LOCAL CELEBRATIONS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 17272, 26 April 1918, Page 4

LOCAL CELEBRATIONS.

COMMEMORATIVE SERVICES

HELD

Tho weather conditions were excellent for the observance of Anzac Day yesterday. During the morning the unveiling of a. roll of honour took place at the Easttown railway workshops, and special services were held at the various churches, when the military forces attended.

At noon the ladies of Christ Chnrcn congregation entertained a number of the returned men at lunch.

The feature of the afternoon was the military parade and commemorative service at Cook's Gardens, when there was a fairly good attendance of the public. ROLL OF HONOUR UNVEILED.

Despite the somewhat early hour of the function, there was a large attendance at the Eastown railway workshops, when a rdl of honour board, containing the names of the men who had gone to the frnnt. was unveiled. Th© railway men had spared no effort to make the function a success The yard was beautifully decorated with flags, while *.he roll of honour board was draped with tho Union Jaclr and occupied a prominent position oh.

a dais. *■ After prayer by the Rev. Blamires, the unveiling ceremony was performed by Mr. J. Pej'-mjm, who gave aai eloquent address. The speaker said: — ''During the 23 years I have been associated with the Eastown railway workshops, it lias been my privilege to act as spokesman for my fellow-wofk-ers on their behalf. It has fallen to my lot. to "speed the parting guest," td pay a few kindly .-words o* farewell to *nen who 'have been called to other spheres of action, either in or out of the service in which we had come to know and esteem them. And on such occasions I do not think I have ever faltered for words, nor have I stumbled for lack of sympathetic expression. But this morning, as I stand here in your presence, I. *eel at a loss for language wiierewith to adequately expre&s the sentiments we so dearly cherish for the brave men whom we are about to hoonur. The names of the men you will see upon this board are comrades of whom we shall never cease to be proud. Their King aud wuntry did not call them in vain. True to the glorious traditions of our British rnce ; they wjav their duty in t**e battle-line, and to that grim duty they offered themselves, if needs he, to the death, so that we, their loved oneg and their friends, might be preserved from the terrors of a Hunnish conqust. "Greater love bath ho man than that he lay (town his life for another"; and these men, whom we hay« known as mates, men with whom we have worked shoulder to .shoulder, men with whom, in the ha.[>py times of peace, we have associated —these men, the civilians of yesterday, the soldiers of to-day, have clone this great thing for us. As we stand here in the peaceful quietude ot all April morning, they, perhaps, in the growing darkness of an April night. are grimly carrying on beneath a, helllike tornado oi Prussian shot and shell. We have been passing through dark days, with a great fear clutching at 'our hearts. But, thank God, that fear ha* been overcome, owing to the dauntless courage of our men, and their heron? Allies, wbo have so nobly 6tood between us and the onrnshing hordes of the Kaiser. We feel they scannot by -eaten. They may suffer reverses, but not defeat. No human effort, hellirispired though it may be. can compass their downfall. Burely, then, we have reason to be protKl of such a splendid roll of heroes as this—our contribution to the Army of the Empire. These names are mute, but they epeak eloquently to us, telling us to be of good cheer, and courageously carry th© burdens we may be called upon to bear; to do ou.v duty as true men and loyiU Britishers. As 1 ask you to join with me in coiebrating the formal unveiling or tuis memorial tribute to our brave comrades, there come to my mind some sweetly pretty, yet pathetic lines recently written by an English lady:

'' So many buds on the trees in spring ; So many homes where youths' voices

ring; So many flowers in the summer day— So many lads are marching away.

'So many leaves in autumn fall; So many dead have answered the call ; iSo many shadows in winter come— So many tears for the loved ones gone.':

Yes, these brave souls who have passed to the Great Beyond—triumphant in the spirit world, conquerors over death —their vibrant voices come to us in the silent hours, bidding us not to .sorrow as one bereft of hope. They remind us of our duty, and inspire us to "carry cm" in the righteous cause in which they fell:

" In the name of God, we who may not go : We who barter and feast and play, Though our years be long and our pulse be slow, We can even answer 'Aye.' ".

