crowd is standing to sing the final waiata, Pö atarau (Now Is the Hour).

11.41pm

As the crowds, veterans and distinguished officials continue to stand, the New Zealand national anthem is being played.

Distinguished guests pictured commemorating Anzac day at Chunuk Bair. Photo / Getty Images News
Distinguished guests pictured commemorating Anzac day at Chunuk Bair. Photo / Getty Images News

The Catafalque Party is now being dismounted.

11.40pm

The Revielle was then played, and the Turkish national anthem is now being sung.

11.35pm

Tama Andrews from the New Zealand Defence Force, and President of the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association Barry Clark recited the Act of Remembrance.

The last post is now being played by a bugler.

The crowd have taken a minute of silence.

11.25pm

The crowds, veterans and distinguished officials are led in prayer.

11.25pm

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales is first invited to lay a wreath in honor of the fallen.

The second wreath was laid by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and his wife, Bronagh.

A wreath was then laid by Volkan Bozkir, on behalf of the Republic of Turkey.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and his wife Margaret, then laid a wreath on behalf of the Government and people of Australia.

Wreaths are being laid on behalf of Ireland, The Republic of Bangladesh, Canada, the French Republic, and the Republic of Germany.

This is followed by wreaths being laid by representatives from the The Hellenic Republic of Greece, The Republic of Hungary, as well as The Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

A representative of United Kingdom and Northern Ireland has laid a wreath.

Rear Admiral Ken Doonan has laid a wreath on behalf of the Australian Veterans, and Sir Joe French has laid a wreath on behalf of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

11.23pm

"I know you will never forget me or let the dear children do so. I am prepared for death and hope that god will have forgiven me all my sins.

"My desire for life so I may see and be with you again could not be greater."

Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force, Tim Keating, is reading an extract from the reflections of Dan Curham.

Dan Curham was a member of the Wellington Battalion, and one of a group of men ordered to bring a machine gun up to Chunuk Bair.

In the extract, Mr Curham explained how "speaking of Gallipoli, especially Chunuk Bair, brings sorrow to my heart."


11.20pm

Minister of Veterans' Affair, Craig Foss reads Lieutenant Colonel William Malone's last letter to his wife.

Lieutenant Colonel William Malone commanded the Wellington Infantry Battalion at the assault on Chunuk Bair on August 8, 1915.

He was killed in the battle that ensued, and remains among the many New Zealanders with no known grave at Gallipoli.

"My sweetheart in less than two hours we move off to a valley where we will be up all night and tomorrow in readiness for a big attack which will start tomorrow night.

"Everything promises well and victory should be with us.

"Dear wife if anything untoward happens to me you must not grieve too much there are our dear children to be brought up."

11.15pm

Prince Henry of Wales is delivering the second reading, an excerpt from an unidentified member of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles, from August 17, 1915.

11.08pm

The crowd is now standing, to sing the first waiata, Whakaaria Mai.

11.04pm

Prime Minister John Key begins his commemorative address, on behalf of the nation:

"There are places on this peninsula whose names will never be forgotten.
Each country remembers where their soldiers fought, and where they fell.

Places where extraordinary bravery was shown, in unspeakable conditions.

For New Zealanders, nowhere in Gallipoli is more special than here on Chunuk Bair.
It was not the scene of a great triumph.

But it was the closest the Allied forces came to making a breakthrough in the whole Gallipoli campaign.

And it was led by a few hundred Kiwis, 10,000 miles from home.

We are the descendants and countrymen of the New Zealanders who fought and died on this hilltop.

From here we see the terrain that Colonel William Malone and his men in the Wellington Battalion made out as the dawn rose, almost 100 years ago.

We do not come merely as sightseers.

We come to feel closer to those who came here before us, 100 years ago.

By being here, we can imagine them climbing this hill with rifle in hand, squinting in the dark. Alert. Apprehensive.

We can see why this range of hills was so important - it's the highest ground for many miles.

Australian and New Zealand units began attacking this range, and the approaches to it, on August 6, 1915.

The Auckland Battalion tried to take Chunuk Bair but was forced back with heavy casualties.

