Military service to celebrate Armistice Day in Dannevirke

A minute's silence during World War I Armistice Day centenary commemorations at the Dannevirke Cenotaph on November 11 2018. Photo / Christine McKay

A simple military service will mark Armistice Day in Dannevirke on Monday.

The ceremony will be held at the war memorial in the Dannevirke Domain, starting at 10.45am.

Armistice Day is commemorated every year on November 11 to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France at 5.45am, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, which took effect at 11am — the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Wairarapa Hawke's Bay East Coast District RSA president Paddy Driver, who will act as master of ceremonies, said it will be a standard military type of service that members of the public are invited to attend.

The district's schools have been invited to attend the ceremony and Tararua Mayor Tracey Collis will be attending.

There will be an opening prayer, the singing of a hymn and the reading of the ode, by former Air Force servicewoman Monique Ashford and Vietnam veteran Ross Himona.

The siren will sound at 11am.

There will then follow a minute's silence.

Young members of the Dannevirke Volunteer Fire Service will hoist the flag.

While many people think that with so few World War II veterans surviving the RSA is on the wane, Driver says there are about 36,000 New Zealand returned servicemen who have seen active duty since the end of the Vietnam War.

"They have served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and East Timor. They are known as contemporary veterans but they have done the hard yards and are true veterans."