ANZAC CELEBRATIONS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3061, 24 April 1917, Page 8

ANZAC CELEBRATIONS

YESTERDAY'S: GATHERINGS

; IN : HONOUR;OF THE BRAVE DEAD

:,;;/;/"/^: Tluj official celebration of Anzac Day .;;V< .■:;'• took place yesterday, -the date-fixed by Government-in consequeiice of the ://. 4; actual anniversary of .the historic'land--rS:': inK .conflicting with tlie municipal elecy. :■>,';':• tionsi Very many peoplej including the v ''''•> l /'returned soldiers," had not- been willryv':; ~i»R to accept the change of dates, and celebration;- therefore/ was not gen-://'si'.eralvj--jThe- Aoting-Prime.Minister, Sir W ',V James.-Allen,-presided at a big gathcr- ";•■[■ v" ; iri*E.in! the':Grand/ Opera House in the : 'rf ','^vevening. ; He had oh' the platform :'i. with him Sir James Carroll and Major r- .. ; Waitei D.5.0., and among those pre- :' . sent were the Mayor.of Wellington ;:,. ' '(Mr. J. P; Luke), the Commandant of ;''';::the Forces (Sir A:. W. Robin), and ,;/..-; several 'members of-the- Ministry. / ;t ;'■ ■'': Sir James Allen,\ in opening the pro- '••",: "I.'-;'".oeedings,'said-thafj the, gathering was j-'.;:/'being held under the auspices of the \;,' Returned Soldiers' Club. He regarded i'■'.', ;; : the clubs; and organisations formed by '->.:'.-./-the returned' soldiers' as valuable hi-. ;>:;, \ stitutidus,"which -would do a"great deal ;.';.' -'of good when"the troops .come back to v':>: New Zealand. The day was not really •:. •: Anzac Day, but it had been felt con- ;':;:.; venient, in view of the-local elections, yj;. ;.".-.to hold, some, sort .of celebration on '4 .v April 23, instead of April 25.. Some "'•/:.'- of the local authorities' had decided ;;*'"■ .V: -that they would stick .to the 25th. .;;:'•; Jv/flEeary. hear.). April 25 would bo a ; .- V. .; : v . notable day for New Zealand,, this year' :V'; ; ;..:-: and-eyery.yeap. -The s tory of Anzac,. ---added Sir James Allen, had still to; be :^j.';;;-written. When' it was written, .it <?;.- would bo found to'be a, record from the ;;%'./;/ 'day. of the landing to.the day of the ;\ ■} evacuation,' of which New Zealand £ I '.) '■■; would' be; very proud. : The , people of ; fr 'the, Dominion 'should riot forget when ,;/;/;;:/ 'they celobrated the/ historic landing, Dy.\ : : ' that the New Zealar.dors and thev Aus!;"i. -~:. tralians had'not been; alone on Gal■o'i -lipoli. The landing of .the 29th Divi- .; . 'gioh' at Cape Helles was an achieve?iy.'-"' ment that every Anzac.would wish to c ; . :; have linked with the colonial troops' ..;;'wonderful /effort.. : New Zealanders yyy' /would ..read with, pride in. the •;; *:. v; days. - to:;. come of' l ' the - noble . and ;■;,. "self-sacrificing' work that the 29th Divi■f:l : sion'.had done. Of the New Zealand, o'/. troops it was onough to say that they ;,;; had,been given a great and hazardous ■'.'>.;; task, and had borne themselves in'a ; ; ; ',-'■'.-manner that had done honour to their '<:'■'. - country and added to>the splendid trab;: :■•• ditions of tho Eriipire. The programme -';;,-.: arranged for.that evening would c s3ist •:' ; the' people of Wellington to, bear in : mind: during: tho next two .days ' the : iy}y .splendid story of' Anzac. -He hoped '■'{.-.>y 'that one outcome of the Gallipoli'' camy'y</: paign-was going to*be the strehgtheri;v • • ingof the ties between New Zealand •:•;.;',:■-.: Rnd Australia. .The"; men, of the, two' :;7 : :,; countries had "fought and bled together, yat'Anxac, and the link that had beeD ■J;;;- .forged ati Gallipoli should never bo 0.:-y: alowed to weaken. Australia,and New S.y/Zealand should, be banded together to ;'';;.:,; hold their territories and protect their //J'/; -/peaceful and hapoy homes against all .. V foes. In conclusion the Acting-Prime ;.v;/ : ('". -'Minister referred, briefly to the work how, being done /by the/troops at the ;',;y : /front;- It was a proud, thought,indeed/ '""rs/'/hs said, that : New/Zealand's sons were y : ':-!- , figliting shoulder to shoulder with.the S./;':most experienced- troops .of. the Em&/:/.'ini'<V: (Applause/)/ ';'-.;< ■;' ' " . ''■••«'■.'■,''.'• '-;••/'.,/ /Sir, James, Carroll said that Anzac ;:';.:.'',/Day.was an anniversary with a very ;;;;.'/ -real, meaning, for -the people/ of New ■iy'< Zealand.' The soil,of Gallipoli had been /./.y:"made sacred with the blood of'/the >/.;'• young manhood of New Zealand, Aus- :/ //.tralia, and the. Motherland. .. "!-!Would ■yy :'it he' too much,", asked Sir James Car/;.;';. roll, "to register a vow/now that when' :';/.;/iwo have come ;out of. this great strugr/./Zgle triumphant, as some day. we mu6t, ,„:,,;",those' spots where our, men have fallen ;/,///.i/shall'be held/sacred for'all time ui K^':. :their,;,m'emory ?' /' There'-should -be an :«.'.:.' understanding between; ourselves and y/'y' bur Allies-.that wherever our dead.sol- ;' v,;, ■ diers sleep'tlie:,soil, is- sanctified." Sir y-y ,;;James Carroll' proceeded^-to- describe ,v ; ■".•■■". seme of his experiences during "his ./,;/.' visit to tho West front member ■ ; of: the Empire Parliamentary Delega./tibn; He had landed in .France at ::'.i •/ [/Boulogne and had found'this town a /;.'w/'/mass;of khaki—British khaki. He iiad yj\: 'proceeded to Paris as a.guest of France, /vO./v and, with his companions; representing pi//: various parts of; the; British Em- ■;/;■;'•: .pire, he..'/had gathered »his • first //'./:-' impressions' of Britain's ally. Sir James :.,//. Carroll referred to his visits to French ';/;:',*(• military.lamps' and aviation grounds, jy lj j and; paid;,a tribute:,to the earnestness, ./'•': and efficiency off the French troops of :/,;, all- grade's.: / He had seen a portion of -■;.;-. ,;the;iFrench front, where.the big guns ;.:.;, were, hurling shells against an unseen s',:. enemy, but he had seen no fighting :-;: ~ and no soldiers. .:The.thousands of men //■.■were all under ground./ Later he had /-;V/\,visited the .por.tipn.,of/,the line held by / ■ tho New Zealand Division, and had .'-■,..' found there, among./the rest' of 'the /i /Now/Zealanders,; over .800 stalwart ;/- Maori hoys, who had welcomed him in ;'..,.' the old Maori'way. (Applause.) "Mili- ;.■/.:. tary training'.is a form of physical '-.' -training that;, nothing ~ else can coni- .; :; pare with, because it'makes the mind: body work together," he said 'y /in referring to the appearance of the Maori troops. : .He described'also his ;y, / visit to the Grand Fleety which includ.':V : ,cd the battle-cruiser' New, Zealand. In ";:! conclusion, Sir James referred to: the ,;:•./ social and industrial .unity- that had ;r been achieved, in Great Britain for the j/• / .prosecution of the/war. Major Waite, D.5.0., gave a very ~': -interesting lecture on, tho. Gallipoli- !.,',/;, campaign, illustrated- /by lantern He did not attempt to cover // '■';.-■' all the ground in the, limited time at y;;> his disposal, hut he: showed his unique '■-;:', collection of views of'the famous battle- - ,-' grounds, and explained the main fen-' ; . -hires of the" operations from the-land- : ' ; :y' ing.to the evacuation. >• ■ -•■ : ■■■... ; : ; :■■. During the evening' Miss Eileen Dris'-, •.;:>• coll sang "Waiata,"i Mr.- H. F. Wood :■'/;/;' sang "Destiny,'.'- and Mr. -Hamilton i.i- Hodges' contributed ' "My ' Life- Has ,;.-';,; Crept So Long."/ The ■ proceedings ,-; '■- closed with the -National Anthem.