New Zealand War Memorial Museum to be opened in Le Quesnoy, France, in October

An aerial view of Le Quesnoy. In the bottom left and centre of the photo, one can see the "famous" wall. Photo / Malcolm Sines

Waipā Mayor Susan O’Regan and Cambridge Community Board chairwoman Jo Davies-Colley will be travelling to France in October to represent the district at the opening of the New Zealand War Memorial Museum and Visitor Centre in Cambridge’s sister city Le Quesnoy.

Cambridge and Le Quesnoy are strongly linked through World War I - as New Zealand troops liberated the French town from German forces on November 4, 1918 - and have been sister cities for the past 23 years.

The relationship between the two towns is actively nurtured by the Cambridge Le Quesnoy Friendship Association and the Le Quesnoy Sister City Working Group of the Cambridge Community Board.

In 2018, the council granted $150,000 towards the building of the Museum and Visitor Centre, the only centre in Europe to share stories of New Zealand’s participation in World War I and II.

The visitor experience will be created by Wellington-based special effects and prop company Wētā Workshop. It will tell the unique story of liberation by ladder and honour all New Zealanders who fought in Europe in World War I.

The museum, a charitable project funded by the New Zealand public, will be housed in the centre of Le Quesnoy in an 1890s mansion that used to be a World War I-era mayoral residence. New Zealand Memorial Museum Trust - Le Quesnoy (NZMMT - LQ) purchased the building in 2017 as a home for this project.

The museum will be housed in the centre of Le Quesnoy, in an 1890s mansion that used to be a former World War I-era mayoral residence.

The renovation of the house, inside and outside, has been in full swing since July last year. Once the renovation is complete, the visitor experience will be installed on the ground and first floors. The attic will be used as an office space.

The building works are running on-budget, and renovation of the building is due to be completed by mid-year.

While there is no official opening day yet, the plan is to open the museum in time for the Rugby World Cup in France in September and October. This year marks 100 years since the memorial plaque was unveiled on the huge ramparts of the town.

This 1920 painting by George Edmund Butler depicts Second Lieutenant Leslie Averill, who was the first to climb the ladder to start the liberation of Le Quesnoy on November 4, 1918. Image / Archives New Zealand

The council approved travel for both officials, meaning staff will book economy-class air travel paid by ratepayers as soon as an opening date is confirmed. Travel costs will only be covered for the mayor and community board chairwoman; any other local elected members who wish to attend must pay their own costs.

Le Quesnoy, a town near the Belgian border, was occupied by Germany during World War I, but after four years of occupation, the town was liberated by New Zealand soldiers who scaled the town’s outer walls and defeated about 2000 German soldiers - all without the loss of a single civilian life.

Wētā Workshop is renowned for its special effects for films including the Lord of the Rings trilogy and visitor experiences like Gallipoli: The Scale of Our War at Wellington’s Te Papa Museum.