Military history recalled

A project commemorating Featherston’s storied military past was unveiled yesterday.

Featherston’s Poppy Places of Remembrance, part of a nationwide project, marked 18 sites in the town related to World War I and World War II.

The places included the Rimutaka Hill summit and Anzac Hall. Each spot will come with a QR code for visitors to scan with their smartphones, providing further, more in-depth information.

Featherston Community Board member Claire Bleakley said the project took a lot of research.

‘‘We had to identify the street names, then verify them, then get the kids to write stories for them,’’ she said. ‘‘But they aren’t just road names. There’s the war memorial, the cemetery ... things that directly related to the people of Featherston.’’

Featherston played a key role in New Zealand’s military history.

The Featherston Military Camp was the largest military camp in the country during World War I.

From 1915, around 60,000 people spent time there before shipping overseas. During World War II, it was rebuilt as a prisoner of war camp. In 1943 it became the site of a notorious ‘‘incident’’ when 48 Japanese and one New Zealander were killed.

Friday’s ceremony began with a karakia at the town cemetery, then continued with speeches and song at the war memorial.

Members of both the Japanese and Belgian embassies were present. Featherston is twinned with the Belgian town of Mesen or Messines, the backdrop to a bloody 1917 World War I battle.