Churchmen hot under collar at early Anzac plans

An Anzac Day parade on Napier's Marine Parade, circa 1940. Photo/Dave Williams, gifted by H J Williams, Collection of Hawke's Bay Museums Trust

In February 1916, Australia began discussions about commemorating the war dead at Gallipoli on the day of the landings – April 25, and the New Zealand Parliament discussed in March 1916 that it was appropriate a half-day public holiday should be set aside for this purpose from 1pm.

It was requested council civic leaders take a prominent role in organising a service where all churches could participate, in what the Government wished to be a solemn occasion.

Controversy erupted immediately when many church leaders refused to take part in a combined service with other denominations they disagreed with doctrinally.

Two years later in 1918 the services were organised by the newly formed Returned Soldiers' Associations in Hastings and Napier.

Napier, with its general lack of open spaces before the 1931 Hawke's Bay Earthquake gifted thousands of hectares, held many of its military events and parades on the Marine Parade, and Anzac Day was no exception.

The 1918 Anzac Day parade, consisting of cadet corps, veterans and returned soldiers would began at 2.30pm from the Drill Hall in Coote Rd, and proceed along the Marine Parade, down Emerson St to Clive Square, then up Tennyson St to the Napier Municipal Theatre (this was destroyed in the 1931 Hawke's Bay Earthquake).

The organisers of Anzac Day, the Napier Returned Soldiers' Association, had promised to "surpass previous celebrations" at a grand patriotic meeting in the Napier Municipal Theatre.

Only six minutes each was allowed from the six speakers, which included the mayor, the local MP, two reverends, a brigadier and a Napier Returned Soldiers' Association representative.

The seating plan for the municipal theatre had returned soldiers on the stage; military and bands in the stalls; soldiers' parents in the dress circle and the general public in the gallery. A collection would be taken up to pay for the expenses.

On the day itself, flags flew from buildings and some had a reminder with men "donning their uniforms that the returned man is more in evidence than is indicated in ordinary days".

In Hastings, their parade began at 9.30am from the Drill Hall in Southampton S, and as in Napier flags were flown from buildings.

The procession of a firing party; Hastings Town Band; Gun Carriage; Anzac veterans and other military men travelled down Southampton St to King St and then along Heretaunga St to the Hastings Municipal Theatre. Thousands lined the route.

The service in the Hastings Municipal Theatre was led by Major Boxer, a local GP who went to Gallipoli in the medical corps.

The name Anzac, said Dr Boxer, was sacred to New Zealanders and Australians.

The presence of everyone today was to "do honour to their illustrious dead and show their respect to the memories".

"These men had written history in crimson blood. Anzac Day should be kept as sacred as Good Friday."

Hymns were sung, prayers read by Army chaplains, and the Reverend Bennet also spoke. The service concluded with the singing of the national anthem.

It was said in Napier in 1918 that Anzac Day "will be repeated till future generations have to turn to their calendars to find out all that Anzac Day meant to us and means to posterity".

That hasn't happened yet, and lest we forget.