New Zealand to mark final major action of First World War

On Sunday 4 November the National Commemoration to mark the centenary of the Battle of Le Quesnoy will be held at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington. The historic fortified French town of Le Quesnoy, under German occupation from 1914, was liberated by the New Zealand Division on 4 November 1918.
The Battle of Le Quesnoy formed part of a much bigger offensive, with around 140 New Zealanders dying as a result of action on 4 November 1918, about 80 of whom belonged to the Rifle Brigade.

“The liberation of Le Quesnoy continues to resonate with New Zealanders and French alike,” WW100 Director, Sarah Davies says.

“To this day, the town of Le Quesnoy continues to mark the important role New Zealand had in its history. Streets are named after New Zealand places, there is a New Zealand memorial and a primary school bears the name of a New Zealand soldier.

This was one of the last major battles for New Zealand soldiers before the Armistice was called only a week later.

The National Commemoration will take place inside the Hall of Memories at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park on 4 November 2018. It will be attended by Hon Mark, Minister of Defence, representing the Government and Ambassador of France, HE Mrs Carta-Le Vert. The ceremony is open to the public. People are advised to arrive early and be seated by 10.45am.

A live stream of the ceremony will be available from 11am, available to view on the WW100 website (https://ww100.govt.nz/) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/WW100NZ/)

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