Why was the ANZAC legend created?
The Anzac spirit or Anzac legend is a concept which suggests that Australian and New Zealand soldiers have shared characteristics. These are soldierly qualities believed to have been shown by both nationas on the battlefield in World War I. These qualities are endurance, courage, ingenuity, good humour, larrikinism, and mateship. According to this concept, the soldiers are perceived to have been innocent and fit, stoical and laconic, irreverent in the face of authority, naturally egalitarian and disdainful of British class differences. The Anzac spirit also tends to capture the idea of an Australian and New Zealand “national character”, with the Gallipoli Campaign often described as being the moment of birth of the nationhood of both Australia and New Zealand. Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli
