20-Year Homecoming Anniversary Of NZ’s Unknown Warrior This Armistice Day

Monday 11 November 2024 is an opportunity to remember the Armistice of 1918 that ended four horrific years of the First World War.

This year’s national Armistice Day commemoration will also mark 20 years since our Unknown Warrior returned to New Zealand and was laid to rest at the National War Memorial in Wellington. Public are welcome to attend the ceremony that will take place at his Tomb.

"The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a poignant symbol of remembrance. The soldier is one of 9000 New Zealanders killed overseas with no known graves and represents all New Zealanders who have died in wartime," says Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae, Secretary and Chief Executive Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

The Armistice is marked at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, commemorating the moment First World War hostilities ceased. It is a time to acknowledge the trauma and loss of that war, and all the subsequent conflicts and peacekeeping operations in which New Zealanders have been involved.

"It is an opportunity to reflect on our shared war experiences with other nations and to reaffirm our hopes for global peace and security.

"Armistice Day, and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, represent what should never be forgotten, the sacrifices of the past in pursuit of a better future," says Leauanae.

Event information:

Public who are interested in attending the Armistice Day commemoration should arrive at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park by 10:45am for a 10:55am start.

In the event of bad weather, the ceremony will be held inside the Hall of Memories.

More information can be found on our website: https://www.mch.govt.nz/events/armistice-day-commemoration-2024.

About Armistice Day:

The First World War ended with the signing of an armistice between Germany and the Allies on 11 November 1918.

More information about Armistice Day 1918 can be found on NZ History: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/armistice-day.

New Zealand's Unknown Warrior:

The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior contains the remains of an unidentified New Zealand soldier exhumed from Caterpillar Valley Cemetery in the Somme region of northern France.

He was reinterred at the National War Memorial on 11 November 2004.

The soldier is one of 9000 New Zealanders killed overseas with no known graves and represents all New Zealanders who have died in wartime.

The tomb was designed by sculptor Kingsley Baird and is made of marble, granite, pounamu (greenstone) and bronze. The design was inspired by the Southern Cross constellation, the stars of which guide the warrior back home to New Zealand.

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