From Gallipoli to Gaza: remembering the Anzacs not as a ‘coming of age’ tale but as a lesson for the future

The Conversation

Center

Factuality

Ownership

From Gallipoli to Gaza: remembering the Anzacs not as a ‘coming of age’ tale but as a lesson for the future

Getty ImagesWhen New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against the Ottoman Empire, the story goes, was where the young nation passed its first test of courage and determination. The question of why New Zealand soldiers ended up on Turkish beaches in April …