“LEST WE FORGET.”

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5064, 13 December 1926, Page 2

“LEST WE FORGET.”

UNVEILING OF MEMORIAL.

CEREMONY AT ALLEY PARK. An interesting and impressive ceremony, and one o’f special interest to the, district, was the unveiling of the Soldiers’ Memorial by Mr A. M. Samuel, M.P., at. Alley Park, Hikutaia; yesterday afternoon. The chairman and donor of the park, Mr W. H. Alley, presided, and seated on the platform with him in addition to Mr. Samuel, were the Mayor of Paeroa (Mr W. Marshall), the Mayor o’f Thames (Mr T. W. Rhodes, M.P.), and the Revs. W. Pickering (Paeroa) and J. Milne, M.A. (Thames). A crowd of approximately 400 persons attended the ceremony, in addition to a number of returned soldiers from various parts of the district. The Hauraki Regimental Band, under Lieut. G. Clark, supplied the musical portion of the programme.

In opening the, proceedings Mr Alley said that although it was many years since the war, the soldiers had not been forgotten a,nd it had been the desire of the settlers to dedicate, a memorial to. their memory.

The National Anthem was then! sung, and the chairman called upon Mr Rhodes, to address the gathering. REMARKS OF THAMFES’ MAYOR.

Mr Rhodes Imgan by saying that in his opinion the memorial gates t,o the Fallen mfljle a sensible memorial and ,a useful one, and the people were to be commended on the form decided upon. The park was a credit to the district and the action of Mr Alley in giving the land was an outstandingly generous one. People would ask why was it necessary to erect war memorials. The best answer was, “Lest we forget.’’’ Although New Zealand was a country 'farthest away from the seat of the war, it, had responded nob'ly to the assistance of the Motherland. The Hauraki regimental district had a record for volunteers that was one to be proud of. It was desirable to keep ever green the memory, of the soldiers who had laid down their lives, and the sacrifices that they had made. It was recognised in history that the New Zealand troops were among the best soldiers in the world, and one had only to consider the big jobs that were entrusted to the New Zealand “Diggers” during the war. Mr Rhodes a tribute to the splendid record o'f Hikutaia, and congratulated the settlers on their enterprise in erecting the handsome memorial.

The hymn “God o'f our Fathers” was then sung, followed by a suitable prayer recited by tlje Rev. Pickering. The Rev. Milne read the 24th Psalm for. thq Scripture lesson.

MAYOR OF] PAEROA’A ADDRESS.

The Mayor of Paeroa (Mr W. Marshall) commenced his address by congratulating the settlers on the splendid record of Hikutaia. It was evident that, the things that were worth most in life belonged to the realm o'f the Spirit, and could not be measured in the ordinary way of profit and loss. Already there had arisen in their midst, a new generation who would not remember, the boys who were being honoured that day, but through the efforts of the people the names had been inscribe/! as a perpetual memotry and an object lesson to all, for all time. Nothing could be more fitting than a memorial to the Fallen, that their names might be hallowed. By the laying do.wn of the lives Of the soldiers New Zealand’s place in the Empire had been cemented and recorded. In days o’f peace it was necessary to work for others and make the place a. better place in which to 'live. Sacrifice was not countd in time off war, when the fate of one’s loved ones wajs in the balance. There was an everlasting joy in rendering service and mia|king •sacrifice’. The men who had given their all in the Great War were ever worthy of the deepest memory and respect that could be paid. To the parents who h : a,<l lost Ipved ones it was hoped that they would find some degree of comfort in the record- o'f their sons’ achievement and sacrifice tor the honour and glory of this beautiful Dominion. SPEECH BY MR SAMUEL. After the band had contributed a selection the chairman called upon Mr A. M. Samuel, M.P. for Ohinemuri, to perform the unveiling ceremony. Mr Samuel siUd that he felt deeply conscious o’f being v asked to unveil the memorial, especially as' he had been closely associated during the war with many fine fellows, from the district. The gathering was assembled that afternoon with mixed feelings of pride and sorrow’. The spirit of filial affection, and the ties of kinship and brotherhood made them all one great family. The Union Jack was the symbol of freedom and liberty, and in a crisis it brought all sections of the community together and they became united by the pride of race. The act of unutterable folly which was let loose upon the world when the; cataclysm brought destruction and devastation in its wake would never be effaced from memory. The _ enemies had found presented to them a united front which stood four, square, and upheld the equilibrium of the Empire against tyranny and oppression. There were ma;ny thousands; of acts of heroism chronicled, recorded, and rewarded, but what of the thousands o'f acts of bravery and sacrifice that were performed daily ajid for which there had been no reward. It wag to remember the heroism of the soldiers and their spirit Of self-sacrifice, which had been given uncomplainingly and with cheerfulness and determination of purpose. INCIDENT AT GALLIPOLI.

