ANZAC documentaries

The light horse century A Century after the last great cavalry charge in history, members of the Australian Light Horse Association embark on an epic journey across the Middle East. From Gallipoli to Egypt, Jordan and finally Israel, they will see and experience the 'sacred sites of service' of the Anzac Divisions. In 1917 the Light Horse Regiments took a high-stakes gamble in the harsh and waterless Negev Desert - they would have just one chance to capture the town of Beersheba and it's precious wells or face disaster. A century later, 100 riders and 100 horses well recreate the history-changing ride. October 31, 2017 – the centenary of the Charge of Beersheba, and the climax of the trip. After a triumphant parade through the city streets, the riders traversed the same ground that the 800 Light Horsemen rode 100 years ago—to the minute.

Pozieres explores the small village in Northern France which, during the Great War in 1916, was the setting of one of the bloodiest battles in history, a twentieth century tragedy. The village was stormed and captured by Australians and became key to the success of the Battle for the Somme. But in less than seven weeks they suffered twenty three thousand casualties for this tiny patch of otherwise peaceful earth. Throughout history many have been both touched and haunted in some way by this village. A thoroughly researched and thought-provoking presentation, Pozieres investigates the circumstances and surrounds, the soldiers in the fields and trenches, railway carriages in Egypt and the Australian bush, piecing together the story of a place that is, according to historian Charles Bean, " more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth."

ANZAC battlefields: more than 80 per cent of Australians killed during the First World War lost their lives on the main battlefield, facing the formidable force of the main enemy. The battlefield in question was the Western Front where Australian and New Zealand troops were constantly engaged from early 1916 until the Armistice in late 1918. This five part series explores the stories of the ANZACs on the Western Front, from their first engagement in a small trench raid until their final triumph as an instrumental part of the '100 Day' advance that led to victory. A thorough and insightful investigation into the strategy of warfare, supported by detailed on-screen graphics, archival footage and oral history, presenter Neil Pigot (For Valour, Breaker Morant: The Retrial) and eminent military historian Dr Peter Pedersen explain where, how and why the ANZACs fought in France and Belgium 100 years ago.