Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men (and women)
– General George S. Patton
This morning the commanders of the frigate Te Kaha were given the Freedom of Napier City prior to a charter parade through the centre of town. To the beat of the drums and the skirl of the pipes,
the sailors from Te Kaha marched through town with bayonets fixed,
and the White Navy Ensign unfurled.
The ceremony marked the 75th anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Navy and was part of this year’s ANZAC commemorations, when we remember those who lost their lives serving our county.
Like most families in New Zealand we have our own family Roll of Honour. This year marks one hundred years since the death of my great-uncle on the very first day New Zealand troops saw action in the Somme. He has no grave.
Categories: Hawkes Bay, Off The Beaten Track in Aotearoa, On Life
Jill's Scene 
Loved sharing in your New Zealand celebration of those who fought and died for all our freedom. My father is buried in Houston, Texas, but he died in Christ Church, New Zealand on his second visit there on his way back from Antarctica. He said that New Zealand was the closest place to his idea of heaven. I love getting to go there though blog posts!
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Hello Eileen, It must have been very difficult to lose your father, so far from home. What was your father’s role in Antartica?
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For men so deserving!
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Thank-you!
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A moving post Jill. So sad to hear that your great-uncle has no grave .
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It makes me sad, too, Lisa. I have vsitied his memorial in France, which is something.
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Lovely images Jill. It must have been terrible enough losing young men to a brutal war so far away, but to know they had no grave is worse. I’ve seen from the Big T’s great uncle’s service record, that the army went to some lengths to record the position of the fallen so they could be interred. But for so many, that simply wasn’t possible. I’m reminded of the words on the Ataturk memorial. http://www.mch.govt.nz/nz-identity-heritage/national-monuments-war-graves/atatürk-memorial
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Yes, Ataturk, Spoke so well and so wisely. I wonder if it was a comfort to those who, like my great-grandmothers, lost their sons.
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Perhaps small comfort. Nothing will every really heal a wound like that, but it does seem to comfort people to know their loved ones are buried or remembered in a “safe” place.
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Oh Jill. So sad that your great-uncle doesn’t have a place of rest.
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It makes me sad too, Desleyjane. And it says a lot about how horrific trench warfare was.
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Yes. I just watched Gallipoli a few nights ago. So tragic. I cried again even though I’ve seen it a number of times.
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Lovely to see what is happening in your area. I hope to get out to see our Bridge of Remembrance which is finally repaired. Where is your great uncle commemorated?
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HI there Gallivanta, He’s commemorated at Caterpillar Valley and in the War Memorial here in Napier. I visited the Christchurch Bridge of Remembrance back in ’03. It was beautiful.
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That’s good to have a memorial nearby.
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I am sorry that your great uncle has no grave. Kudos to you for keeping his memory and the memory of his service alive.
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Thanks Dan. He’s one of many, but I think it is important to remember them. Theirs was the ultimate sacrifice, no matter what we might think of the wars now.
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Happy memories of Napier, Jill. Remarkable that this parade occurred on land that was, as I recall, underwater before the 1931 earthquake 😀
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Hi there, You’re right, much of Napier, is built on land that was reclaimed after the 1931 earthquake. Nice to know you have happy memories of my hometown, too!
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🙂 Those happy memories supported by visits to Craggy Range and Mission Estates, as well as the museum in town with the earthquake ‘experience’.
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