Armistice service forced indoors

Rainy weather forced Palmerston North’s Armistice Day service indoors.

Planned to be held at the Cenotaph in The Square on Friday, the commemorations to remember the end of World War 1 were held instead at the Convention Centre.

The venue was already set up for the launch of the latest roll out of Poppy Places, marking the inclusion of a cluster of West End streets in the project.

The nine streets – Anaru Place, Dittmer Drive, Henare Street, Huata Place, Katene Street, Pitama Road, Ruha Street, Te Punga Place and Wikiriwhi Crescent – are named after members of the 28th Ma¯ori Battalion who distinguished themselves during World War II.

The main speaker at the service, Colonel Brett Wellington, Commander of the 1 (NZ) brigade based at Linton, acknowledged 98 years since the guns on the Western Front fell silent at the end of WWI.

He said New Zealand made an unprecedented sacrifice, with 18,000 lives lost, 40,000 injured and untold silent suffering and mental scars.

Wellington said each of the 224 names inscribed on the Cenotaph represented the loss of human beings with hopes and dreams of long, happy and fulfilled lives that were cut short.

It was a significant sacrifice whole communities made, not just those who fought and died, but those who ran the the farms, industries and homes while they were away.

The Youth Spirit address was delivered by Palmerston North Boys’ High School pupil Joel Fleet-stephenson, who said it was vital for his generation to understand the sacrifices that were made to secure freedom.

He was grateful to men who were younger than him at the time, who had fought to secure peace.

A number of wreaths were laid during the ceremony, including one from the Palmerston North RSA.