Tens of thousands of Australians have attended Anzac Day services across the globe to honour the diggers of World War I and pay their respects to current servicemen, women and veterans.
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This year's commemorations, marking the 103rd anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli, broke with tradition as women took pride of place in towns and cities across the country.
For the first time in many centres, from Sydney to Darwin, women led marches in an effort to broaden public perceptions about the long and varied history women have had in the armed forces, including in war zones.
The campaign was driven by women veterans to encourage more women to celebrate the contributions they have made and continue to make, including in combat roles traditionally considered male-only territory.
In France, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull used a stirring service honouring diggers who changed the course of WWI to promise care and support for Australia's serving defence personnel and veterans.
Mr Turnbull made the pledge in the small French town of Villers-Bretonneux, where Australian troops pulled off a stunning victory over invading German troops and in doing so, altered the course of the war and world history.
Almost 3000km away, at Anzac Cove on Turkey's rugged Gallipoli peninsula, thousands stood in silence on Wednesday to remember the scale of the losses there 103 years ago.
The blood of Australian and New Zealand soldiers stained the sand and the sea as they came ashore under a hail of machine-gun fire from the cliffs above, the Anzacs sitting ducks in an ill-fated attempt to take the Ottoman Empire out of the war.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said it was from such unfathomable losses that Australia's national identity emerged.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten travelled to Afghanistan to spend Anzac Day with Australian troops.
He predicted monuments and memorials would one day be built to honour this generation of diggers, but said their legacy was already being felt, with more Afghani girls going to school and the country's life expectancy increasing.
The London Anzac Day dawn service was attended by Prince Harry and fiancee Meghan Markle. The former soldier laid a wreath with a handwritten note saying: "For all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of our freedom. Thank you. Harry".
Australian Associated Press
