New memorial to honour the fallen

For members of the New Zealand Defence Force’s Deployable Health Organisation this Anzac Day will mark a significant and new opportunity for them to recognise their fallen comrades with a recently-built Memorial Wall at Linton Military Camp.

Unveiled towards the end of 2024, the Memorial Wall was built for the purpose of honouring fallen comrades, to foster the esprit de corps within the DHO, to provide a place for reflection and to enhance the feeling of togetherness whilst serving in the unit.

Commander Joint Support Group, Colonel Ant Blythen, said it was hugely significant for personnel to have a place to reflect on the sacrifices made by those who went before, including friends and colleagues.

“Remembering where we have come from, and who we have lost along the way is such a huge part of what makes us who we are, and underpins the values we uphold strongly as the NZDF,” Colonel Blythen said. 

The memorial wall was conceptualised in 2022, with an NZDF working group made up of Staff Sergeants and a Flight Sergeant from within the DHO working up a design which was finalised in 2023.

The project itself was self-funded, and the team put in significant effort to organise fundraising activities in order to enable the memorial to be built, which was in turn supported by donations from the Logistics Support Squadron and Veterans Affairs New Zealand. 

2nd Engineer Regiment expertise was utilised in the construction of the memorial, with personnel from 2nd Combat Services Support Battalion (2CSSB) workshops designing and making the metal caps to be placed on the wall.

“The efforts of all those involved has been hugely impressive to see, and shows what can be achieved when we all come together and chip in to what was a hugely significant and rewarding project,” Colonel Blythen said.

“What we have in place today – which will stand for many, many years to come – is an incredible legacy that honours and recognises the soldiers, sailors and aviators of the past.”