A sombre gathering at Te Awamutu’s Anzac Green last Saturday marked the 107th anniversary of a battle said to represent one of New Zealand’s darkest days in World War One.
Members of the Hauraki Chapter of the Patriots Defence Force Motorcycle Club stand at attention as do young members of the Te Awamutu cadets. Photo: Viv Posselt
The battle at the small town of Passchendaele in Flanders, Belgium, on October 12, 1917, resulted in horrendous loss of life. In his introduction, Te Awamutu RSA member Lou Brown said the battle was known as one in which the greatest number of New Zealand troops were lost in a single day.
Members of the Hauraki Chapter of the Patriots Defence Force Motorcycle Club travelled from around the North Island to attend the service. Photo: Viv Posselt
Passchendaele is marked at different centres around New Zealand on October 12. A small commemoration was also held in Cambridge.
Joining locals at the Te Awamutu event were around 20 members of the Hauraki Chapter of the Patriots Defence Force Motorcycle Club. They are all either current or ex-servicemen, and one of them, Mike Neville, spoke of the importance of remembering the day.
Research shows some 843 New Zealand soldiers were left either dead or mortally wounded between the front lines.
Cambridge-based RSA district president, and soon-to-be national vice president Tony Hill gave the closing address. He commented on the presence of the ‘old guard’ alongside the young Te Awamutu cadets, and said they represented the future.
Members of the Hauraki Chapter of the Patriots Defence Force Motorcycle Club stand at attention as do young members of the Te Awamutu cadets. Photo: Viv Posselt
Members of the Hauraki Chapter of the Patriots Defence Force Motorcycle Club travelled from around the North Island to attend the service. Photo: Viv Posselt
Veteran Erik Kristensen reading The Ode, accompanied at the cenotaph by Te Awamutu RSA’s Adan Te Huia. Photo: Viv Posselt
RSA members and invited guests seated during the service. Photo: Viv Posselt
A perfect bed of poppies was appropriately in bloom for the commemorative ceremony on Passchendaele. Photo: Viv Posselt
Members of the Hauraki Chapter of the Patriots Defence Force Motorcycle Club travelled from around the North Island to attend the service. Photo: Viv Posselt
RSA padre Rev Murray Olson and Te Awamutu RSA member and Waipā councillor Lou Brown opening Saturday’s service commemorating Passchendaele. Photo: Viv Posselt
Members of the Hauraki Chapter of the Patriots Defence Force Motorcycle Club travelled from around the North Island to attend the service. Photo: Viv Posselt
Cambridge-based RSA district president Tony Hill steadies 90-year-old Erik Kristensen, Vietnam veteran and member of the Hauraki Chapter of the Patriots Defence Force Motorcycle Club, as he prepares to lay a wreath at the cenotaph. Photo: supplied
