KEY POINTS:
A small group of war veterans will join the official party representing New Zealand at the 90th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of Passchendaele to be held in Belgium in early October.
In just a few hours on October 12 1917, 845 New Zealanders were killed and over 2000 wounded in this country's greatest ever disaster, either civil or military.
The massacre was part of an unsuccessful assault on Passchendaele Ridge.
The nine-man veteran contingent will be chosen in a ballot conducted by Veterans Affairs New Zealand (VANZ) from applicants who have served in World War 2, 2NZEF Japan (J Force), Korea (K Force), the Malaya/Borneo/Indonesia campaigns or Vietnam, Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association (RNZRSA) spokesman Bill Hopper said.
Those chosen would also need to have a family link to the battles on the Western Front during World War 1.
RNZRSA national president John Campbell urged all eligible veterans to apply.
"This is a most important pilgrimage. One that truly resonates our founders' promise - 'We will remember them'."
Among the New Zealanders killed at Passchendaele was the first All Blacks captain Dave Gallaher.
Gallaher captained 'The Originals', who toured Britain and France in 1905.
Twelve years later on October 4, 1917, Gallaher, then a sergeant in the 2nd Battalion of the Auckland regiment, died at Passchendaele.
- NZPA
