Wellington Carillon

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 4, 9 August 1929, Page 4

Wellington Carillon

oe ’ Broadcast in Britain

Moece sound publicity for New Zea- ~ land has been secured by the broadcasting in Britain of Wellington’s Uarillon, first erected at Newcastle. From’ "New Zealand News," a bright "weekly paper published in London for New Zealenders resident in and visiting Britain, we take the following :- # Sir James Parr, in a broadcast address on June 17, said: "As High Commissioner I am glad. to say a few words to you about the Carillon of Bells which you are to hear in a minute or two. To-night the music is being relayed from the great Exhibition at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, to which the bells have been temporarily lent. The people of Wellington have decided to set up a memorial to the men and women who gave their lives in the Great War, and the memorial takes the unique shape of this Carillon of Bells, which (because we New Zealanders always prefer to buy our goods from the Motherland) has been manu-’ factured in England. "The Carillon is most interesting, inasmuch as each bell is inscribed with the name of som@ battle or campaign in which New Zealanders took part. For instance, in the inscriptions on the bells there are such names as the Somme, Jutland, Gallipoli, Messines, Ypres, Passchendale, and so forth. If you could see them you would realise over what a wide field New Zealanders fought and in how many and divers places of the world New Zealanders (lied for the Bmpire. The bells will be for all time a most eloquent Memorial to the supreme sacrifices made by Wellington’s sons. . "You will forgive me, I think, on this occasion, if I refer to. the fact that our country, with a little more than 4 million people, despatched 105,000 men to the fields of battle to fight for their’ native country, for Old Dngland, their beloved Motherland. And of those who left our shores, 17,000 of the cream of New Zealand’s youth lie buried along all the battle fronts and in the depths of the great oceans. But we are proud -‘of the fact that we of New Zealand, . your youngest and furthest Dominion. | were privileged to stand side by--side

with you of the Old Country in that great struggle for justice and freedom." A correspondent writes to "The : Times" :-"Before the carillon recital broad¢dast on Monday evening, the High Commissioner for New Zealand mentioned that the bells were to serve as New Zealand’s War Memorial. In practical pursuance of their policy’ of supporting home ‘industry they had come to the Old Country for this unique and expressive form of memorial to their own people who made the supreme sacrifice on behalf of the Empire. This is just another instahce of the Dominion’s quiet but sincere method of showing her feelings towards Great Britain, and it should awaken in us a simi--larly genuine desire to reciprocate. -New Zealand does not herald her good work by a flare of trumpets. This does -not mean that she has no need of our . Support. In common with all the Dominions and Colonies, New Zealand needs our whole-hearted and preferential consideration to help towards. the .. prosperity she deserves."