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What is Anzac Day?

Anzac Day occurs on April 25 each year, and is the anniversary of the start of the First World War Gallipoli landings.

Thousands of Anzac troops - Australian and New Zealand Army Corps - died in the ill-fated 1915 Gallipoli campaign.

Waves of Allied forces launched an amphibious attack on the strategically important Turkish peninsula, which was key to controlling the Dardanelles straits, the crucial route to the Black Sea and Russia.

But the plan backed by Winston Churchill, then first lord of the admiralty, was flawed and the campaign, which faced a heroic defence by the Turks, led to stalemate and withdrawal eight months later. 

Today, Anzac Day is treated in Australia and New Zealand with the same reverence as Remembrance Day in the UK, with the annual event now used to honour all of the two nation's war veterans. 

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