A UNIQUE MEMORIAL

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 122, 19 November 1929, Page 7

A UNIQUE MEMORIAL

TO MEN OF THE N.Z. MEDICAL -:. ■ CORPS

Men of the New Zealand Medical Corps who fell in the Great War are the subject of a memorial to be erected on the ground on which they assembled, for training prior to proceeding overseas—the racecourse at Awapuni, near Palmerston North. la the .choice of location and design the ■memorial is probably unique in New Zealand. After their training, the members of the corps became widely .dispersed, some going to Egyp;t, others ■to Palestine, to Salonika, to France, •Belgium, and to England, to serve with as many units as there were in the New Zealand- Expeditionary) Force. Practically the only things they had '■ in ■ common were their association with Awapuni and the retention of their •identity as members of the medical corps irrespective of the units with . which they became associated. It is , litting, therefore, that the birthplace .of the corps for overseas should be chosen as the site for the memorial of those who did not come home again. The memorial, a photograph of which appears on this page, has been made possible by the generosity of the Manawatu Racing Club, which owns, the Awapuni racecourse. It comprises a ..cross-shaped lakelet which, with flower beds set into the corners formed by • the arms of the cross, is reminiscent of the huge re/1 crosses which were set in the ground to indicate tlio presence of .a hospital in the war zones. In the . centre, a. fountain plays from an ; obelisk of hewn stone. The unveiling ■ ceremony is to be performed by the . Governor-General, Sir Charles Fergusson, on Tuesday, 3rd December.