CANBERRA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of people, including Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Governor-General Quentin Bryce attended Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) Day dawn services in Australia on Saturday.

    The traditional service commemorated the 94th anniversary of Australian and New Zealand troops landing at Gallipoli during World War One.

    "Today we remember the courage and patriotism of men and women who have resisted oppression and fought for freedom, we thank you for the gift to us and for their fine example that they have set," Chaplain Collin Acton from the Royal Australian Navy said in the service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

    War Memorial director Steve Gower said increasing numbers of people have been attending the service, with 30,000 making the early start last year.

    "It's full of rich Australian ambiance. In the darkness you gather, as the dawn starts you see with whom you're standing," Gower told ABC news.

    According to ABC News, Anzac Day has also been commemorated in the United States with a service at the Washington National Cathedral, attended by the Ambassadors of Australia and New Zealand, as well as Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan.

    "Young Australians are currently fighting alongside Americans, Britons and numerous others in Afghanistan. They are there for many reasons, principally to fight terrorism. But they are also there because a fundamental part of their make-up says they must go," Swan said in the ceremony in the United States.

    Thousands of people attended the dawn service separately in different states of Australia.

    The memorial was also held in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

    Anzac Day is a national public holiday in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on April 25 every year to honor members of the ANZAC who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I and also to commemorate the soldiers who fought in France and Belgium.