TO THOSE WHO FELL.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1924, Page 6

TO THOSE WHO FELL.

NEW PLYMOUTH MEMORIAL DEDICATED AND UNVEILED. , CEREMONY AT CENOTAPH. ADDRESS BY GOVERNOR. Xfaese laid the world away; poured out the . red Sweet wine of youth; gave up the years to be Of work and Joy, and that unhoped serene That men call age; and those .ho wotfd have been Their sons, they gave, their immortality. Rupert Brooks. Bitter rain in the half light of a winter eve. Underfoot, the sodden ground gives way with the shuffling movement of freezing feet; overhead, a leaden sky reflects the ifttfutl gleams of guns engaged in their meed of the evening hate. ’From beyond the brow of the . hill comes the snarl of the automatic gun and the staccato notes of the ma- * chine gun betokening the presence of ■ keen-eyed watchers Around a blanket wrapped figure beside an open grave, . five head bared soldiers of New Zealand. Gently and tenderly they give back to the Earth that which it gave ~ —their “pal,” a latter day Crusader. And in a brief silence the voice of the padre rises with that comforting message “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, ■ dust to dust; in sure and <-ertain hope of the resurrection to eternal life.” Snow came in the night .and morning saw the new made grave wrapped in a purifying mantle of white. A soldier had laid the world away. A HALLOWED SPOT. A hallowed spot in the busy heart of a rising town. Simple yet grand, austere yet appealing, stands proudly erect in the midst of a sorrowing yet rejoicing people a cenotaph, an empty tomb perpetuating the memory of men buried on fields of battle. Two shining Crusaders swords tell how they fought for Right against Might and a crown of laurel proclaims their victory. A deeply inscribed date “1914-18” recalls the dark but glorious period in the history of Britain’s sons. A quickly drawn flag and the spirit of the people stands revealed in the brief simple inscription “Their name liveth for evermore.’’

Time will not obliterate that collective yet individual memorial tomb to New Plymouth’s soldier dead which was unveiled yesterday by His Excellency the Governor General Viscount Jellicoe, and dedicated with a solemn prayer to its purpose. It symbolises the immortality handed down by the men who gave all for the Empire they loved. MEMORIES OF DARK YEARS. As if Nature were sharing in the grief of her people, the heavy rain was not unappropriate to yesterday’s ceremony. It brought back memories of those dread, dark war years, memories which were banished as a break in the clouds gave promise of brighter days to come. And in that large crowd which braved the elements to pay homage to the dead there was a sense of that indomitable spirit which we claim as an attribute of our race. There were mothers and wives of soldiers and sisters and children; the returned men of New Plymouth were there in strength to honour their old comrades and to provide a guard of honour for His Excellency. The veterans of the Maori War, and the soldiers of the younger generation an the territorials and senior cadets of New Plymouth paid tribute to the memory of the men who have made their regimental history, and they also provided a firing party to give soldier honours to The dead. A mounted escort from the country spoke of the unity of town and country in making a better New Zealand and in their soldierly bearing recalled the dashing qualities of the N.Z.E-F. So, also, did the presence of boys and girls of the schools reveal that the sacrifices of the men will not be forgotten by the generation that is coming on. , HIS EXCELLENCY ARRIVES. Met with the salute due to his position, His Excellency, who was accompanied by Lady Jellieoe and the Hon. Lucv Jellieoe, Major-General C. W. Mel■rille. C.B*. C.M.G., D. 5.0., GjOjC.. of the New Zealand Forces, Colonel-Com-mandant C. G. Powles, C.M.G., D. 5.0., the Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) and Captains Southey and Curtis. personally greeted each member of the guard of honour and then took his position on the cenotaph. A lament by the Highland Pipe Band focussed attention on the solemn object of the ceremony, and then the Mayor, in riie name of the citizens of New Plymouth, asked His Excellency to unveil the memorial erected by the people to the memory of those citizens who went in defence of the Empire and who, alas, would not return. *T appreciate very much indeed the fact that this, my last visit to New Plymouth, should be associated with a ceremony which is to do honour to the citizens of New Plymouth who fell in the defence of the Empire,” said His Ercellency after stating that he regarded it as a great honour to be asked to unveil the memorial. Such ceremonies brought memories of the sacrifice of valuable lives, memories of pain and suffering, memories and thoughts of those who had lost their loved ones. SIGN OF HIGHEST IDEALS. But there was another side. The memorial was a monument to gallant men who displayed great courage, who made great sacrifice, indeed sacrificed their all, and who showed a devotion to duty which was an example to future generations. These men had also elevated the name of New Zealand to such a pinnacle of glory that it wa« honoured, and ever would be honoured, throughout the Empire and, indeed throughout the whole civilised world. These thoughts, His Excellency said, brought to us great pride in those whose memory was being honoured that day. New Zealand, at the call of the Empire when it was faced with the greatest crisis in its history, had responded quickly and magnificently, and the history of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force was written in lines of gold not only in the written books but in the hearts of the people of the Dominion, The memorial was a reminder of duty gallantly performed and was a lasting tribute’to brave men. It was a re-

minder not only of its dead but of those who came back and so many of whom it had been his privilege to meet that afternoon. It was also a sign of the Unity of the Empire. It was for those who remained to do their duty to those who fell and to live up to the great ideals for which they fought and to be worthy of the great sacrifice which they made. THE UNVEILING. Turning to the memorial, His Excellency said: “To the glory of God and in honoured memory of the men from this district who fell I unveil this memorial.” A pull on the ropee and the covering flags fell fluttering in the breeze, as the Last Post was sounded and the firing party came to the present. While the regimental band played the funeral dirge “'Garhnd of Flowers.” a host of beautiful official and private wreaths were placed on the monument. His Excellency placed one from himself and Lady Jellieoe in which victory laurels were predominant. Then followed the R.S.A. wreath in which flowering shrubs from Gallipoli and France were mingled ■with the flowers and shrubs of New Zealand, the Women’s Patriotic Association, the New ’Plymouth Borough Council, the Taranaki County Council, the War Memorial Committee, the Victoria League, the territorials of New Plymouth, the New Plymouth Harbour Board onfall the New Plymouth schools. As the funeral march continued, private j mourners smothered the lower steps of the memorial with a wealth of posiss