Prince Charles honours New Zealanders slain in World War I
LONGUEVAL, France — Britain’s Prince Charles and other dignitaries honoured thousands of soldiers from New Zealand and other Pacific islands killed 100 years ago in World War I, in emotional ceremonies Thursday at the site of the devastating Battle of the Somme.
About half of the 15,000 New Zealand forces who fought in the battle, one of history’s bloodiest, were killed or wounded. Most have no known grave, and their names are inscribed on a memorial in the French town of Longueval.
“My hope is that today we can rededicate ourselves to a future free of intolerance and conflict. We do this in honour of the memory of those who fought and died here, so long ago,” the Prince of Wales said in a speech at the Caterpillar Valley Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Longueval.
“We shall remember them.”