ANZAC DAY.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 April 1922, Page 1

ANZAC DAY.

COMMEMORATION SEE VICE

I-lOKITIK A’S TR IBUTE

Anzac Day yesterday came in line though there was a cold southerly bio" ing. There was a complete holiday observed throughout the town and district. The parade was a very large one, and was witnessed by a laig e number of townspeople. The parade formed up in Camp Street, and soon after 10 o’clock moved off up Re veil Street, a.nd Stafford Streets, to the churches. The order of the procession was as follows: — Municipal Band under Conductor C, Ross. 20 strong. Returned Soldiers, including firing party, 52 strong. Territorials, under Lieut Mackny, 21 strong. Senior Cadets, under Lieut. Niven, 05 strong.

Caledonian Pipe Band. Fire Brigade under Supt. Braddon

School children, under their respectivo teachers, about- 200 in number. . Lieut, Mclntosh M.C. was m charge of the parade. On arrival at the churches the parade broke into sections. There were vcrv large congregations at the services, which were of a very impressive nature, specially suitable for the oofcasion.

The parade reassembled at 11.20 a.m. and marched to Cass Square to the site of -the Westland War Memorial.

PUBLIC MEMORIAL SERVICE. Gathered round the site there was a very large assemblage, upwards ol ].;»GO persons being present. The singing of “The Old Hundredth’ 1 ’ opened the service, the Band leading, in this, and the other num-

bers. Rev. P. B. Fraser M.A., gave the reading of a Psalm, Rev A. C. I’urehas following with a prayer. >l r T. E. V. Seddon M.P. then gave a short address. He said he was ghul to be present that day as their representative in the House of Representatives. Parliament had decreed That this day should he regarded as a hol\ day. They were present to-day to commemorate the eventful happenings of seven years ago. when many of their fellows had laid down their lives for their country on the shores of Anzao. Thcv had fought for honor and Empire. He had not had the privilege to he at Gallipoli, but he had heard and read a great deal of those great happenings. It' was wonderful what their men had achieved in the face of almost impossible difficulties. What they had done would ever he remembered with feelings ol pleasure. They should also remember and revere the memory of those that fell on that occasion. With the Anzaes there were also the gallant 29th Division, the Royal Navy men and those with, the French Division. This memorial had been erected to the memory of those bravo men who had died on that occasion .seven years ago, on 2oth April. The speaker referred to the particulars of the historic landing, where after 90 hours of continuous lighting, the New Zealanders and Australians had established themselves on tlici shores of Gallipoli. Reference was also made to those who had fallen on the other battlefields of the Great War. It had been said that the Gallipoli laiidirg had keen a failure, hut he pointed out that that landing had held up 499,000 of the flower of the Turkish Armv. had brought Italy into the wafi on the side of the Allies, and had kept Bulgaria out of the war lor many months, factors which had a great beneficial result for the Allies. This memorial continued Mr Seddon, was commemorative not only of those who fell at Anzac, hut of the whole of those who had fallen on the battlefields. They had proved that they were thinking of those who had fallen, by attending there that day. lie trusted that' there would always he loyal hearts in Hokitika who would see that the names on this memorial arc always kept bright and attended to and restored if necessary. He asked them that day to think ol where these meai are lying on the fields of war a.nd to remember the sacrifice they Imd made. They had left us an inheritance to ho worthy of, and ho asked them to give their thoughts today to their memory, in recognition of the sacrifice they had made. He trust cd that those who rested in far oil lands would not he displeased with the effort they were making that day to show that the sacrifices made were being remembered.

Mr Seddon then unveiled the -Memorial Pedestal, a, granite block on which the names of tbo fallen, some .■!) i ai't> engraved, and which, when the’whole memorial is completed will form an imposing structure. The Municipal Band then played a selection, during which a, large number of wreaths were placed on the memorial.

The National Anthem was then play ed by the Band, the assemblage joining in.

