Project: Anzacs

Categories: Anzacs Project | Military and War Project | Australia | New Zealand


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Welcome to the Anzacs Project





The aim of the Anzacs project is to honour the lives of Australians and New Zealanders who were ANZACs and to commemorate the ANZAC Spirit: Aussies and Kiwis displaying the qualities of gallantry, perseverance, resilience and selflessness, which soldiers exemplified firstly on the battlefields of Gallipoli. Recording the experiences, hopes, fears, in the midst of chaos and bloodshed highlights that ANZAC Spirit. In this way, the ANZAC Project reaches beyond the actual ANZACs, to include those Aussies and Kiwis who have served in theatres beyond the ANZACs; the sailors, airmen, nurses, and others who may not have seen action.

The Anzacs project intersects with other Military & War Projects, namely The Great War 1914-1918 Project, World War Two Project, Korean War Project, and Vietnam War Project.


a sprig of rosemary; the symbol of ANZAC remembrance


Contents

How to join

Are you interested in the Anzacs Project?anzacs.gif

You may also want to

  1. Add military_and_war to your followed tags
  2. Check out the main Military and War project page for all guidelines related to the project.
  3. Add the line [[Category:Anzacs Project]] to the text area of your profile page, above the '==Biography==' line. This will add you to the list of participants on the category page.
  4. Add your name to the list below, along with a note about what you're working on in this project right now.

Who were the ANZACs?

ANZAC is the acronym for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, which was formed early in the First World War. Its name was given to the cove at the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey, where the corps landed and over 10,000 lost their lives in the Gallipoli Campaign from April to December 1915. Following the evacuation of Gallipoli, the combined nation component of ANZAC became the First ANZAC Corps ( I ANZAC); later changing to II ANZAC when the New Zealand Division was re-located. These corps fought on the Western Front; in France and Belgium. The ANZAC Mounted Division, comprised of the 1st Australian Light Horse Brigade, 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigade and New Zealand Light Mounted Rifles, fought in the Middle East from 1916 to 1918.

For some six weeks, during the Greece - Crete Campaign of April - May 1941, Australian and New Zealand soldiers fought side-by-side as the ANZAC Corps. Not very well known, No. 455 Squadron (RAAF) and No. 489 Squadron (RNZAF) were known as ANZAC Wing during the first half of 1944; tasked with conducting operations to keep German vessels clear of the English Channel during the build-up to, and conduct of, the D-Day landings.

During the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, three Australian infantry battalions each included two New Zealand companies, making them the 2nd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment / NZ (ANZAC), 4 RAR / NZ (ANZAC), and 6 RAR / NZ (ANZAC); truly ANZACs.

ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand is held on the 25th April, marking the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces together during the First World War, and is arguably Australia and New Zealand's most well-known national occasion and the only circumstance where two sovereign nations share the one commemoration. It is today the most well-known of the annual memorial days – Boer War Day (Sunday prior to 31st May), Remembrance Day (11th November; formerly Armistice Day), Kapyong Day (23rd April), and Vietnam Veterans Day (18th August; formerly Long Tan Day) – that commemorate the service and sacrifice of Australian and New Zealand military personnel from all wars. The symol of ANZAC remembrance is rosemary. The Flanders poppy is the symbol of Remembrance Day (originally called Armistice Day).

a sprig of rosemary; the symbol of ANZAC remembrance

How can you contribute?

Create a Profile or Improve an Existing Profile

What should be added to make a great profile for an ANZAC:

  • Basic biography, profiles for family and connected to the WikiTree single family tree
  • Source/s for military service

As relevant:

  • Stickers - ANZAC sticker, War sticker, Roll of Honour Sticker, Veteran recognition sticker (optional)
  • Categories - Military Unit, specific Battles fought in, Medals and Awards, Place of burial, War Memorial

When you plan to improve an ANZAC profile, choose profiles that are orphaned or have been added to one of the categories below by the profile manager. You can also add an orphaned profile to one of the categories below if they need improving. Avoid making major changes, including major edits to the biography, or adding stickers to profiles that have a profile manager, unless collaborating with the profile manager.

  • Search on WikiTree+ for Orphaned profiles with the ANZAC template: ANZAC orphaned Profiles - look for profiles with no or few categories

Unconnected ANZAC profiles:

Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree

'Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree' is a project developed by Maurice Gleeson and others to build trees for soldiers missing in action from World War One. The goal is to create family trees for the missing soldiers, so that it might be easier to identify remains when they are found, using DNA analysis and comparison to an existing tree online. This is some information - Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree and Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree on WikiTree

How you can help:

1. Find soldiers who were killed in action but whose body has never been found who already have a profile on WikiTree, and add the soldier's WikiTree URL to the Commemorating the Missing Database. Add the relevant Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree categories. Try checking the various World War One War Memorial categories to find soldiers, already on WikiTree, who are also in the Commemorating the Missing Database.

2. Create a profile for a soldier who was killed in action but whose body has never been found and add the WikiTree URL to the Commemorating the Missing Database. Add the relevant Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree categories.

