Remembrance display

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 261, 1 November 1988, Page 6

Remembrance display

"All my mates ever got were wooden crosses" - That quote from a New Zealand soldier who served in World War One highlights one of the themes from a forthcoming display to be held in Wellington.

As part of the commemoration services for Armistice Day, the staff of the Queen Elizabeth II Army Memorial Museum are preparing a display for public review in the Wellington Cathedral early next month. Armistice Day falls on Friday November 11, but it will be officially commemorated in Wellington by serving and ex-serving members of the Armed Services on Sunday November 13. The d i s p 1 a y ' s script.writer is the Museum's Curator, Lieutenant Richard Taylor. Rather than being chronological and narrative, the display will be emotional and thought-provoking, he says. The custom of selling red poppies o n Anzac Day is an example of the symbolism which now is part of our culture - but do people actually know of the custom's origin? Lieutenant Taylor says many people today know little of New Zealand's involvement in World War One and

how it affected our history and heritage as a grqwing nation. Apart from t h e weathered monuments to' be found in most small towns which record the names of the fallen, many people never take the time to reflect on the consequences of that conflict, he says. Lieutenant Taylor says the display will enable people to consider our commitment to WWI thoughtfully, with haunting quotes to be shown, such as: 'There is a peace more destructive of the manhood of living man, than war is destructive of his material body. Chains are worse than bayonets." (Douglas William Jerrold) Lieutenant Taylor has been Curator at the Army's museum in Waiouru „since late 1986. He writes the scripts for the Museum's displays, for example, the 28 (NZ) Maori Battalion Exhibition and the Armed Constabulary display. He was educated at Te Awamutu College and

later at Waikato University in Hamilton where he graduated with a Masters in politics and history. While at University the Lieutenant was a Territorial Force infantry soldier and was later commissioned. The role of the Army Museum is to help educate New Zealanders about their military past and to show how that past contributes to the development of the country and its people.