LEST WE FORGET

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18248, 5 August 1921, Page 4

LEST WE FORGET

WAITOTARA W.llt MEMORIAL. UNVEILING CEREMONY YESTERDAY. Here in familiar ways our tribute rear To patriot sons we loved, and yearned to save; Whose living names not here alone we grave— Their fame in grateful hearts snail stone outwear. For fifty braver—search the records o’er— No cross-surmounted column cleaves the sky: Swift to the call they went, nor questioned why, Enough ’twas duty bade, they asked no more. Mem’ry will hallow every silent shrine, Wherein they rest beyond the restless seas. Thelr’s the sharp conflict: ours the purchased ease; Their lives the fee: the Freedom yours and mine.

Britons of days to bo, when danger needs Stout hearts and true as. those we laud to-day; Let yonder sacred symbol point the way To lofty sacrifice and glorious deeds. —W. Ashwell. Yesterday—the seventh anniversary of the Great War —was marked by the. unveiling of the Waitotara County war memorial, the ceremony being performed by Lieut.-Colonel W. H. Cunningham. The site is at Maxwelltown, a hilltop adjacent to 'the great North Western Road, and the war memorial is a Celtic cross, constructed of shell rock from the county, towering 45 feet in height. It is a landmark which is visible for n'lles around, and it will perpetuate the memory of gallant men from Lt f> Waitotara district who gave their lives in the Great War. Had the weather been fine yesterday there would probably have been a record gathering at Maxwelltown; even as it was a .large number of people—many of them visitors from a distance—braved the elements to be present for the memorable occasion. The heavy rain which fell practically incessantly throughout the afternoon necessitated a change in the arrangements, with the result that the addresses by various speakers were given at the Maxwelltown Hall, where the attendance fully taxed the capacity of that small building.

The gathering included Mr W. Morrison, chairman of the Waitotara County Council, members of the Waitotara County Council. Messrs E. Dixon and W. A. Veitch. M.’sP., Lieuts.-Colonel Cunningham, Munro, Lieut. Wales (Defence Department), the Deputy-Mayor of Wanganui (Mr L. J. Sigley) and representatives of the R.S.A., Patriotic Association, and other local bodies. Apologies were received from Mr W. S. Glenn, M.P. and Messrs T. B. Williams, B. P. Lethbridge, and A. Mackintosh. After the singing of the National Anthem Mr W. Morrison welcomed those prescr.l. He said in erecting the memorial their aim tomething that ivc.,id !'<■ —uiiff so future generat.cus would knot.’ that the men who had gone from the trlct had not di co la vain. T._ : names had pat or. . . monument, aud they w'ould be pieced to g t any if they had been G-itii-ted. l.'.e memorial was erected ny public nubsciip'.ion and a grant from the county, io Mr Joan Davis they were itiucbted tor a uiagnUicmt gift of two acres for the she. were also inneuted to oi.her ous givers. In selecting the she (hey uad looked to t'iu future, as it Wu.., e.,.q- to predict ibut at. some time Maxwelltown wouiu be the centre of a great population. He hoped that the'' memorial would stand for all time so that future generation would remember the sacrifices macr.i uy tae soldiers who went num \.. Ito ara Lennie. Mr L. Pawl, .Vl.r’., said; “The Ltuvt ilir.g oi a iu!i vf honour is not 1 iievx-.' be V/u. c c-> upon ;jie luumoiiai that 01 a 'A.acge.' it v,-ula fie pl’ociouj to us. j autos or sons, biothers, irieads, [h.u : we j.a.e raiamuOcrud and t'oltollcwed tuiui...;i all iuo stormy priceless years. These gallanc men |>.etcug lo a countless company who Ihuvo Mimmed us in tue hour of dan- ■ gcr. \viiat iougut* iltcy lor? They I fought lor us u.m those yei to be, or the rbfhts cl litue cmldren no 1 as than lor the rights of little ,Stines.” rlicy li.rd at stake great 'possibility. lor if 1 he' enemy had won bow serroi.s it would have been for the whole Empire. They went forth as one to staird all square, to do their duty. They had lived up to tne highest ideals and to them was a great indebtedness. He trust-

ed that the memorial would stand for untold days, a sin inc of thanksgiving, a beacan of honour, a milestone on the march to take all people to the uplands of a nobler life. In conclusion Mr Dixon recited these lines:.— Think! would we wish that they had

stayed. When all the rest the call obeyed?

That thought of self had held in thrall This soul, and shrunk it mean and small?

Nay, rather thank the Lord that they Rose to such height of chivalry; That, with the need, their loyal souls Swung like a needle to Its polo; That, setting d.uty first they went At once, as to a sacrament.

Mr W. A. Veitch. M.P., said it was a beautiful monument and a fitting memorial to the men who died for their Empire. It was fitting that it should be unveiled on the anniversary of the war. It would remind them of the unselfish devotion that Inspired the soldiers. The memorial

would bo a beacon of light tfc remind all in times to come ofytheir duty to the Empire. \ Mr V <tch reminded bis audis*; > of the fatelul message from tha Governor-General when war broke out. The crowd on that occasion cheered. It w: s not cheers > of exultation: behind It was the inspiration which carried soldiers forward to deeds of valour. It was the same spirit with which the soldiers cheered when they went into action. To-day they honoured those who died In the great enterprise. The memorial would be an inspiration to the young people to do their duty to the British Empire. Lieut.-Colonel Munro, on behalf of the members of tho cond Mounted Regiment, extended his thanks for the memorial erected in memory of those who had fallen. The list showed that they were not representative ot' any particular class or section. They weie representative of the people of New Zealand and they combined in the field and were united unto death. They put everything aside to preserve the great privileges that we enjoyed. It was a great example to take to heart in priavte life. Mr J. H. Burnet addressed his remarks to the children present, particularly the boys. He urged them to become efficient and fit and pointed out that the great assets were obedience and discipline. Maxwelltown was a military centre in the old days, the school was in the centre of the township, and it was fitting that the memorial should be close to it. It was customary to erect memorials to commemorate national events. He suggested that the Maxw< own school children should undertake the care Of the memorial and to gather there on Ancac Day. Lieut.-Colonel Cunnlnghata said that seven years ago was a fateful day for the Empire, and it was fit-< ling that the memorial should be unveiled on that anniversary. The British went to war to prove that might was not right. The war had i not disrupted, the Empire. It had I welded it together. No country I had done more than New Zealand, j and no ocuntry more than Waito- [ tara. The memorial would serve a j useful purpose, as it would remind I them not to forget the men who died for others. New Zealand had had 58,000 casualties out c 1 100,000, and 16,000 had given the lives. He was sure that the child ren would accept the task of looking after, the monument. The unveiling ceremony was performed by Lieut.-Colonel Cunningham in the midst of a heavy rainstorm, and then “The Last Dost” was played by Lieut. Buckley, of the Queen Alexandra .Band. The unveiling disclosed the bronze tablet at the base, the inscription being the words used by Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of the Field ot Gettysburg: “Let us here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.”