Centenary to span major events

As the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I looms, a group of Wairarapa people have banded together to plan for its centenary and events that unfolded over the duration of the war.

Led by war historian Neil Frances and Masterton RSA president Bob Hill, the group called WW100 Wairarapa involves the RSA, Wairarapa Archive, Masterton, Carterton and South Wairarapa district councils, Anzac Hall Society, Featherston Heritage Museum and Red Cross.

It will span the major events of the entire war that lasted from August 1914 until early November 1918 and is not designed to shut out others who may want to commemorate events.

Mr Frances said instead it would be good to know what people would like to take part in, especially schools, to see if things could be slotted into the tentative programme.

Several World War I events of national importance happened in Wairarapa, including the opening of Featherston Camp in January, 1916.

The camp was the largest training camp in the country with 60,000 men posted there.

"That involved basically all the infantry, the Mounted Rifles and artillery," Mr Frances said.

Another milestone the group intends to commemorate is the raising of a cross on the top of Tinui Taipos.

That happened on April 25, 1916, and was the first physical memorial erected to commemorate the Anzac landings at Gallipoli the previous year.

WW100 Wairarapa is organising a re-enactment of the first mass march by soldiers over the Rimutaka Hill Rd in September, 1915, of which a famous photograph exists and Featherston people are working on centenary plans for the Anzac Hall built as a recreation centre for soldiers in training.

The hall has its 100th birthday in October 2016.

Aratoi is planning exhibitions marking events from the outbreak of the war, New Zealand's response, Western Front warfare and the home front.

Other ideas being considered by WW100 Wairarapa include a display of war artifacts.

A search for locally collected war souvenirs and records is planned for early next year and several groups are looking at musical and dramatic depictions of the war.

Mr Frances said World War I inspired lots of music, drama and literature "much of which is virtually unknown now".

The planned recognition of the war dubbed "the war to end all wars" will extend to the centenary of the Soldiers' Club in Masterton, now Wairarapa Services and Citizens Club, in August 2018 and beyond to the Armistice and the influenza epidemic that followed.

Mt Frances said there were almost 600 names on Wairarapa memorials with some names appearing more than once.

Wairarapa Archive and Carterton District Council are working on identifying and obtaining service records for those commemorated on the memorials.