Next in line was the Wellington Battalion, but its commanding officer, Colonel Malone, refused to send his men to their certain deaths in a daylight attack.

They waited until night fell.

Shortly after 3am the New Zealanders, together with some British soldiers, reached the summit where we are now standing.

For the next day they held this position against repeated attacks.

They fought with their rifles and their bayonets, with only one trench for shelter.

Almost all of the Wellington Battalion were killed or wounded including, Colonel Malone.

He was but one of the 2700 New Zealanders to die on this peninsula during the Gallipoli campaign.

One more telegram bearing the news that one more family prayed never to receive.
As night fell, the survivors were relieved, but the hilltop was soon recaptured by Ottoman Turkish troops.

Their commander was Mustafa Kemal, who later became a great leader and the first President of Turkey.

On a hill by the sea in Wellington there is a monument - the Ataturk memorial - that remembers the man and the soldiers who died defending their homeland.

Like the New Zealanders, they were brave, and were mourned by their grieving families and friends.

Today, I want to acknowledge them, as well as the young men from many other countries who fought and died on this peninsula.

And I want to thank the Turkish government and people.

It is their understanding and generosity that enables us to come to Gallipoli each year and it has made possible this one hundredth commemoration.

There is no way to sanitise what took place here in Gallipoli and nor should we try.
Over a few months, 100 years ago, tens of thousands of men died on the hills that surround us and on the beaches below us.

The geography helps us understand the military campaign, but it is the historical and cultural significance that is more enduring.

The sacrifice of so many men from such a small country as New Zealand was harrowing.
Our losses and achievements here and elsewhere in the First World War, had a profound effect on New Zealand's view of its abilities, its identity and, ultimately, its sovereignty.
Over the past century, our country's role in this and other campaigns has been widely debated.

But what can never be doubted is the fact that the soldiers who fought here, on both sides, served their countries with great courage and honour.

No more could have been asked of them then than what they gave.

And there is no more we can give them now than our respect.

And to renew the pledge we make on this day, every year - that we will always remember them."



10.59pm

The New Zealand Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, Jonathan Curr, is delivering the welcoming address.

"You are here today on sacred ground. It has been sanctified by the shedding of blood. The blood of soldiers from all nations who fought and died here 100 years ago. It is in their memory that we gather."

He said Chunuk Bair was a place where men gave their lives in a battle that lasted only two days.

"That so many of you have made this journey to share in this occasion with New Zealand and her people speaks to the importance of this place and to our shared history and experiences.

"Where once without allies we may have been enemies, we are now, all of us, friends.
"This place, this sacred place, now represents peace and remembrance."

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Duncan from the New Zealand Army is delivering the first reading.

10.54pm

The mounting of the Catafalque Party is now taking place.

10.45pm

The New Zealand Service at Chunuk Bair has kicked off with a Karanga in front of the New Zealand memorial. It is 1.45pm in Turkey.

A welcome and opening prayer is taking place.


9.58pm


9.50pm

The New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair in Gallipoli is due to start at 10.45pm (NZT).



9.42pm

Watch video highlights from today's Anzac Cove ceremony, compiled by Alan Gibson, here:

Video

9.36pm


9.23pm

Visitors, including one wearing the flag of New Zealand, walk amongst the gravestones of mostly Australian and New Zealand soldiers who died during the Gallipoli campaign. Photo / Getty Images
Visitors, including one wearing the flag of New Zealand, walk amongst the gravestones of mostly Australian and New Zealand soldiers who died during the Gallipoli campaign. Photo / Getty Images

9.16pm

Britain is officially commemorating Gallipoli as a national event for the first time.


9.05pm

Prince Harry said it was difficult to imagine the carnage and desperation of the fighting that took place at Lone Pine.

"But it was in this spot that many acts of valour were witnessed and despite the number of Victoria Crosses awarded for the fighting here, most of these acts went unrecognised," he told the crowd.

Prince Harry, who spent a month on secondment with the Australian army, said the most sacred bond between soldiers was the unspoken pact that if the situation demanded they would lay down their lives for each other.

"This great bond, these self-sacrificing actions, display the extremes to which soldiers will go to for their duty and for each other," he said after reading an account from a member of the First Battalion.

