Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

More places getting the poppies

More places getting the poppies

Hastings is leading the charge nationwide in the drive to help ensure our military history is not forgotten.

At a ceremony this morning (December 16) the addition of nine poppies on street signs was celebrated. Poppy Places is a national project identifying the streets and land marks which have been named to recognise the contribution of New Zealand to international conflicts.

The nine new streets in the Mayfair suburb are: Jellicoe St, Beatty St and Beatty Pl, Hood St, Anson St, Cunningham Cres, Norfolk Cr, Sussex St and Haig St.

Eight of the streets are linked by a common maritime theme – all being named for admirals or battleships. About 7000 New Zealand officers and ratings served with the Royal Navy for varying periods during World War II, hence the naming of the streets and the addition of the poppies. The ninth, Haig St, is named for Field Marshall Douglas Haig, a New Zealander who became a key leader in the British and Commonwealth forces in World War I.

Friday’s commemoration, hosted by Hastings District Council and the RSA, brought the places in Hastings marked with a poppy to 18.

Children from Mayfair School attended, with four of them reading out the stories behind two of the names they had researched.

Poppy Places Trust representative Joe Bolton, based in Lower Hutt, said so far there were about 100 streets across New Zealand that had been researched and adorned with a poppy. “Hastings by far leads the project with the number of streets it has completed. We use Hastings District Council as an example to the rest of the country on how it can be done.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

He envisaged that there would be about 3000 streets named for returned service men and women and the vessels they had served on.

The plan is to add a QR code on the posts under the street sign so people can scan the code to get the story behind the name.

The names behind the new streets:

Jellicoe Street

Jellicoe Street was named for Sir John Rushworth Jellicoe in 1916. He helped design the battlecruiser HMS Dreadnought and in World War I commanded the Grand Fleet (1914-1916).

Beatty Street and Beatty Place

Beatty Street and Beatty Place were named for Admiral Beatty, Admiral of the Fleet in WWI.

Hood Street

Hood Street was named for Rear-Admiral Sir Horace Lambert Alexander Hood who served with Beatty and in at the Battle of Jutland in WWI. He was killed during that battle when the HMS Invincible was sunk.

Anson Street

Anson Street was named for HMS Anson, one of the battleships assigned to the Pacific Fleet.

Cunningham Crescent

Cunningham Crescent was named for Admiral Andrew Cunningham who served in the Boer War, WWI and WWII, becoming Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet.

Norfolk Crescent

Norfolk Crescent was named for the HMS Norfolk, part of the fleet that sank the Bismarck and was one of the major combatant ships of the Royal Navy. Lieutenant R.S. McNaught, RNZNVR, who was born in Hastings, was one of the New Zealanders who served on the HMS Norfolk.

Sussex Street

Sussex Street was named for the fourth HMS Sussex, a major combat ships in the Royal Navy in 1939. The ship played an important role in WWII and the surrender of the Japanese forces in Singapore was accepted on board the HMS Sussex.

Haig Street

Haig Street used to be part of Park Terrace and was renamed in 1922 for Field Marshall Douglas Haig, one of the key leaders of the British and Commonwealth forces in World War I. One of his enduring legacies was setting up the Haig Fund to help servicemen who were either financially hard up or incapacitated due to being wounded, which eventually became the Poppy appeal.

ENDS


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.