DORSET residents are invited to remember Australian and New Zealand troops this Anzac Day.

There will be remembrance events held throughout the county. This year marks the centenary of the start of the Allies’ campaign in Gallipoli, Turkey.

In Weymouth there will be a service of remembrance and wreath laying.

At 11am on Saturday April 25 Weymouth will hold a civic service at the Anzac Memorial on the seafront opposite the Hotel Prince Regent.

The event will be open for everyone to attend.

The three-sided monolith memorial was unveiled on Weymouth seafront on June 1, 2005 - 90 years after the first Australian and New Zealand Arm Corps Troops arrived in Weymouth after action in Gallipoli in 1915.

Wreaths will be laid by the Mayor and representatives of Australia House and New Zealand House from London, ex-service organisations, London Legacy and expatriates living and working in Weymouth.

The memorial commemorates the thousands of Australian and New Zealand volunteer servicemen who passed through camps and hospitals in Dorset during the First World War between battles in the Middle East and those on the Western Front in Europe.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s Economy, Leisure and Tourism Manager Nick Thornley said: “This memorial service is a chance to honour the great work of service men and women during wartime.

“This year is especially important as it marks 100 years since the troops first landed at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli.

“Anyone interested is encouraged to come down and support the service people of Australia and New Zealand.”

Kate Wheller Mayor of Weymouth and Portland will be laying a wreath together with Commander Bernard York from the Royal Australian Navy, Les Ames MBE will be laying a wreath on behalf of the Weymouth and Portland Residents Association and Lieutenant Peter Jensen from the New Zealand Defence Force.

Representatives from ex-service organisations and associations will also be attending the ceremony.

Wreath laying is also planned at the Anzac graves in Melcombe Regis Cemetery.

Many Anzac soldiers were billeted to Weymouth and the Prince Regent Hotel. To mark this, on June 1 a plaque will be unveiled there and members of the public are again welcome to attend.

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