ANZAC Day 2013

Hi All,

I have been up to the local ANZAC Day service and then the gathering at the RSL afterwards. This year was the biggest gathering there has been so far in the last few years and surprisingly it was not that cold, I do have to say that since I began going to the local service, each year has seen a little more attend.

Once I returned home I set to my normal routine for ANZAC Day - undertaking research, though this year I am trying to help some other people discover information about their soldiers.

This year I didn't lay a wreath. My memorial was a personal one - I have had two (metal) dog-tags made for myself with my grandfathers and great-grandfathers war information. It is so special on different levels. I look at the tags I wear around my neck and think in some way finally they are together - unfortunately due to the First World War my grandfather grew up never knowing his father (my great-grandfather).

The left tag is for my grandfather, the right tag for my great-grandfather

The top tag is for my grandfather (I used the exact name he fought under), the bottom tag for my great-grandfather.

OTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT THE STRANGENESS OF WAR

When looking at my mum and dad's families there is are a couple of unbalanced situations between the two families with regard the wars.

On the one side, my mum's family had a large number of family members participate in various wars, however nearly all of them came home and came home without any issues.

Where on the other side, my dad's family had only a few members (about a handful) participate in World War One and Two with the majority not returning and/or returning with some serious issues (and not just physical ones).

The results of war can be strange.

A NOTE - one of the main reasons my mum's family had some many go off to war is that most of the children born into her family have been males, where with my dad's family most of the children born into to the family have been females. If I had to put a ratio on it, it would be something like for every 1 female in my mum's family born 3 or 4 males are born. Where dad's family is the opposite - 1 male to every 3 or 4 females.