Passchendaele anniversary

At a time of national anguish and grief over the loss of SAS Lance Corporal Leon Smith in the Afghanistan fighting, Grey Power says it is timely to remember that October 12th was the 94th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele, in Belgium in WW I.

“846 young new Zealanders were killed in the first four hours of battle,” said Mr Roy Reid, Grey Power national President, “with the total death toll being more than a thousand. This was the most tragic day in New Zealand’s military history, with total casualties, dead, wounded and missing of 2,700, and it took two and a half days to clear the battlefield of dead and injured.”

As the centenaries of the battles of WW I approach, blending with the 70th anniversaries of WW II, it is important for the Government and the community to recognize with sensitivity and respect the sacrifice made by our military personnel, men and women, over the years and to acknowledge the heritage and sense of nationhood they have left for our country."

Few Grey Power members now are WW II veterans, but a significant number had their fathers and other family members serving overseas, and there are quite a number who as children suffered the horror and disruption caused by the German bombers in wartime Britain.

Lest we forget.

ENDS

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