ANZAC Day 2008

Following a special Dawn Service on the 25th to mark the liberation of Villers-Bretonneux we continued the following day, on the Saturday, with the traditional ceremonies organised by the local communities. The weather remained hot and sunny and it was hard to believe that we had seen snow only a few weeks ago.

The dawn ceremony had seen five thousand Australians make the pilgrimage to the Western Front and it was good to see that so many stayed on for the community ceremonies.

The ANZAC Commemoration takes place here in the afternoon (after a ceremony at Villers-Bretonneux in the morning) on the Saturday nearest to 25 April.

Once again the honour of addressing the welcoming words to the assembled onlookers fell to M Jules Laude Maire of Bullecourt.

As this was also a British battle the choirs and Corporal Simone Dew led the crowd in all three national anthems, their voices encouraging the more reticent.

Following the traditional wreath laying at the Anglo-Australian and then the village memorials the much larger party than usual walked the short distance out to the Digger Monument where doves were set loose and the closing speech was made by The Hon. Alan Griffin.

A vin d'honneur was then offered in the local village but some enterprising people appear to have brought a consignment of Boag's beer with them.

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The Dawn Service 2008
The ceremony in 2006
The Australian War Memorial
Bullecourt
Villers Bretonneux