Mr O. A. Berry 0.8. E. (Mayor of Hokitika, and Chairman of the War Memorial Committee) then addressed tbo assemblage. Mr Perry said they bad again gathered together to commemorate tbo fateful landing of An/,ao Day. It was not only for remembrance of those who fell in Callipoli that they gathered that day, but for all who had fallen in tbo Great War. Wo wish this memorial to mark their appreciation of the sacrifice made. We wish their sacrifices to be recognised, and for tbo people to carry on tbo work they had begun. The memorial would servo ns a reminder to us that though the victory of tlio war \m on our sido,

there are problems almost as great as the problems of the war, to he carried through to a successful issue. Even now the Genoa Conference was sitting to decide come of these great problems. There the master spirit was undoubtedly the Hon D. Lloyd George. He was Hie master spirit now! ns ho had been during the war. lie was the greatest light the Bi dish Empire had now, as he had been in those days of darkest hours. If they followed the principle of the British leader he thought they would he well advised. It was left to us to carry on the work, and if all were prepared to do their part then he thought the British Empire will stand and endure for over* it whs out duty to ctii r j on th»* work and we should be preparcd to do so, as members of that great Empire to which we had the honour to belong.

The Returned Soldiers’ firing party then fired throe volleys, the “Last Rost” being sounded by Bugler Ross. The National Anthem was then played and a very impressive ceremony concluded.

Tile parade then re-formed and marched to the South African War Memorial at the corner of Sewell a.ml Weld Streets, where three volleys were fired, and the “Last Post” sounded. The Parade then marched to the Drill Hall and was dismissed.

AFTERNOON CEREMON Y. Yesterday afternoon the Returned Soldiers assembled at the Town Hall in considerable force, and about 50 strong fell in and marched to the Hokitika Cemetery under the guidance of Lieut, Mclntosh M.C. Arriving at the cemetery, the following graves were visited :—The 1 at 0 Sergt.-Major Atkins. Privates T. TL Winchester, E. P. Hatch, and AY.-Glass; Nurses Dixon and Davies, and Mrs Evans, a war worker. The visiting party stood to attention, while Mesdamcs Rutland and Morgan, at the request of the soldiers. placed the wreaths on the respective graves. Subsequently the party marched hack to the Town Hall and was dismissed duty done.

UJSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. CM KLSI CHURCH CEREMONY. CHRISTCHURCH’, April 25. The weather was gloriously fine for the Anzac Day celebrations. The memorial services in the various churches wore very largely attended. Tn the afternoon there was a great military procession to King Edward Barracks, where a citizens’ memorial service was held in the presence of 7009 or SOOO people. A large number of wreaths were deposited at the Anglican Cathedral.

CELEBRATIONS AT WANGANUI. WANGANUI, April 25. Anzac Day was marked !>v a largelyattended religious service in Cook’s Gardens this afternoon. The weather was Tine though heavy rain fell during the morning.

AT DUNEDIN. DUNEDIN, Apiil 2G

The chief feature of Anzac Day was a procession of returned soldiers in the afternoon followed by an impressive service at His Majesty’s.

AT LONDON

LONDON, April 24

At the annual service of the Order of St. Michael and St. George held at St. Paul’s, the ceremonies included the affixing of the banners of Lord Chelmsford, Lord Novar and Admiral Bosarquet.

CELEBRATIONS IN AUSTRALIA (Received This Day at 8 a.m.) SYDNEY, April 26.

Though generally welcomed as a break in the drought, conditions, steady rain which fell throughout the day greatly interfered with Anzac Day celebrations. Bunting hung suddenly at halfmasl. There were few people in the streets and outside functions were curtailed and robbed of the display. Race meetings had been voluntary tabooed and other sports, including tennis, were abandoned. The cliiei functions were a big commemoration service at the Town Hall attended by official beads, representatives of soldiers associations and detachments oi naval and military forces. The day was solemnly observed in Adelaide in dull intermittently rainy weather, the principal event being a procession of returned soldiers, mothers and relatives, and the unveiling of an imposinge ross of sacrifice in Pennington Gardens, of which no motion pictures were permitted to be taken. The celebrations in .Melbourne were quietly carried out, in fine but dull weather. Queensland and Tasmania also fiittingly celebrated the day in line weather.