This story is about my grandfather who was part of the 13th Lighthorse Regiment at Gallipoli, and also about why we use Rosemary on Anzac Day (26 April) and Remembrance Day (11 Nov). Lest We Forget.
There is nothing pretty nor good about war. And yet it still goes on. I was 12 years old when my grandfather Richard 'Roy' Sanderson died. I've been working on some ancestral history the past few years, and understand a little more of the trauma that he suffered which was never given support. Like many young men at the time, Pop put his age up by a year so he could join up earlier in WW1. I know that my grandfather loved horses and was skilled with them, and I imagine that's why he ended up in the 13th Lighthorse Regiment at Gallipoli. And the truth was, that so many of the soldiers were just boys - forced to become men too soon. They were so young.
But 'Poppy' as we called him, like so many others, came back a broken young man. The only solace for many of the young men who returned was alcohol to help cope with the memory and nightmare horrors. Pop had limited education but had amazing skills at turning wood and carving, as well as repairing and selling used metal items. However, the nightmares and horrors he both experienced and witnessed in the war haunted him until he died.
Ancestral, familial and collective community trauma I also remember neighbours who returned with only one leg, or one arm, or one eye. Many of them damaged beyond repair. Many had become a shell of a person. There was collectively much fear in the community. Trauma - or 'shell-shock' as it was known then, was something they treated with methods we think archaic now. And ultimately, the returned soldiers took on a 'stiff upper lip' (never talk about), or drowned the memories in substance abuse in some form. For many families, the men who returned were so different to the ones who went away full of courage and hope. And this became a legacy of familial trauma and collective trauma, passed down through the ancestral and community lines.
For Pop, the more I understand the story of what happened to their beloved horses at Gallipoli, (many of which were the soldiers own horses transported from Australia), only barely touches the grief that these soldiers held within them. They had lost family in those horses, as well as losing friends on the battle-field. They indeed held their pain within their bodies. In my young life I never heard Pop talk about his war years. But I saw the effects of what those years did to him. Now, all these years later (2024), as his oldest daughter (my mother) is in her 91st year, I wonder how life would have been different for him and his wife and two daughters, if he had been given the support that he needed.
Why Rosemary? Rosemary is for memory - lest we forget.
Rosemary is an ancient symbol of fidelity and remembrance. The aromatic herb grows wild on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey, where the original Anzacs served in World War I. Australians traditionally wear sprigs of rosemary as a symbol of remembrance on Anzac Day (25 April) or Remembrance Day (11 November).
Why did the returned soldiers not feel they could share with their loved ones?
The returned soldiers felt that their experiences were something that they had to keep to themselves to protect their beloved families. The atrocities they witnessed and the traumatic events had their effects on them mentally and physically, as they did the best that they could to cope with getting on with life in a world that was suffering and then came collectively to suffer again in WW2.
The present and ongoing wars
As we think of those who are suffering world-wide in current wars, we know that the trauma effects are far reaching, and that much healing is necessary. And so many will never get the chance to heal. The numbers are unfathomable and there is also a legacy of so many children left bereft of family and a future, a sense of self or wise guidance.
Without my grandfather returning from WW1, and later on, my father returning from WW2, I would not have been born. So I am grateful to them. But my heart goes out to the pain that they regularly suffered and the trauma held with their bodies for they were both men of peace and what they experienced and witnessed was not congruent for themselves. And they suffered so much for the rest of their lives. However, as life goes on, I imagine that Pop Sanderson would be quietly surprised and glad to know that his lineage now includes 6 grandchildren, and at least 12 great grandchildren.
Continue to pray for Peace in your own way
May we collectively send energy and prayers for peace, compassion and wisdom to prevail in order to ensure the future of our children, and our children’s children, generations, and our planet ongoing.
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If you, or someone you know, needs support for the memories that they carry, please connect with the support that will best help you. If you or someone else is in crisis and needs immediate help, please call your local help line. In Australia you can call:
Triple zero (000) if you feel like you may hurt yourself or someone else
Open Arms - Veterans & Families Counselling and ADF Mental Health All-hours Support Line on 1800 628 036
Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14
1800RESPECT, National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800 737 732