"While we honour their bravery, we must also remember the emotional cost, the guilt, the sorrow, and mental anguish of those who survived."

8.48pm

Speaking at Lone Pine, Australian defence force chief Mark Binskin said the Anzacs squared their shoulders and prepared to confront the enemy again at Lone Pine on August 6, 1915, 104 days after the Gallipoli landings.

Those who survived the first 100 days had already endured the terrible reality of war, he said.

"As the August offensive began, some remarked that it felt like 25 April all over again," Air Chief Marshal Binskin said.

"The Gallipoli campaign exacted a heavy toll that left an indelible scar on our nation."

The more than 8000 Australians who died here were ordinary men who found extraordinary determination and bravery on the sands of Gallipoli, he said.

"And while we will never fully understand what they suffered in the name of duty, we honour them and the actions that inspired the Anzac spirit: unconditional loyalty to mateship, endurance in hardship, courage even in the face of certain death, sacrifice in the name of service.

"These are the enduring values that emerge from the Gallipoli campaign. They are characteristics of those who fought here and the values we continue to honour and admire."

8.34pm


8.29pm

The landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli was a watershed moment in Australia's history, a service at Lone Pine has heard.

Veterans Affairs Minister Michael Ronaldson said those at the service stood in awe of the efforts of the first Anzacs.

"We are rightly proud of their achievements," he said.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, his New Zealand counterpart John Key, Prince Charles and Prince Harry are at the Australian service at Lone Pine after attending the Gallipoli dawn service.

Veterans in the crowd and serving defence force members stood up at the beginning of the service to long applause.

8.02pm

The service at Lone Pine is set to begin, where guest Prince Harry has been met with a standing ovation from the crowd.



7.58pm

Prince Harry has charmed 10 Australian widows whose husbands served in the First World War when he met them at an event in Turkey to mark the doomed Gallipoli campaign.

"The age gap must have been quite something," he said. "You look as if you're in your thirties now."

Prince Harry and Prince Charles were given iconic Akubra hats by the group.

Harry delighted 91-year-old Ruth Littler by giving her a peck on the cheek in return.

"I'll never wash it off," said Mrs Littler, the second wife of Lieutenant Guy Littler, who won the Military Cross in Flanders.

"He served for King and country - that's what it was all about," she said. "So all this would have meant a lot to him."


7.53pm

Some are commemorating Anzac Day at mass. Here are a couple of tweets from churchgoers in Australia.



7.32pm

Hawke's Bay Today photos from the Anzac military parade in Hastings today.

Anzac military parade in Hastings today. Photo / Warren Buckland
Anzac military parade in Hastings today. Photo / Warren Buckland
A military parade in Hastings today. Photo / Warren Buckland
A military parade in Hastings today. Photo / Warren Buckland

7.21pm

On April 25 in 1916, exactly 12 months after the Gallipoli landings, King George V joined thousands of Londoners at a ceremony to honour the force that became known as the Anzacs.

At dawn on Saturday, on a cold and drizzly London morning, close to 5000 men, women and bleary-eyed children thronged to the Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner to remember the soldiers who served and died in that most bloody of campaigns.

Emily Bonney, 29, and 30-year-old Amanda Morris from Brisbane live and work in London and queued together from 2.30am to grab a good spot.

"It's a really Australian thing, patriotic, and it brings us all together to remember the efforts of the Anzacs," Ms Bonney told AAP.

"For me, it is uplifting and important to remember what people who came before did for us and the sacrifices made," Ms Morris said.

Princess Ann represented the royal family at the service, which was also attended by Attorney-General George Brandis and Australian High Commissioner Alexander Downer.

Senator Brandis told the crowd the Anzac legend remains a founding epic of Federation itself, and forged and cemented the relationship between Australia and New Zealand.

Sir Lockwood Smith, New Zealand's High Commissioner, said no family escaped unscathed from the horrors of the Great War.

"My own grandmother's first fiance, the first real love of her life, lies buried at Lone Pine - a Kiwi alongside his Australian mates," he said, his voice audibly catching with emotion.

