Twenty-two New Zealand World War II veterans have flown to Noumea to join in commemorations of the Third New Zealand Division's arrival in New Caledonia.
The division arrived in New Caledonia in 1942 before moving on to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in 1943 for intensive jungle warfare training, which it put into practice there.
The veterans - including one member of the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps - will take part in a wreath-laying ceremony in Noumea on Anzac Day, the Defence Force said yesterday.
They will later visit the New Zealand Cemetery in Bourail, where about 260 New Zealand servicemen and servicewomen are buried.
New Zealand will also be represented by the Commander of the Joint Forces, Major General Martyn Dunne, and officers and ratings from the frigate HMNZS Canterbury, which set sail for Noumea on Monday.
- NZPA
Herald Feature: Anzac Day
Highlights of the 2002 Anzac photo exhibition:
Harold Paton's pictures of WW II
A wreath will honour Third Division forces
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