Bridgeman Footage goes down under with clips of the Australian armed forces in World War One, including the Gallipoli and Sinai-Palestine campaigns.
Watch fascinating and rarely seen footage from our new Australian war collection, commemorating the brave soldiers of the Great War. Highlights include scenes of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during the Battle of Gallipoli.
Gallipoli Campaign
In the early hours on 25 April 1915, Allied soldiers from Australia, New Zealand, France and the British Empire landed on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey, in an attempt to take Constantinople and force a Turkish surrender.
The battle raged for 260 days in trenches along the beach. Under-resourced and poorly conducted, however, the Allies were overcome by unexpectedly strong Turkish forces. Both sides suffered tremendous fatalities in the tens of thousands, not only from combat but also from poor sanitation and disastrous weather. See more clips of the Gallipoli Campaign
Left: Gallipoli Campaign: Troops on Anzac beach, 1915
Right: Gallipoli Campaign: Australian snipers with periscope rifles, 1915
Anzac Corps
Following the Allied evacuation at Gallipoli in 1916, the original formation was disbanded. Some of the Australian and New Zealand units were sent to France while others reassembled in Egypt and Palestine to fight the Turks threatening the Suez Canal.
At the end of the war in September 1918, the Anzac troops returned victorious to Melbourne and were greeted by cheering crowds and waving flags.
Left: Anzac Mounted Division rest under palm trees at El Arish, Egypt, during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign c.1916
Right: Returned WWI Anzac troops (and puppy) parade on foot through Melbourne, 1918
Australian Flying Corps
The Australian Flying Corps was founded in 1912 but did not begin training until 1914, just before the outbreak of WWI. From humble beginnings with only two instructors and five flimsy training crafts, the AFC grew to be a reputable force with four formidable squadrons.
Operating under the British’s Royal Flying Corps’ command, the AFC trained in Australia and England and fought in France and the Middle East.
Left: AFC pilots load Martinsyde plane with Hale bombs in preparation for mission in Palestine, c.1918
Right: Two AFC pilots laugh at the camera, 1918
Army Postal Service
This documentary about the Australian Army Postal Service goes behind the scenes at their London base to show how over 700 specially-trained, and mostly female, employees keep on top of the post, to and from Australian soldiers fighting on the front line.
Watch women workers throwing newspapers into their designated folders with military precision, alphabetically sorting through a sea of letters and other fascinating scenes of war-effort postal work.
Left: Australian Base Post Office in London – group shot of (mostly female) staff, c.1917
Right: Australian Base Post Office in London: Female postal workers sort through letters alphabetically, c.1917
Find out more
ANZAC Day, held annually on 25 April, honours the Australians and New Zealanders who courageously fought at Gallipoli and sacrificed their lives for King and country. See all footage of the Gallipoli Campaign in the Bridgeman archive.
Browse images and stills of ANZAC soldiers and Gallipoli
All stills and footage clips in this article are sourced from www.bridgemanfootage.com. Contact the Bridgeman sales team (uksales@bridgemanimages.com) for more information regarding licensing, reproduction and copyright issues.