Remembrance Day
By WGCDR Brett Marshall
Perhaps you will read this or perhaps you won’t. You may be too busy thinking of 101 other things that all need to be done – emails to answer, reports to write, things to organise – all of which can’t wait. But if you can, then I ask that you please spare a minute or two to read and remember.
The graves of WW1 Kiwi soldiers
November 9, around the world was Remembrance Day, when millions of people stopped and stood silent to remember the end of WW1. But for most, their thoughts were not on the end of the war but on those who never came home.
There were many commemorations held and I was privileged to stand in Whitehall in London, as the last three remaining British survivors of WW1 – William Stone, Harry Patch and Henry Allingham, whose average age is 110 – laid wreaths to remember their mates they had lost so long ago. As Big Ben struck 11 and the crowd fell silent, my thoughts went to some of the many commemorations and remembrance ceremonies, where I had been honoured to represent the RNZAF in the past three years as Air Adviser in the UK:
- The Kiwi spitfire pilot who was killed when his plane crashed in a field in Kent and the owners who had unveiled a plaque in their back yard beside the crash site to remember him.
- The 75 (NZ) SQN Lancaster crew – five of whom were killed when their aircraft crashed in Heythuysen in the Netherlands – and the woman, whose father had witnessed the crash, who had built a memorial to remember them.
- The poppies my three year old daughter and I laid in the cemetery in Prague on ANZAC day at the grave of young RNZAF Navigator, Reg Adlam. Reg was 23 years old and one of the 40 Lancaster’s that were shot down during a night raid on Germany.
- The ceremony for several British Lancaster aircrew who were on 75 (NZ) SQN during WWII and survived. They had recently passed away and chose to have their ashes scattered on the 75 (NZ) SQN memorial in Mepal, United Kingdom, so they could forever be with their Kiwi mates that they lost all those years ago.
- The Commonwealth Air Force Memorial at Runnymede that includes the names of over 500 RNZAF aircrew from WWII, who left on their missions and were never seen again.
- Many other commemorations came to mind as did the families and friends who had been left behind.
I have been very moved at recent ceremonies in the United Kingdom for those in the armed forces who have lost their lives – seeing children who hold their Mums hand tightly, as she tries to be strong for them, and not really understanding why Daddy didn’t come home.
Parents left only with memories and who close their eyes as they hug a photograph of their beloved boy. Seeing servicemen and women trying, but failing, to hold back tears as they carry their mate’s coffin. Peace comes at a price, and it is these families and friends who have paid more than most. I think of our young men and women serving on operations around the world far away from home, trying to make the world a better place, and I pray that they stay safe.
I’m writing this at midnight after getting up to comfort my 1-year-old daughter, who had woken up with a fright. As I held her and rubbed her back, gently rocking her back to sleep, my thoughts again went to those who had lost a loved one and would give anything for one last hug, one last smile, and one last touch.
Around the world, November 9 was Remembrance Day. With today’s conflicts around the world, there is a new generation of families, especially in the United Kingdom, for which Remembrance Day will never be just another day. For those families who have lost a loved one, Remembrance Day isn’t just a day, it’s every day.
Wellington Memorial Service
This year’s Remembrance Day Sunday service, on 9 November, was especially significant as this year marks the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day.
The service, at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul’s, included a colourful parade of colours, ensigns and flags, music from the Central Band of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Pipes and Drums of the 5th Wellington West Coast Taranaki Battalion Group, and a reading by the Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae. The Right Reverend Sir Paul Reeves delivered the sermon which was followed by a waiata from the tri-Service Maori Cultural Group.
The lighting of the peace candle by representatives of the Navy, Army, Air Force and Police was an especially poignant moment.