As the last notes of the The Last Post played and silence descended over Hyde Park Corner, a lone seagull cried out in the light of the dawn.

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince William will on Saturday attend a wreath-laying at London's Cenotaph to mark the occasion.

A service of remembrance at Westminster Abbey will also be attended by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Speaking after the ceremony, Mr Downer said Princess Ann had found the ceremony very moving and he was very proud and pleased with the event and the size of the crowd.

- AAP

7.08pm

Giant poppies, roaring jets and a rum-spiked latte - this was Brisbane's unlikely recipe for an unforgettable Anzac Day march.

A huge crowd lined Adelaide Street to cheer on veterans, current troops, descendants and other service personnel.

The throng easily numbered more than 40,000, RSL South Eastern District president Wendy Taylor said.

"If you looked back, there were people six deep," she said.

"It's bigger and better than it's been for a long time."

- AAP

6.50pm



6.45pm

"When the French think about the Anzacs, they think of their courage, and they are eternally grateful."

France has paid homage to the Anzacs, saying it is eternally grateful for the courage of the hero diggers.

Speaking on behalf of the French Government at a wet and sombre dawn service outside the village of Villers-Bretonneux, local politician Pascale Boistard said in the daily horror of the Western Front, the Anzacs had forged a legend.

"When the French think about the Anzacs, they think of their courage, and they are eternally grateful," Ms Boistard told those at the Australian National Memorial.

"They were heroes. France understands what it owes them. French people will never forget those who came to fight at their side on their soil."

Villers-Bretonneux was the site of one of the key battles in World War I where the Australians stopped the German forces advancing towards Paris, turning the course of the war.

Their success however came at a huge cost. More than 1200 soldiers were killed or wounded in the battle which began on the night of April 24, 1918.

The casualties made up heavy losses suffered on the Western Front, with 46,000 of the 295,000 who served in France and Belgium never making it home.

- AAP

6.33pm

More photos from Herald photographer Alan Gibson in Gallipoli.

An Australian soldier salutes during the Anzac Day dawn service on the Gallipoli Peninsula this morning. Photo / Alan Gibson
An Australian soldier salutes during the Anzac Day dawn service on the Gallipoli Peninsula this morning. Photo / Alan Gibson
Crowds pack into Anzac Cove for this morning's dawn service. Photo / Alan Gibson
Crowds pack into Anzac Cove for this morning's dawn service. Photo / Alan Gibson

6.15pm

Tinui: Home to the world's first Anzac Day service

Video

5.40pm

Record numbers celebrated Anzac Day in the historic village of Tinui today.

The Wairarapa township was the first place in the world to commemorate Anzac Day, at 7.30am on April 26, 1916 - just a year after the Gallipoli landings.

More than 2000 people attended today's 10.30am service, compared to the usual 1000. Organisers expect attendance to double again for the centenary next year.

Tinui Anzac Trust chairman Alan Emerson said more than 500 people walked to the hilltop cross where the first service was held 99 years ago.

"We always say, if you can't get to Gallipoli you're more than welcome at Tinui.

"Up there [by the cross] it's an absolutely panoramic view of the area. The feature is very similar to Chunuk Bair in Gallipoli."

Key speaker Sergeant Major Bob Davies made a real impact, Mr Emerson said.

Sergeant Major Davies served in Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore and as a United Nations peacekeeper in Sinai before becoming Sergeant Major of the Army.

He was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1987 and received the Meritorious Service Medal in 1993.

The Manawatu Pipe Band opened proceedings and three vintage World War I aircraft flew over the service.

It was a momentous occasion for both visitors and locals, Mr Emerson said.

"It was a beautiful day in Tinui. The pub was fair booming afterwards with people coming in and having a coffee or a beer and meeting the locals.

"It went really well."

5.32pm

A selection of #YourAnzacDay tweets from our readers.




5.19pm


5.15pm

"Time and the perspective of history have cast the Gallipoli campaign, and some of the military decisions that were made, in a different light.

"But 100 years ago, both sides were doing what they believed was right, and what they believed was necessary.

"There was something else the Anzac troops landing here at Gallipoli did not know as they first struggled onto this foreign soil.

