Queensland's longest-running ANZAC eve commemoration — held every year without interruption at the Shrine of Remembrance, Brisbane.
Lest We Forget
Every year since 1947, Toc H Queensland has gathered at the Shrine of Remembrance in ANZAC Square to hold a midnight service on the eve of ANZAC Day — one of the first commemorative events of the day in Brisbane, and one of the longest-running ANZAC traditions in Queensland.
It is a simple, solemn, and powerful service. There are no speeches. There is music, silence, the Last Post, and the steady presence of hundreds of Queenslanders who choose to mark this day before most of the city is awake.
The service is free and open to all. Veterans, families, school students, cadets, and members of the public are all welcome. It is not a Toc H members-only event — it belongs to the community.
Toc H itself was founded in the trenches of the First World War, and this service is our most direct act of fidelity to that origin. We do not forget. We gather. We remember together.
Toc H was founded in the First World War — among men who knew the cost of service firsthand. This service is our most direct act of fidelity to that origin.
We have been there every year since 1947. We will be there again.
A small group of Toc H veterans — survivors of Polygon Wood, Menin Road, Passchendaele, the Middle East, and Kokoda — gathered at midnight on ANZAC Eve inside the Shrine of Remembrance in ANZAC Square. They were not seeking recognition. They were honouring their fallen mates. That quiet act of remembrance has continued every year without interruption since.
The service drew its largest ever crowd — predominantly under 30 years of age — preceded by a special event titled "We Will Remember Them – Flanders Fields and Beyond." A moment that confirmed the service had grown well beyond its founding members and into the community at large.
The 78th annual service carried the added significance of Toc H's centenary in Australia. The service proceeded in the rain with a wonderful turnout. The Queensland University Musical Society provided choral music, the 129 Army Cadet Unit served as honour guard, the Last Post was sounded at the Eternal Flame, and Father Lindsay Howie officiated.
A simple, solemn gathering — no tickets, no formalities, just remembrance.
The service begins at midnight and is over before the city stirs. There is no programme to follow, no tickets to collect, no formality to navigate. You arrive, you gather in the darkness with hundreds of others, and you remember.
The Queensland University Musical Society leads the choral music — Abide With Me, Be Still My Soul, the national anthems. The 129 Army Cadet Unit carries the flags in silence. A bugler sounds the Last Post at the Eternal Flame. A chaplain officiates. Then it is done, and ANZAC Day has begun.
Come as you are. Bring your family. There is nothing to prepare.
Toc H Queensland participates in the Brisbane ANZAC Day Parade each year, with members and cadets marching through the city streets to honour all those who have served.
The parade has been a feature of Brisbane's ANZAC Day since 1916. It is a celebration and recognition of service — a counterpoint to the solemn remembrance of the overnight vigil, and equally important.
For those attending the Midnight Service, the Dawn Service follows at the same location (4:28 am at the Shrine of Remembrance) before the main parade later in the morning. Many choose to make a full ANZAC Day of it.
Photographs from the Midnight Service and ANZAC Day Parade. Images added as they become available.
Official reports, images, and media from previous years. Updated annually after each service.
For enquiries about the ANZAC Midnight Service, the parade, or how to get involved with Toc H Queensland, we'd love to hear from you.
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