Mr Samuel said that he had had the honour to be in comma)nd of the Wellington Mounted Rifles, and he told of the evacuation o’f the Gallipoli Peninsula. He said that the 'famous evacuation occupied two days; and two nights, and the troops left the peninsula in three batches. It had 'come to be recognised that the lilst. batch of troops to leave would have very little ghance of getting away. It was a wonderful thing tp record that

every man in the regiment begged to be allowed to see the job through and be included in the last party. Such acta as those made bosoms swell with ■pride and respect. The. great sacrifices made during the war must not be mftde in vain. Rather, it was their privilege and duty to see to it that the standard set by the • sacrifices of the men, making our existence possible, was worthily upheld. Especially should the names of the Fallen be revered, and we should try to live up to the traditions handed down to us without thought of the cost, of sacrifice by New Zealand’s glorious manhood. - IN MEMORIAM. Before removing the flags which draped the pillars of the gateway, Mr Samuel delivered the following lines : “Those who die Tor their country should not be numbered with the dead ; we must call them by another najne. They have nothing in common with those who end in their, beds a life that is worn out, a life that, is sometimes too long and often uselessDeath, - which elsewhere is but the object of fear and horror, bringing naught but nothingness and despair. This death on the field of battle in the clash of glory, becomes more beautiful than birth, and exhales; aj grace greater than that of love. No life will ever give' what, their youth has offered us, that youth' which gave in one moment the days and years of splendid promise that lay before. There* is no sacrifice to be compared with_that which they have m®ldo> f° r the reason that, there is no glory that soar so high as theirs; no gratitude that can surpass the gratitude which we owe them. They have not only a right to the foremosrf place" in our memories ; they have a right to all our memories apd everything that we are, since we exist through them. And now it is in us that their lives so suddenly cut short must resume their course. Whatever be our faith and whatever the God whom it ador.es, one* thing is almost certain and, in spite ofyall appearances, is daily becoming more certain; it is that death and life are indissolubly co-mingled. The dead and the living alifie are but moments hardly dissimilar of a single and infinite. existence, and members of one immortal family. They are not beneath the earth, in the depths of their .tombs ; they lie enshrined deep, in our hearts, where all that they once were will continue to live and to act. And they live in us even as we die in them. They see us; and they understand us more nearly than when they were in our midst. Let us, then, keep a watch upon ourselves s° that they witness no actions and hear no words but those that shall be worthy of them. As the rivers run to the sea and the little child turns to its mother, so let .our thoughts run and our memories ever tuqji to those dear ones who made the sacred sacrifice that we might live.” THE ROLL OF HONOUR. Mr Samuel then proceeded to the pillars and, removing thes flags which covered the Roll of Honour, dedicated the memorial to the elory of God and in memory of the men of the Hikutaia district who gave their lives Purina the Great War. 1914-1919. iOn the left pillar - of the gate,way appears the names of the following, who gave their lives: D. C. Alley, F. Alley, A. W. Alley; F. Brogan, T. Corbett; H. Ensor; T. Gurnett; S. Lowry, T. Rae. H. Scott: V. R. S. Scott. On the righthand pillar appear the names; of those men who served overseas : A. K. Alley,’ A. W. Allqy, C. Alley; G. E. Alley, R. Alley, A. K. Alexander, R. Angel; H. Clark, R. Clay, P. Corbett; R. Crombie; R. Dickson; C. Downes, S. C. Gibb, T. C. Gibb, F. Hill; F. H. Laming; A. J. Lowry, R. McCormick, R. Morrison, W- J. Moyle, J. Oliver; C. Reid; W. Reid, R. Royal, F. Taylor, H. Thomas; M. Walters; V.

Young, i Next followed the playing of the Dead March by the band, followed by the hymn “O God, -our help iji ages past,” and the pronouncement of the Benediction by the Rev. Milne.

The singing of the National Anthem concluded a; most impressive ceremony. x