Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 4, 2012 10:19:35 GMT 12
Is anyone here involved with the commemorations for the 70th Anniversary of the Second Battle of El Alamein? This was the pivotal battle of the North African campaign in which the New Zealand Division and other Allied forces repulsed Rommel's push towards Alexandria and Cairo, stopping them at the El Alamein Line in Egypt.
It is a hugely important battle in terms of our history - three New Zealanders were awarded the Victoria Cross for actions in the battle, which ran between the 23rd of October and 4th of November 1942: Charles Upham, Keith Elliot and Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu, the latter posthumously.
More than 1100 New Zealanders are buried in the El Alamein cemetery, the largest number of kiwis in any cemetery outside this country.
I believe the RNZAF is flying a group of 70 or more veterans to Egypt to mark the commemoration. I hope that there will be among them some of the NZ pilots and aircrew who served in the battle with the RAF and Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm.
Is anything else happening in NZ though? Are there other events happening to mark this anniversary?
It is a hugely important battle in terms of our history - three New Zealanders were awarded the Victoria Cross for actions in the battle, which ran between the 23rd of October and 4th of November 1942: Charles Upham, Keith Elliot and Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu, the latter posthumously.
More than 1100 New Zealanders are buried in the El Alamein cemetery, the largest number of kiwis in any cemetery outside this country.
I believe the RNZAF is flying a group of 70 or more veterans to Egypt to mark the commemoration. I hope that there will be among them some of the NZ pilots and aircrew who served in the battle with the RAF and Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm.
Is anything else happening in NZ though? Are there other events happening to mark this anniversary?
