ORDERS TO CEASE FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19924, 18 April 1928, Page 10

ORDERS TO CEASE FIRE.

ARMISTICE DAY DOCUMENTS MESSAGE: FOR THE TROOPS, ■ ■

ORIGINAL PAPERS PRESERVED I . Ilj

OFFER TO AUCKLAND MUSEUM.

Two documents of great interest arid of considerable historic value will shortly bo offered to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. These are the original military signal forms on which are written in pencil the telegraphic instructions to ceaso hostilities received at the headquarters of tins New Zealand Division in *5 France, on the morning of November 11, 1918.

The New Zealand Division was; at tllij; •" ;Jji time part of the Fourth Army Corjs, commanded by Lieut.-General Harpar, The first official instruction to cease fire was received at Divisional Headquarters at 8.25 a.m. on November 11, from the headquariers of the Fourth Army Corps, and was written as received by Sapper Amos on a form which has ever since remained in the possession of an cx-ser-geant, who retrieved it as a souvenir a few r days later.

Text of the Order. Tho message is marked "priority" and isi signed by Sapper Amos as recipient. It reads: —

"Following from Third Array begins: Hostilities will cernse at 1100 hours today, November 11. Troops will stand, fast on line reached at that hour, which will bo reported by wiro to Third Army,: Defensive precautions will be maintained, There will be no intercourse of any description with the enemy until the receipt of instructions from Army Headquarters. Further instructions will follow addressed all concerned." The Third Array waii then commanded by Lord Bvng. A carbon copy of this would be delivered to the general staff officer of tho Divisional Staff in charge of operations, It was then handed to the signal offices•by an officer of the general staff for transmission to tho various brigade:: of tho division, whose code calls are indicated en the second form. Tho second message transmitted reads simply: "Following from IV. Corps: Hostilities will cesise at 1100 hours to-day, November 13." This message was transmitted by Sapper Cliffe, and all brigades were advised of the welcome news by 8.55 a.m. . Kept us Souvenirs. The signal-master-sergeant in the signal office at the headquarters of the NewZealand Division was instructed a fewdays after the Armistice to destroy certain filgs of routine messages. However, thinking in advisable to see if the files contained any messages of importance h* perused the papers and came across the two rather insignificant slips of colourei paper bearing the instructions for ths division to cease hostilities. These be kept as souvenirs of permanent interests The forms were placed in a box witb. other souvenirs and brought back to New Zealand.

The sergeant concerned,' who prefers to remain anonymous, recently came upon the slips at the bottom of an old bost. Both are in good order aJid tho writing is perfectly legible. He made known their existence to Major W. F. St dwell, nn ex-officer of the Divisional Signal Company, and on Major Stilwell's suggestion the sergeant agreed that the documents should be placed in safe keeping. T3wy will accordingly be offered to the museum authorities.