"It was that their bravery and unity would help to forge the Anzac bond and reputation that endures to this day."

Read the full text of Prime Minister John Key's speech at Gallipoli here.

4.55pm

Neither rain nor terror threat stopped Victorians turning out in record numbers to remember sacrifices made in wars at Anzac Day centenary commemorations.

In a show of unity following a foiled terror plot aimed at Anzac Day, about 100,000 people huddled under umbrellas in the chilly dawn at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance.

Shrine of Remembrance chief executive Denis Baguley said the crowd showed Victorians would not give in to threats.

"There was always a concern [of terrorism], especially with the dawn service where people arrive in the dark," he said.

- AAP

Ron Murfett sent in this photo of a New Zealand soldier in Melbourne on Anzac Day.
Ron Murfett sent in this photo of a New Zealand soldier in Melbourne on Anzac Day.

4.39pm

Herald photographer Alan Gibson captured these images at the Anzac service in Gallipoli this morning.

A woman sheds a few tears at the dawn service on the Gallipoli Peninsula this morning. Photo / Alan Gibson
A woman sheds a few tears at the dawn service on the Gallipoli Peninsula this morning. Photo / Alan Gibson
Crowds packed into Anzac Cove for the dawn service on the Gallipoli Peninsula this morning. Photo / Alan Gibson
Crowds packed into Anzac Cove for the dawn service on the Gallipoli Peninsula this morning. Photo / Alan Gibson
Emotion in the faces of the crowd during the Anzac service at Gallipoli this morning. Photo / Alan Gibson
Emotion in the faces of the crowd during the Anzac service at Gallipoli this morning. Photo / Alan Gibson

4.30pm

Kurt Bayer reports from Gallipoli

David Comerford, a 43-year-old from Christchurch who has been living in Holland, felt a "powerful" patriotic connection after the service.

"Having been away from home for a year, it felt like a true New Zealand experience," he said.

"I was holding back, I suppose, tears... emotion.

"It was something I always wanted to do. It's a very big New Zealand experience to do at some stage in your life."

4.29pm


4.27pm

Tens of thousands of Queenslanders have converged on Brisbane's CBD to mark the Anzac centenary.

Up to 30,000 people were expected to line the streets in a record turnout.

But RSL officials said it was likely at least 10,000 more than that came to watch as veterans, descendants and troops from local barracks marched.

A similar crowd - one of the biggest in Brisbane's history - had already crammed into Anzac Square for the dawn service.

All up, about 10,000 people took part in the sun-soaked parade: 153 units and an historical display of tanks, horses and army bands filing through the city.

- AAP

4.15pm

More from Kurt Bayer in Gallipoli

Stuart and Allison Nicol from Wellington were "overwhelmed" by the dawn service.

Mr Nicol's father Harold served at Gallipoli with the South Canterbury Mounted Rifles.

"I thought I would've soldiered through the service but... I wish he could've been here," an emotional Mr Nicol, 77, said.

"I always meant to come and now I can imagine it as he saw it.

"I have a whole new appreciation of what he went through and I feel this service has paid him and the others a great honour."

4.13pm

From the Anzac Day parade in Perth

The applause from the crowd was non-stop for Perth's Anzac Day parade marchers, while the veterans enjoyed the chance to reunite and catch up.

The loudest clapping during the one-and-a-half hour event was reserved for the older diggers who rode in jeeps, one bearing the sign "atomic survivors".

HMAS Stirling warrant officer Scott Campbell said the rest of the day would be spent having a family lunch then watching the football.

But it was not a day to drink excessively, he said.

"There's a change in culture. It's no longer seen as respectful to use the day as an excuse to drink too much."

- AAP

3.59pm


3.56pm

The latest from NZME. news service reporter Kurt Bayer in Gallipoli

Paul and Karen Thurston from ngaruawahia were impressed by the service.

Mr Thurston said it was nice to see the princes here, and the New Zealand and Australia prime ministers laying a wreath together, showing the "Anzac bond".

His great grandfather Andrew Peters served with Wellington Mounted Rifles at Gallipoli.

To return a century after his long lost relative was a "very humbling experience", he said.