Addresses wer© given by the Her. Blnmires and Mr. Veitch, M.P., the latter referring to the fact that six of their comrades had given their lives. i.ne children present piled offerings of flowers at the foot of the roll of honour board.

The Queen Alexandra Band was present, and among the items played wer-3 the "Recessional" and the march '' Gaba Tepe," and finally the National Anthem. MILITARY PARADE. Crowds lined the streets when the military parade took place. At one point on route, the returned soldiers taking part were applauded. The order of procession was as follows :— 2nd (W.W.C.) Mounted Rifles; Q.A.O. Baud. Returned Soldiers. H.M. Veterans. N.Z. Engineers (Railway, P. and T. Corps). " ' 7th (W.W.C.) Band (Wanganui Garrison ) 7th (W.W.C.) Regiment. N.Z. Army Service Corps. N.Z. Medical Corps. Riile Clubs. Senior Cadets. National Reserve. Hoy Scouts. Public School Cadets. The parade state showed that tiler* was a grand total of 972 on parade,

including 532 Senior Cadets, 157 Public School Cadets, 100 Returned Soldiers, and 13 H.M. 'Veterans. AT COOK'S GARDENS: At Cook's Gardens the military units formed up round the platform, Which was set in front of the terraces. Un tho high ground the public were group, cd. The proceedings opehed with tile massed bands playing the National Anthem. THE MAYOII'S ADDRESS.

His Worship the Mayor saw : — "It is three years ago to-day since the New Zealand and Austr aJian troops landed at Gallipoli. We had sent them away with a pride and confidence that were amply justified by the event. When 1 was privileged to address a similar meeting here twelve months ago I traced briefly the record of our Anzac lads on the Peninsula. Ido not propose to traverse the ground again. In the first place, it is 'familiar nob merely to ourselves, not merely to the Empire, but to the whole world. In the second place, during the last 12 moivtns numbers of our men have returned who wcr© not present at Gailipoli, but who in France, in Palestine .and in Mesopotamia, have most wortnily uplield the tradition established by the Main Body and the reinforcements Who have made the name o» Anzac immortal. 1 welcome here today the boys of Wanganui who have returned after noble deeds nobly dont? in every part of the world. Many of their comrades will never leturn, but they are with us in spirit to-day, and their memory is deathless. Many of their comrades are still at the front, enduring with matchless, courage hardships and dangers of which we can form no conception. Our hearts are with them to-day. May a complete and speedy victory crown their efforts, and may they all have a safe ami happy retuhn to us here. But tho name of Anzac mast ever have a special appeal to us. No mention of Anzac would be complete without a reference to the work of the Navy, that magnificent instrument of warfare, potent for destruction, but mightier still to save. Without it, the landing could never have been effected nor the lodgment on tho Peninsula maintained. It is peculiarly appropriate that on the very eve of Anzac Day, the Navy has signalised itself by a daring exploit, worthy o? the best traditions of that great service. We meet to-day while the greatest battle of history is raging. Tlie present lull is probably only the prelude to still sterner strife. Thousands of our boys are there doing their part in protecting the Empire. Wa follow them with anxioug pride, an>l our presence here to-day is an earnest indication that we are all determined, as far as in us lies, to encourage and assist thorn. To them and t.o those near and dear to them, our hearts ar© turned to-day, united in confidence tlit they will not be found wanting, and that the way is now clear to a comjjlete and not far distant victory.'• MT-. W. A. Veitch, M.P., said that on the last commemoration, of Anzac Day all had hoped that before the anniversary came round an honourable peace would,have been made. In commemorating the day, they sympathised with those bereaved by the war, and extended mutual sympathy to those with relatives at the front. The New Zealand soldiers had done glorious work. They were bred from th c veterans of the Maori and South African wars, and had lived up to the best traditions, if they had not actually exceeded them. The gathering was to do honour to the soldiers who had gone forth to fight for freedom and justice. They should also honour the sailors of th« Mercantile Marine, who bravely carried out their work on unprotected ships in order that food might be taken to the Mother Country. The eoldier on the battlefield had his arms to defend himself, but the sailors of the Mercantile Marine faced dangers unprotected. As a result of their glorious work, the German submarine policy had proved a failure, and the British'flag was still floating, in spit e of German sea-treachery. In addition, noble work was being carried on by the munition workers. Women were working long hours to the detriment of their health in many cases, in order that the soldiers in the field should be properly equipped. Everybody was playing the game. The Empire had made up its mind that the German flag would never float over British soil, although the enemy for forty or .arty years had prepared for war. To-day the people of New Zealand had to make a solemn vow not to fail to do their utmost until an honourable peace was accomplished. There might be internal differences of opinion, but where the Empire was concerned they were all one, and would not shrink, whatever the sacrifice, until their purpose was achieved and the German menace was for evea- removed. (Applause.)

