Richmond remembers fallen heroes on Anzac Day
Abigail Marshall spoke calmly and confidently about her experience of visiting the site where Battle of the Somme took place during World War II.
On a sunny day with clear skies, in front of more than 300 people gathered for the Anzac Day Service in Richmond, the guest speaker had all ears on her.
Marshall is a Waimea College alumni, currently studying at Victoria University, who was selected as one of 10 Young Ambassadors from around New Zealand to visit France last year to attend New Zealand’s commemoration service for the Battle of the Somme.
‘‘For my personal project as a young ambassador before going to France, I discovered that my greatgreat-grandmother’s cousin, Frederick Reginald Ashworth, fought at the Somme, and he was killed on the first day aged 23. Like many of the soldiers, his body was not recovered.
‘‘At Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, which is just out of Longueval, I found Frederick’s name on the Wall of Remembrance and put a poppy beside it. It was very moving to find my relative’s name and honour the sacrifice he and his family made 100 years to the day after he was killed.’’
She spoke about how proud she was to be a New Zealander throughout the trip.
‘‘For such a small country, New Zealand made a huge contribution to both the First and Second World Wars, defending people on the other side of the world, something which many French people are still very thankful for today.
‘‘For those of us who have never fought in a battle, for us who have grown up in this lovely town of Nelson, it is impossible to truly understand what those men went through.’’
This year yet again the large crowd of young and old overflowed onto the streets around the War Memorial Gardens, listening quietly to the Roll of Honour being read.
Tasman District Council councillor Kit Maling said it had been 50 years since he attended the service in a scout uniform.
He said it was pleasing to see such a healthy turnout at the event every year and he was thankful for the amount of young people that showed up to pay their respects on the day.
A wreath was laid by members of the RSA and both veterans and members of the public waited in a long line to place poppies.
Among the veterans attending the service in Richmond was Graeme Walker, 94, who fought in Italy during the last two years of war from 1943 to 1945.
He said the Anzac Day Service was very important to him and he had never missed one.
‘‘It means a lot to me that there’s such a big turnout today. It’s beautiful.’’