"Bring the centenary and all, I feel very privileged to be here," said Mr Thurston.

"The whole thing lived up to expectations... And then some."

3.41pm

The dawn parade in Wellington was led by Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae and Australia's Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove who spoke to the thousands attending.

Also among the crowd were deputy Prime Minister Bill English, Labour Party MP Grant Robertson, representing the opposition and Victoria Cross holder Willie Apiata.

Video

3.36pm



3.30pm

The Turkish, Australian and New Zealand national anthems are sung.

The New Zealand national anthem is sung by Rebecca Nelson before the service closes.

Rebecca Nelson.
Rebecca Nelson.

3.28pm

The Reveille is played as the New Zealand and Australian flags are raised.

3.27pm

The Last Post is played by a bugler, followed a minute of silence. All that can be heard is the lapping of the Aegean Sea.

3.25pm

New Zealand Chief of Defence Lieutenant General Tim Keating recited the Ode of Remembrance to a silent and waiting crowd.

"At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them. Lest we forget," he finished.

3.22pm

The sky lightens as wreaths are laid on behalf of Turkey, Ireland, the French Republic, Canada, the Republic of Nepal, India, the United Kingdom, Greece, Germany, Pakistan, Hungary and Bangladesh.


3.19pm

The latest in our #GallipoliFlashback series.


3.15pm

Australian Monsignor Glynn Murphy leads the Prayer of Remembrance.

"We remember all who have suffered the horrors of war in our world."

Bagpipes are heard as the official wreath-laying is opened by Prince Charles of Wales.

The second wreath was laid jointly by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key.

3.13pm



3.07pm

Prince Charles of Wales delivers a reading from a letter by Lieutenant Ken Miller.

"There was the question of our dead mates. We lived at Gallipoli with our dead alongside us."

Prince Charles said today was about looking back.

"Here today we remember his sacrifice and that of all those who served and suffered in this far away place on the other side of the world in Antipodes."

3.02pm

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says people journey to Gallipoli, year after year, to honour the soldiers who died for their countries.

"It is 100 years since Australians and New Zealanders splashed out of the sea right here.

"So now we gather in the cold and dark before dawn wondering what to say and how to honour those whose bones rest in the hills and the valleys of others and whose spirit has moved our people for a century."

Mr Abbott said the soldiers who fought in Gallipoli became the founding heroes of modern Australia.

The survivors of Gallipoli went on to become some of the world's greatest soldiers, he said.

"Ordinary men did extraordinary things. They lived with death and dined with disease because that was where their duty lay.

"If they were not still emblematic of the nation we think we are, none of us would be here. But like every generation since, we are here on Gallipoli because we believe that the Anzacs represented Australia at our best."

Mr Abbot said the Anzac soldiers served an example for everyone in modern Australia.
"So much has changed in 100 years but not the things that really matter. Duty, selflessness, moral courage - always these remain the mar of a decent human being. They did their duty now let us do ours."


2.57pm

An inspired and original interactive community art installation, The Giant Poppy, has been completed in the Auckland Domain for ANZAC Day with the laying of 59,000 red metal poppy petals (honouring those wounded and killed in WW1) which include 25,000 personal messages from Aucklanders who have visited the Domain or online donations from New Zealanders all over the country and the world.

Herald app users tap here to watch The Giant Poppy timelapse.

Video

2.54pm

The hymn God of our Fathers is being sung in the darkness.

2.49pm

Mr Key says he will not say "Lest we forget" this year.

"Usually at these services we say lest we forget...but today I will not say lest we forget because after 100 years we can say on this day, April 25th 2015, we remember."







2.45pm

Prime Minister John Key addresses the silent crowd of thousands.

"On this beach, on this day, at this hour, exactly 100 years ago the first Anzac troops came ashore.

"Time and perspective of history have cast the Gallipoli campaign and some of the decisions that were made in a different light. But 100 years ago both sides were doing what they believed was right and what they believed was necessary."


Mr Key salutes the bravery of the troops who fought on the shores of Anzac Cove.

Every place a New Zealander has died serving the country is a part of its history but today was about the New Zealand troops lost at Gallipoli, he said.

"The very name is evocative.

