1. Australians and New Zealanders today still commemorate the anniversary of the April 25 landing of ANZAC troops at Gallipoli. Which three-time Australian Prime Minister was in office at the time of the original landing?
From Quiz Who Was in Charge When....? (2)
Answer:
Andrew Fisher
The WWI Gallipoli Campaign began on April 25, 1915 with Anzac troops landing on the Gallipoli peninsular in the Ottoman Empire. The peninsular, now known as the Gelibolu district, stands on the northern bank of the Dardanelles, the narrow strait in northwestern Turkey that connects the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara.
One of the greatest Ottoman victories during the war, the Gallipoli Campaign lasted more than seven months, until January 9, 1916. Despite the eventual defeat, "ANZAC Day", April 25, is today the most important commemoration of veterans and military casualties in both Australia and New Zealand.
Andrew Fisher was born in 1862 in the village of Crosshouse, near Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire in Scotland. He became a member of the inaugural Australian Parliament in 1901, representing the division of Wide Bay in Queensland. He succeeded Chris Watson as Labor Party leader in October 1907 and a year later became Australia's fifth Prime Minister, taking over from Alfred Deakin. Fisher's first period in office lasted just seven months, until June 1909, but he returned to the Premiership for a 3-year term in 1910. Fisher spent the next 15 months as Leader of the Opposition, during which time Australia entered WWI as members of the British Empire force. Fisher returned for his third term as Prime Minister in September 1914, and it was during this 13-month period in office that ANZAC troops landed at Gallipoli. By the end of the Gallipoli Campaign, Fisher had departed and been replaced as PM by Billy Hughes. (The fourth alternative, Robert Menzies, was Australian PM during WWII.)