GRAVES OF THE FALLEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21166, 26 April 1932, Page 11

GRAVES OF THE FALLEN.

SERVICE AT WAIKUMETE.

MANY BEAUTIFUL WREATHS. PERPETUATING ANZAC SPIRIT. There was an attendance of about 1000 people at the Anzac Day ceremony yesterday afternoon at the Waikumetc Cemetery. A laurel wreath was placed on each ex-serviceman's grave and many beautiful wreaths were assembled at the base of the memorial column erected by the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association near the entrance at the corner of Great North and Eden View Roads. Mr. A. J. RouLley, chairman of the Glen Eden Town Board, who presided, mentioned the desirability of perpetuating the fine spirit which was associated with Anzac Day and the valour of New Zealand's soldiers.

The lesson was read bv the Rev. C. B. Jordan, of the Glen Eden Methodist Church, and an address on the significance of Anzac Day was given by tlie Rev. J. A. Thompson, of St. Luke's Presbyterian Church, Remuera. Mr. Thompson said the deeds which had been accomplished by the New Zealanders in the Great War, unless the spirit was carried on by the present generation, could not bear full fruit.

"Each generation merely takes over the tasks of the former one," he said. "The men who fell in the war considered it a small thing to lay down their lives in achieving the task before them. It is the duty of those of to-day to have a similar spirit and to proceed with a task which means the betterment of the world."

Among the wreaths placed at the base of the memorial column were those from the Returned Soldiers' Association, the Navy League, the Victoria League, the War Graves Committee and the Women's National Reserve, representatives of which organisations wore present. A body of ex-servicemen paraded and there also was an assembly of Boy Scouts. The hymns "All People that on Earth Do Dwell," "0, God, Our Help in Ages Past" and "Abide With jNI e were played by the Salvation Army Band. The sounding of the Last Post and the playing of the Dead March concluded the ceremony. MESSAGE TO AUSTRALIA. COMRADESHIP RECALLED. ASSOCIATION OF COUNTRIES. [BX TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] "WELLINGTON, Saturday. The following cablegram was sent today by the Prime Minister, Mr. Forbes, to Mr. J. A. Lyons, Prime Minister of Australia:— "The anniversary of Anzac again serves to recall the close association of comradeship between Australians and New Zealanders during the Great War and the common sacrifices that have joined our two Dominions in an imperishable bond of sympathy." EX-SERVICEMEN PARADE. SERVICES IN SUBURBS. Parades of ex-servicemen and special municipal Anzac Day services were held in several suburban districts yesterday. The Mayor of Takapuna, Mr. J. Guiniven, presided over an attendance of more than 500 persons at the morning service in the Foresters' Hall, Takapuna, conducted by the Revs. R. H. Trill, Morgan Richards and 11. L. Richards. Mr. A. Harris, M.P., was also present. Prior to the service a parade of returned soldiers was held. There was a large attendance at the combined service on the Highbury Reserve, Birkenhead, at 2.30 p.m. The Mayor, Mr. J. P. McPhail, presided, and addresses were delivered by Lieutenant - Colonel J. W. Craven and the Revs. J. M. Beaufort, P. C. Davis, P. J. Wainwright and W. W. Avery. Official wreaths were laid at the base of the borough's war memorial. Northcote's municipal service, held in the King's Theatre, last evening, was presided over by the. Mayor, Mr. R. Martin, and was well attended. Commander E. L. Berthon, R.N., and the Rev. C. Houchen grave brief addresses. At Onehunga a parade of war veterans was held in the morning and a service conducted at Jellicoe Park. Mr. E. Morton, Mayor of the borough, presided, and at the conclusion of the proceedings numerous wreaths were laid on the Memorial Arch.

Other largely attended municipal services were conducted by local clergymen at Otahuhu, Papakura and Pukekohe. Parades of ex-servicemen were held and many wreaths, both official and private, were placed on the district war memorials.

The newly-formed Auckland Western Suburbs Returned Soldiers' Association held a parade in the afternoon, members marching from the Glen Eden school grounds to the Glen Eden soldiers' monument, where a short service was celebrated. In O'Neill's Point cemetery, Bayswater, a service was conducted in the afternoon by the Rev. J. Hiddleston, under the auspices of the Victoria League. Among the. wreaths laid on soldiers' graves were several specially made by Takapuna Girl Guides.