Dawn Parade
April 25th - ANZAC Day.
There are almost no old soldiers left from Gallipoli in 1915, and the men of WWII are aging, but all soldiers, the fallen and those who came home are especially remembered here on ANZAC Day.
A lovely touch from the past - Te Rau Aroha the Little Supply Truck That Could - could and did follow the soldiers of the Maori Battalion into battle.
From late 1941, throughout the North African and Italian campaigns and driven by Charlie Bennet MBE, a Pakeha serviceman who the soldiers called "Charlie YM" (short for YMCA), this little canteen truck kept the Maori Battalion in all things necessary as they fought their way to victory.
Te Rau Aroha now lives at the Army Museum in Waiouru and yesterday travelled North to spend ANZAC day on a marae at Omaio near Whakatane, a link with the men from the small coastal settlement who served in the 28th Maori Battalion.
So neat, eh?
2 Comments:
It is always wonderful to read about my uncle "Charlie YM". He was my father's brother & although I only met him once, he left a strong impression on a my then teenage mind. My dad, Allan, idolised his older brother (there were 6 boys in all, plus 1 sister)& told me how he was quite overcome by the emotion of Charlie's tangi. I'd like to think that Charlie's every action was due to his mother's influence - a gentle woman (Mary Cochrane (nee)) whose physical beauty was just a small part of her kind and gentle soul (my own mother said she was a beautiful & gentle person). I look forward to visiting the Arm Museum & seeing Te Rau Aroha & returning my uncle's MBE to its natural & rightful home. Thanks for this little mention of my uncle in cyber space.
Linda Bennet
Sydney
How lovely, thank you so much for contributing. It's nice having a personal touch from those who have a vested interest in what I post. :-)
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