If asked to decide which was the more significant festival, 'Australia Day' or 'Anzac Day', the majority of Australians would ignore the ostensible national celebration for the commemoration of a bloody failure. The Anzac legend which developed around the deeds of Australian soldiers at Gallipoli and on the Western Front has long been a focal point of Australian nationalism. 1 The 'Anzac' has become a cultural and literary stereotype enshrined in popular imagination as someone who was 'tough and inventive, loyal to ... mates beyond the call of duty, a bit undisciplined ... chivalrous, gallant, sardonic'.2 It is easy to see m the 'Anzac' the idealized bushman of the 1890s translated to a military setting. 3 The legend was shaped by much of the literature of the war but its origins are to be found in The Anzac Book. 4 Like all legends, it has great popular appeal and Australians do not readily tolerate any questioning of the value of the Anzac legend.