"While this was a place of courage, heroism and duty it was also a place of fear and waste and loss."

2.41pm


The Gallipoli dawn service has kicked off with a welcome by Major General Mark Kelly. It is 5.30am in Turkey.

The mounting of the Catafalque Party is taking place by members of Australia's Federation Guard and the New Zealand Defence Force.

Australian Chief of Defence Mark Binskin delivers the Call to Remembrance.

"Today we honour all those Australian and NZ soldiers who landed at Gallipoli especially those who gave their lives in the service of our countries. It's our promise to remember them always and it is right that we do it at this time on this day at this place. This is where the Anzac legend was born, at great cost.

"Here, they lie in sacred soil. Here we honour their spirit that lives amongst us. And here, we will remember them."

- Lauren Priestly in Auckland

2.40pm


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2.39pm



2.35pm


The Anzac service in Gallipoli has begun. App users watch the live stream here.













2.33pm

A letter from Lieutenant Charles Hamilton Loughnan describes the "bloodiest bit of fighting in history" at Gallipoli in 1915.

The former New Zealander travelled to England in 1914 to study law but arrived to find war had broken out, his grandson Bill Werry said.

He landed on the shores of Gallipoli in 1915 and took up defence positions with the New Zealand and Australian Army Corps.

"I say glibly, in one great rush, but it was a whole night's desperate fighting and cost I dare not say what?"

Lieutenant Charles Hamilton Loughnan's letter.
Lieutenant Charles Hamilton Loughnan's letter.

2.25pm



2.21pm

Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and his son Prince Harry pay their respects to the tens of thousands of British troops who died at the Battle of Gallipoli, laying wreaths and recalling the suffering of the soldiers.

App users tap here to watch 'Britain's Prince Charles remembers suffering of Gallipoli troops'

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2.15pm


People show up for Anzac services around Australia

Sydney


Canberra



1.58pm

Chilly autumnal weather did not stop about 500 Westport people from turning up this morning to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings.

Westport's municipal band led the Anzac parade from Palmerston St to the Gates of Remembrance.

Buller District Council Mayor Garry Howard gave the opening address, telling the crowd 2779 New Zealanders gave their lives to Gallipoli.

The four ponies that were dressed in medical uniform and towed carts during the parade were a reminder that it was not just men and women who lost their lives, but many animals as well, he said.

Mr Howard said he was "very impressed" with the amount of respect Westport children had displayed in the days leading up to, and day of, the service.

He said there had been a "near continual stream" of children visiting the Gates of Remembrance.

Guest speaker HMNZS Hawea commanding officer Lieutenant Anthony Norris said in 1915, 10 percent of New Zealanders responded to the call from the British Empire to join them in fighting the war.

New Zealanders at the time were very proud of their association with Britain.

Four years later, however, when one in three New Zealanders were seriously and directly affected by the grief and the trauma of war, the country's "idea with being British" weakened.

Mr Norris said New Zealanders began identifying as New Zealanders, when it became clear just how large the scale of tragedy was.

We united as a people in shock and in grief, he said.

Pupils from all four of Westport's schools spoke, some reading poems about war.

Buller High School pupil Tony Carleton reflected upon the fact that many of the soldiers were his age when they left.

"If this were 100 years ago, we would have been asked to serve," he said.

1.56pm

Our #GallipoliFlashback tracks the sequence of events during the first day of the Anzac landing minute by minute.


1.51pm

Photos: Dawn services from Australia and New Zealand

Gallery

Anzac Day dawn services - We remember

1.45pm

'This is a place of immense sacrifice'

The latest from Kurt Bayer in Gallipoli.

The Anzac service in Gallipoli is set to start as 100th anniversary commemorations finish up around New Zealand.

All 10,500 pilgrims were now inside the Anzac Commemorative Site at the Gallipoli peninsula.

Many had slept at the site overnight and early today Turkish time organisers shuffled the large crowd to fit extras in as they arrived.

"This is a place of immense sacrifice so if the only sacrifice you have to make is shuffling up so your compatriots can fit in, that's great," one official said.

1.42pm

Our #GallipoliFlashback series on Twitter is getting some good feedback.




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