7 November 2008
New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel will be joined by his Excellency the Governor General of New Zealand the Honorable Anand Satyanand and Susan Satyanand at a national commemorative service at the National War Memorial in Buckle Street, Wellington at 11.00am on Tuesday 11 November.
The ceremony will mark the 90th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice and will include a dawn to dusk vigil over the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.
The Vice Chief of Defence Force Rear Admiral Jack Steer will lay a wreath on behalf of the men and women of the NZDF.
A 25 person Guard of Honour, and catafalque guards comprising personnel from the Navy, Army and Air Force will be paraded in support of the ceremony. The Central Band of the Royal New Zealand Air Force will play the National Anthem, a bugle fanfare, Reveille and the Last Post.
RA Steer said, “On this day we honour the men and women who fought for our nation, for global peace and for democracy. Their efforts and sacrifice helped forge the spirit and very essence of New Zealand. We must never forget the contribution that our forebears have made.”
The commemorative service at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior will be followed by a service of music and readings in the Hall of Memories.
The Armistice Day service commemorates the sacrifice of those who died serving New Zealand in the First World War and all subsequent wars.
Armistice Day is the anniversary of the official end of World War I, November 11, 1918. It commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies and Germany, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, which took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
While the signing of the Armistice marked the official end of the war, the majority of the Expeditionary Force did not return home until 1919.
ENDS
There are currently 855 New Zealand Defence Force personnel deployed on 14 peacekeeping operations, UN missions and defence exercises around the world.
For further information please contact Ally Clelland, Defence Public Relations 04 496 0273 or 021 569 130.
Editor’s note: World War I was undoubtedly the most traumatic event in New Zealand’s history. From a population of a little more than one million in 1914, the Dominion sent just over 100,000 soldiers overseas as members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force [NZEF] during the War.
In addition, many New Zealanders served with the British and Australian Armed Forces. The loss of 16,697 members of the NZEF overseas meant that approximately 15 in every 1000 New Zealanders became victims (in Britain the comparable figure was 16, in Australia 12 and Canada eight).
When deaths among NZEF personnel in New Zealand and those who died after discharge from the war-related conditions up to the end of 1923 are included, New Zealand's death toll rises to 18,166.
Since the end of the World War I, much attention in New Zealand has focused on the Gallipoli campaign, but it was the Western Front in France and Belgium where the majority of New Zealanders fought and the majority of casualties were suffered. Hardly a family was unaffected by these terrible losses, which continued to have a major impact on New Zealand society long after the end of hostilities.
A number of Armistice Day activities will be run by government agencies under the theme Homecoming Te Hokinga Mai, go to www.nzlive.com for more details.