MR. BULLOCK'S ADDRESS. Mr. G. G. Bullock, chairman, of the Gonvillo Town Board, said there was one aspect of Anzae Day not often touched upon, and that was that the feelings it inspired should be a force not only on each 25th of April, but on every day in every year. Only by doing so could wo rightly catch the spirit of Anzac Day. And he could conceive of no better way to make that spirit effective than to let it serve as a perpetual reminder, not only to honour iho dead, but to do justice to the living, and to give every assistance and support to the reasonable claims of returned soldiers. He emphasised this because human nature was forgetful, and because Governments, unless driven by tiu» force of public opinion, were neglectful. The Maori War veterans had to -wait a generation for their pensions, and the South Africans were coldly and brutally told that nothing could be don© for them. Why? Because, though public opinion was favourable to them, it was inarticulate, andtt o Government of the day, seeing puulic opinion silent, took advantage of the situation. And, unless public opinion supported our soldiers to-day, some Government or other would give them less than they ought to have, and withhold as much as possible from them. Anzac Day should be a reminder of our duty to see that our boys got justice, and of we did that we would catch the spirit of the day and make it, as it should be, something more than a mere celebration. He drew a parallel between the present .situation and that during the* wars between Rome and Carthage, showing that Carthage exhibited similar characteristics and ambitions to Germany, and how Home finally won by the courage, patriotism,

and will-toiwin of her people* We could show the same spirit as the old Romans, because the foundations of oui State Were broader Jmd deeper than those ot: Koine. The words. "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity"'* were not written in our Constitution, but they expressed principles on which it was based, and breathed the very essence of Democracy. That gave us an inspiration the Germans never could have, and gave us a morale at home which was reflected in the high spirit/ol\our soldiers in the field. Anzac Day taught us to remember these things,, and reminded us that, if true to our Mood and our flag, we could endure longer than the. eiienty., and that by endurance the victory would finally be ours. Mr T. B. Williams moved .— "That this meeting of Wanganui citizens sends its heartfelt greetings to the soldiers at the front, aild wishes them a speedy and happy return to their homes."

Mr Williams said the people had r feeling of gratitude, pride and confidence, and they hoped soon they could welcome the soldiers home. Did the people realise the work they were doing? Here in New Zealand the sun was shining, but the people of England were suffering dire distress, which New Zealand's soldiers were assisting in an endeavour to relieve. The people of New Zealand should show the deepest gratitude when their soldiers returned, and to show that gratitude through the whole of their lives. They had a duty in the future to do. The noblo deeds would live, and the history of the wa-f WOiild be mul by future generations. Now was the time to prepare for the home-coming. It was the tendency of human nature to forget. Today tile greatest battle ill history was going on, and could they but realise, •what the men were suffering, nothing they could do would be too much to do. (Applause.)

In seconding the motion. Mr. T. B. Slipper urged that it should be made a strong personal message. The proceedings at this stage were greatly enlivened liy n Maori haka, after which the massed bands played "Auld Lang Syne," and the National Anthem.