"LEST WE FORGET."

BOLL OF UNVEILED

TO LOCAL HALLWAY MEN,

During the interim between the departure of the North-bound train at 4.30 p.m. aud the 5 o'clock to Onerabi yesterday, the members oi" the Whaugarei railway section staff, a considerable number of friends, and the general public assembled on the plsitfonn to partake in the unveiling ceremony of a very handsome Koli of Honour. The memorial took the form of a large stone tablet, and it was subscribed for only between railway men, and only between those of the staft of the Wha-ngarei-Kawakawa section, who had not themselves been on active service overseas. A number of short speeches were made, the Mayor (Mr. J. S. Dent) being the first speaker. He esteemed it an honour as well as a privilege to take part in the ceremony of unveiliag a 801 lof Honour in memory of the iailwaymem of the district who had taken part in the Great War, as, of those who went from any one department, the ; railwaymen had undoubtedly done their share. When it was remembered that the day was the sixth anniversary of the declaration of war, it seemed to his mind a, singularly appropriate day on which such a ceremony should take place; thus honouring those who answered the call for men, wMch, on that ever memorable day was flashed from one end of the Empire to the other. No words could express his feelings for those who fought and died for this country, which would never forgot the sacrifices made by the men wliose names -were inscribed on the memorial, and who helped to secure the peace now enjoyed by all.

His Worship then drew aside the Union Jack with which the tablet had been veiled.

The Eev. J. E. Clark paid his tribute of respect to the luon who had so well represented the country at'Gallipoli, in France,, and in Palestine. The end of the night had come; the blood-red clouds, which had made the sunset a terror, had given back a gentle radiance; the song of a new era had been, sung, and the people had begun to appreciate the gallant deeds of New Zealand's men. But into the rejoicing came the solemn .recognition of the great cost at which the country's appreciation had been woii. • The v great economic and financial sacrifieces were the least part of the payment and were as nothing beside a Eoll of Honour such as had been unveiled that day. There were many siinilaT lists of dead and wounded, and they came as so many names or aumbers, but behind the dread array of these there walked a legion of tragic sorrows, each unit of which touched some heart of the living. That was part of tho triumph, perhaps a necessary one, and none forgot the debt the ransomed world owed to the gallant fellows who had proved that, for the sa*ke of its freedom, they counted not their lives dear uato them; and so to the bereaved aad beloved ones, all would extend a sympathy as sincere as their gratitude was great; also the sick and maimed, already having our regard, should have practical help. Ours was an immeasurable debt to all, dead and living, who had by their shielding of us made us all their next of kin. Their sacrifice could not bo gauged, but their lost lives, their broken careers, their spent health, would make them the perpetual pensioners of quickened affection towards them, and everyone must see to it that their sacrifices and endurance secured their reward. What did the men fight for? Not for Belgium, merely. The foundations of civilisation wero threatened, and the rights of the defenceless were exposed to the fury of a terrible might. The privileges of the people were thrown as rubbish out of the way, if once Prussian tyranny obtained. That tyranny had been withstood and overcome. Such a triumph, however, would fail unless a noble philanthrophy, a real fraternity and a valiant liberty distinguished every nation under heaven. The sword which was returned to its scabbard, to rest thero for many a long year, had ushered in a now age, the strong had fought for tho weak, and the weak had blocked the path of the tyrant. The speaker believed in his very soul that, just as New Zealanders had taken a great and noble part ia the war, so would they take a great and noble part in working for social, industrial and political progress in thn future.

The Eov. E. H. Johnson expressed his appreciation of ihe privilege granted him of paying a tribute to the men from the railways who had served their country, and ho referred to the fact that the handsome memorial had been subscribed entirely by the comrades of the men who had gone overseas. He considered that it was a line thing that men should thus express, in a body, their appreciation of what had been done by their fellow-workers. He need not touch upon what the men who had gone to the war had done, 1 because it was recognised by ell, but he urged that the custom should be instituted of placing annually floral emblems upon the Roll of Honour as a tribute and as a means of keeping its memories green. He had known of memorials being erected and their purpose being subsequently forgotten, and that should bo avoided. The Rev. Johnson remarked in conclusion that he saw in the provision of the Eoll of Honour an emblem of the great aim of peace—the brotherhood of man. I

The railwayman's Eoll of Honour, the Eev. G. Lochore submitted, was a further reminder of the fact that the British army had been drawn from all ranks and all services of the community. As an outcome of that, all sections were vicing with one another to preserve the honour of their own particular colleagues. He reminded those present of the great sacrifices made by the present generation of New Zealanders in the fight for freedom, and

inetaaced the fact that of the 120,000 odd men who had served, one in six had died for the cause. At (iallipoli alone, 8,350 of all ranks landed, and the casualties in killed and wounded (excluding sickness), reached the enormous total of 7,447 —yet that force had held together. In the light of that, it was not surprising that the Ingw Zealand Division, when formed as such and sent to France, earned the reputation of being one of the iinest on the Western Front, nay, amongst the armies of the Allies; and the mounted men in Palestine had shown themselves to bo second to none. The men of the local railways .section had reason to be proud and thankful to Almighty God, that they had been represented at the war by such worthy mates. For hastening to get a crown of freedom in ancient Greece, one of its historians said of its gallant dead: "They lie possessed of praise that grows not old," and that would be true, as years rolled on, of those who had fought aad died in the Great War.

The Eev. W. E. Lambert was reminded that the Eailways Department had rendered no small service within the Dominion while the war was on, and he recalled reading how men had been anxious to go to the front, but had been restraiaed because the service of their particular department was such that it claimed their presence within the country. The Eoll of Honour was erected by those mem in honour of their colleagues who had been abl*e to go overseas, and it should ever serve to remind all that "greater love hath, no maa than this: that he lay down his life for his comrade." All were indebted to them for what they had done, and while not forgetting the memory of those who had died and the Heeds of those who had returned, it was the country's duty to heed the women and children affected by the men's sacrifices. If they were found to be ia need of help, then it was a duty to extend a helping hand to them, and thus to honour those who had fought heroically at the front. All had aot been called upon to lay down their lives for the Empire, but all had it as a duty to live for the Empire, and he urged that they should do so with the same patriotism as had prompted the heroes whom they honoured to pay the supreme sacrifice in the service of the Dominion.

As president of the Returned Soldiers' Association, Mr. J. F. S. Briggs made it clear that the memorial had been erected solely by the men of the railway service who had beea obliged to remain at home, and that no returned soldier had been allowed to subscribe towards its cost. The railwayman had played the game both at home and abroad during the great conflict, and they had the entire respect of the whole community for the part they had taken. Of the mea who died he could say nothing too high, aad, on behalf of the ex-soldiers of the district, he expressed gratification at the action of the railwaymen in having erected so fine a monument to the memory of comrades who had died for the country.

The ceremony concluded with the singing of the National Anthem.

THE TABLET

The Eoll of Honour now unveiled at the Whangarei Railway Station and on view to the public is the most attractive of its kind which has yet beea erected in tie district. It is of a large size, and is of carved New Zealand marble. The design is in itself a work of art, and reflects great credit upon the local stone masons who designed and executed it. The inscription reads:""Members of the Eailway Staff of tlie Wha-iigarei-Kawakawa section who joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919." Beneath that are two long panels, containing 45 names, seven of whom are crossed as having paid the supreme sacrifice. The ornamental work, consisting of scrolls, pillars, arches and ferns, is remarkably artistic, and: at the top, the motto, "Not For Ourselves alone,'' has been inscribed, while at the base of the stone, the whole of which has been heavily framed in wood, lias been carved: "Lest We Forget. ,,