Scars felt ‘for generations’
Bloody debacle at Passchendaele represents horrors, futility and folly of Western Front
It was New Zealand’s greatest ever military disaster. The fledgling nation, “punch drunk” from three years of brutal war in Europe alongside its Commonwealth allies, was thrown to the slaughter on a tiny corner of Flanders, Belgium.
In just a few hours, 846 New Zealanders were killed during the Battle of Passchendaele.
The devastating loss of life remains the highest one-day death toll suffered by New Zealand forces overseas. Even when the guns finally fell silent and there was no more killing to be done, it took two days to clear the bodies.
The bloody debacle has since come to represent all of the horrors, futility, and folly of the Western Front. During the Third Battle of Ypres, which included Passchendaele, New Zealand lost nearly 2000 men.
Thursday marks 100 years since the failed assault. A series of commemorative events will be staged across New Zealandand in Belgium.
Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Tim Keating said Passchendaele evoked the worst memories of World War I.
“Passchendaele was a tragedy that left scars that have endured for generations,” said Keating.
“It remains a stark reminder for those of us in the New Zealand Defence Force today of our responsibil- ity to care for those who serve and the families who support us.”
Sergeant William Wilson, a New Zealand clerk, said the Battle of the Somme was “pretty bad I’ll admit” but Passchendaele was worse.
“I have never seen such destruction,” he wrote.
“It is hard to imagine that four years ago, peaceful people tilled this same soil, that it was one of the most prosperous districts in Europe.
“Now, as I saw it today, well it’s simply an awful nightmare, a hideous reeking swamp seething with living (and dead) beings. A place that stamps itself on one’s mind and memory like a red-hot iron.”
In spite of the enormity of the toll, many New Zealanders today will know little of the disaster.
Passchendaele Society president Iain MacKenzie says the Battle of Passchendaele is of immense signific- ance to all Kiwis. “One hundred years ago, our men fought, died and witnessed unspeakable horror some 18,500km away from their homeland.
“They fought alongside our Allies for the freedom which we take so much for granted today.
“It was a day which has greatly influenced our sense of national identity and the development of our nation,” MacKenzie said.
“We can look back on those dark days with respect for the fallen, and we can also look forward, with commitment to sustaining the peace that these men fought and died for.”
He encouraged everyone to join activities “throughout New Zealand and indeed the world, to remember the Battle of Passchendaele and the courage and bravery of those who fought on the Western Front during World War I”.
All welcome to attend. Live streamed on ww100.govt.nz and its Facebook page. At 6pm a musical tribute, Remembering Passchendaele: Our Darkest Day will be held at Te Papa’s Wellington Foyer, featuring the Royal New Zealand Air Force Band.
Ten volunteers dressed as soldiers will slowly walk through central Dunedin from Knox Church to Queens Gardens on October 14 singing NZEF songs and acting as if there is no one else around them. If approached they will hand you a bereavement card, carrying the name of one of the many Otago men who fell at Passchendaele.