Western Australia's last surviving first world war soldier, Peter Casserly, 107, takes part in the 90th anniversary Anzac Day service in Perth. Photograph: Paul Kane/Getty
It is 90 years since Australian and New Zealand troops landed near Ari Burnu on the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey, in the early stages of the first world war. It is estimated that as many as 2000 Australians and 600 New Zealanders died in the first day of fighting at 'Anzac Cove', as it is now known.
The battle is famously depicted in the Mel Gibson film Gallipoli.
Official reports at the time claimed the offensive had been a success and understated the casualties. Newspaper reports were also heavily censored.
However, first hand accounts paint a different picture.
The Australian war correspondent and historian, Charles Bean, the first to refer to the troops as Anzacs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), was also the first to give an eyewitness account of the campaign in the Dardanelles.
Although Australia had become formally independent in 1901, and New Zealand not until 1947, both countries consider April 25 1915 to be a pivotal moment in the journey to nationhood. Although almost eight times as many died in France and Belgium during the first world war as did during the eight-month campaign in Gallipoli, it is widely recognised as the first time troops from both countries fought in their own right, rather than as part of the British forces.
In the 90 years since the troops landed off the Turkish coast, Anzac Day celebrations have evolved from a simple veterans' march, to a national holiday marked by memorial services. Attendance at these events, which peaked in the 50s, has grown again in recent years.
This year, dawn services and parades are being held in cities and towns across Australia and New Zealand and around the world, as well as in Gallipoli.
In Australia, Anzac Day is also one of only three days during the year when it is legal to play two-up, a form of gambling, involving two pennies, which was played in the trenches.
Gabrielle Procter
