A few facts

The ANZAC Biscuit

The original ANZAC biscuit, the ANZAC 'tile', was part of army rations given to ANZAC soldiers during the First World War. Unlike the popular ANZAC biscuits of today, ANZAC 'tiles' were hard tack, a simple cracker made mainly from flour and water as a substitute for bread that does not go mouldy. Soldiers also used the biscuits as paint canvases and even as photo frames. One such biscuit features the use of wool and bullets to create a picture frame.

The Poppy

Most people are unaware that as well as the traditional commemorative red poppy there are also the white poppy symbolizing peace and the purple poppy remembering all the animals that died during conflicts. People are encouraged to wear the purple poppy alongside the red traditional red poppy as a reminder that both humans and animals have and continue to serve. Australia sent 130,000 horses to the World War 1 and only one came home.

The acronym ANZAC

ANZAC is the acronym formed from the initial letters of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. This was the banner in which Australian and New Zealand soldiers in Egypt were grouped before the landing at Gallipoli in April 1915. The acronym was first written as “A & NZ Army Corps”. However, clerks in the corps headquarters soon shortened it to ANZAC as a convenient telegraphic code name for addressing telegram messages.

Brighton Army Camp

A military post was established at Brighton in Tasmania in 1826 beginning a military presence there that would last for over 170 years. Troops were prepared at the Brighton Army Camp for service in both the First and Second World Wars. During the Second World War, the camp was also used to house prisoners of war. Often the camp would be open to visitors who would share a meal with the troops. 500 Tasmanian soldiers of the 12th Battalion who went ashore in the second wave at Gallipoli on the 25th of April 1915 were trained at Brighton.

Measurements

The physical characteristics of the ideal soldier during World War I were:

Aged between 18 and 35 years old
168 cm in height (5 foot, 6 inches)
Chest measurement of 86cm (34 inches)
Later these requirements were relaxed due to the demand on soldiers needed.

For enlistment in the Light Horse Regiment conditions applied for both rider and horse:

The soldier must be able to ride bare-back and jump over a fence. The horse must be solid brown or grey in colour and be at least 14 ½ hands high.

Tasmanian Aboriginal Soldiers

At the outbreak of World War One, about 170 Aboriginal people lived on Cape Barren Island and of the 27 men deemed eligible to serve, 21 enlisted and served at Gallipoli, in Flanders, and on the Somme. Six of the men from Cape Barren Island were killed.

Special thanks to Paul Armstrong, President, Claremont RSL, for providing some lesser known facts for all our blog readers to enjoy.