Westminster Abbey marks ANZAC Day 2021
Sunday, 25th April 2021
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal attended a Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving to mark ANZAC Day at Westminster Abbey on Sunday 25th April 2021.
The service was conducted by the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, who said in his Bidding:
‘One hundred and six years ago, early on the morning of 25th April 1915, soldiers of the newly formed Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, landed at Gallipoli and were immediately plunged into battle. By the end of that first day they had sustained two thousand casualties, either killed or wounded. It was the precursor to months of bitter warfare in increasingly difficult conditions. Today we gather to remember what must never be forgotten. We are also here to honour not just bravery, but deep loyalties and to reflect on the complex history that makes allies and enemies and leads us through war and peace.
We will speak today of national identity and of the ties that bind us to one another. We do that as we digest the experience of a pandemic that has dislocated so much friendship and stretched thin so much international co-operation. We will commit ourselves to a renewed determination to seek peace and to work together for the good of all.
We do this in the Easter season, rejoicing in Christ’s victory over death. We hear again his summons to live in a shared hope and a common celebration of the power of God’s redeeming and reconciling love.
As the flags of different nations are presented in this Abbey church we acknowledge the words inscribed above the altar—‘the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ’. In this house of prayer we keep silence remembering our past and renewing our commitment to our shared future.’
View the ANZAC Day 2021 Order of Service
Listen to the Dean's sermon
Picture gallery
