‘Quite the display’
A South Canterbury town had ‘‘quite the display’’ for Anzac day this year Pleasant Point RSA president Lloyd Robertson said.
The Pleasant Point RSA had a World War I display by the town’s railway station for Anzac day commemorations this year.
Robertson said the display had been up for one week and would be taken down after Anzac day.
He said this year commemorated the 100 year anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele.
He said ‘‘lots of people had stopped to take photos of the display’’.
Pleasant Point RSA member Phil Moore made the display. The display had a replica tank, soldier, the New Zealand, United Kingdom and French flags, barbed wire and an information board on the Battle of Passchendaele.
He said the Battle of Passchendaele was ‘‘a big thing to New Zealand because of the amount of casualties’’.
On October 12, 1917, a total of 846 young New Zealanders were killed in the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium. Many more died over the following days from the wounds they received.
Moore said for the last three years the Pleasant Point RSA had put up a display for Anzac day. For 2015 and 2016 they had medical themed displays.
Last year a full size World War I ambulance and grave marker were on display which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.
Moore said as well as having the main display down by the railway station the Pleasant Point RSA had display boards with information on the Battle of Passchendaele at the Sutherlands, Waitohi and Hazelburn war memorials.