First observed in 1916, Anzac Day - 25 April - commemorates those killed in war as well as honouring returned servicemen and women. The ceremonies that are held at war memorials across the country, or in places overseas where New Zealanders gather, are rich in tradition and ritual.
Things had reached a stalemate on the Western Front by the end of 1914. An assault on the Dardanelles by the British and its allies would, it was believed, knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war.