New Zealand Defence Force Te Ope Kaatua O Aotearoa

12 September 2006

New Zealand Remembers: The 90th Anniversary Of The Somme

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, will join New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel at a wreath laying ceremony at the National War Memorial in Buckle Street, Wellington at 10.30am on Friday 15 September.

The ceremony will mark the 90th anniversary of New Zealand’s involvement in the Battle of the Somme.

Also attending the ceremony will be the Right Honourable Lord Falconer, Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Alan Haselhurst, and Diplomatic Representatives of those countries who participated in the Battle of the Somme.

NZDF personnel will provide a tri-service catafalque guard in the hall of memories to support the commemorations.

New Zealand’s participation in the Battle of the Somme lasted 23 days and saw over 2000 Kiwi soldiers killed and more than 7000 injured. The New Zealand casualties were part of a total of over a million soldiers wounded or killed during one of the most significant campaigns of World War I, when the allied forces attempted to break through the German front line in northern France.

ENDS

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