Dean of Westminster says stories are being told to âdeepen our divisionsâ
The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyleâ??s comments were made as he officiated at Westminster Abbeyâ??s annual service commemorating Anzac Day.
The Duchess of Edinburgh, with the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, at Westminster Abbey (Chris Jackson/PA)
PA Wire
The Dean of Westminster has said stories are being told to âdeepen our divisionsâ in his Anzac Day address but suggested the sacrifices of First World War soldiers were tales âthat unite and do not divideâ.
The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyleâs comments were made as he officiated at Westminster Abbeyâs annual service commemorating Anzac Day, the national day of remembrance for fallen Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women and those still serving.
He told the congregation of mainly Antipodeans, which included the Duchess of Edinburgh, how the abbey was filled with âproud remembranceâ and how âwe can be confident that there are important things to be said about nation and loyalty and commitmentâ.
The Dean said: âThis world is fascinated by the power of the markets, it measures political allegiance, discusses the danger of migrants.
âThis world divides to rule.
âWe witness those around us fashioning new narratives to suit the times. The stories are so often intended to deepen our divisions.
âHere though, we remember and weave together both memory and hope in stories that unite and do not divide.â
During the service Stephen Smith, Australiaâs high commissioner and Chris Seed, acting high commissioner for New Zealand laid wreaths at the grave of the unknown warrior close to the abbeyâs great west door.
The event came after a poignant dawn service was staged at the Australian War Memorial at Hyde Park Corner in London with the duchess and the high commissioners among the congregation, followed by a wreath-laying service at the Cenotaph also attended by Sophie.
The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle speaks during the service commemorating Anzac Day at Westminster Abbey (Aaron Chown/PA)
PA Wire
Anzac Day â April 25 â marks the start of the First World War Gallipoli landings in 1915, a campaign where thousands of Anzac troops â Australian and New Zealand Army Corps â died alongside British allies in the ill-fated mission.
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.
Its legacy is the celebration of the âAnzac spiritâ â courage, endurance, initiative, discipline and mateship â shown by the Antipodean troops.