3. Improve the profile of a soldier in the Category: Australia, Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree or Category: New Zealand, Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree category.

4. Build the tree of a soldier in the Category: New Zealand, Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree, Needs Profiles Created or Category: Australia, Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree, Needs Profiles Created category

ANZACs of Interest

Highlight an ANZAC of Interest on the WikiTree G2G. The profile should have a bio built, including immediate family, and be connected:

These ANZACs have been highlighted in the past

Project Stickers

Adding the relevant ANZAC Sticker to the soldier's profile will automatically add him, or her, to the Category page

eg
... ... ... is an Anzac who served in World War One.
... ... ... is an Anzac who served in World War Two.

Personalise the Sticker for the relevant country by adding ether AU or NZ, for example
{{ANZAC|World War One|NZ}}

Note: Please use the extensions 'World War One', 'World War Two' etc in that format to avoid a category error.

Stickers for Veterans (see the page below for usage of the Sticker for the Great War, World War Two, the Korean War and the Vietnam War on Australian profiles)

Military and War Stickers: Examples for Australian Profiles are some sticker examples developed by the Australian Project, which can also be adaptable to New Zealand.

Category pages

Project Members and what we are doing

Our ANZACs Project members are listed on a separate page, You can also add your name below to communicate what you're currently working and what you have achieved.

  • Lynn Carter - interested in all family members who served in WW One and WW Two. Starting to build profiles for each. Husband has a gt uncle who was the first ANZAC to land on the Gallipoli Beach on that faitful day. Captain Duncan Chapman from Queensland, Australia.
  • Harold Cislowski - Interested in learning more and promoting a WW1 VC winner from Mont St Quientin (a cousin's great uncle)
  • Karyn Homburg - Adding profiles to the Pick a Soldier, Plant a Tree Project with focus on those commemorated at the Menin Gate Memorial. Also my free space project of identifying men in the photograph of the 12th Infantry Battalion, 11th Reinforcements that embarked from Adelaide on 27 October 1915.
  • Coral Blackwell Jones - Have been working on my services relatives for some time and thought I might be able to lend a hand with this project when I get some free time
  • Shoshanah Luckie - Adding profiles of family and family friends who served in World Wars 1 and 2.
  • Liz Newport - Currently adding names to extended family
  • Mel Paul Currently finalising research for the eldest son of James John Pye. I have not yet created a profile for him, but have complete profiles for his siblings. Still needing to complete research for a couple of other Pye boys (cousins to Alfred). Recently completed research and profile for Norman Worsley Richardson, but have other family members noted for research and profile creation. (Updating this will require my older-than-dirt brain to remember to come and actually do it.)
  • Dave Roberts - Adding service personnel in WWI and WWII as I come across them.
  • Mark Rogers - Currently working on profiles (+parents, siblings & spouses) for those who died in the Tol Massacre on New Britain in 1942. Also adding profiles for WW1 Australian Munitions Workers and War Workers as the opportunity arises.
  • Faye Stent - currently adding anzac profiles for extended family and close relatives
  • Gillian Thomas - Focusing on WW1, as I come across relatives that were veterans.
  • Jeff Thomas -- Identifying relatives who served in NZ forces during WW1 and WW2
  • Kathy Thompson - Sorting out direct line profiles, and adding connections to those relations who served in WW1 and WW2.
  • Lauren W - Currently adding all ANZACS in the profiles I manage
  • Veronica Williams - planning to add profiles of my 4 known WWI Anzacs on my maternal side, but am travelling overseas at the moment so it may take time. Will actually be at Gallipoli early November! Think I have a few more for WWII on the paternal side too.
  • Valerie Willis - Identifying, profiling and filling in connections for New Zealand Anzacs, one community war memorial at a time.
  • Terry Wright - Currently adding information on some of my WW11 Diggers

Relevant WikiTree pages

  • Australian Army Generals is the start of recognising our nations' senior military personnel. New Zealand's generals, and then admirals and air marshals need to be started.
  • Second World War, 1 Corps was re-named ANZAC Corps only for the six-week duration of the Greece-Crete Campaign of April-May 1941, involving elements of the Australian 6th and 7th Divisions and New Zealand Division. In addition, and not very well known, No. 455 Squadron (RAAF) and No. 489 Squadron (RNZAF) were known as ANZAC Wing during the first half of 1944; tasked with conducting operations to keep German vessels clear of the English Channel during the build-up to, and conduct of, the D-Day landings.
  • Vietnam War, the ANZACs of the Vietnam War were the members of the combined battalions, 2nd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment / NZ (ANZAC), 4 RAR / NZ (ANZAC), and 6 RAR / NZ (ANZAC).
  • Badges: A list of badges you can add to left hand side of your ANZAC Profiles compiled by Terry Wright

Wikitree Roll of Honor pages

  • Wikitree Roll of Honor - The Wikitree Roll of Honor Page is a page to add Military Personnel from any country and any war there are links on this page to Killed in Action,Prisoner of War, Wounded in Action and Missing in Action pages there are also links to various Medal pages


External Resources



This page was last modified 20:21, 7 January 2025. This page has been accessed 18,087 times.