One hundred years ago, the foundation stone was laid for the Auckland War Memorial Museum. Collection manager Pia Gagahan does a deep dive into the archives. Video / Michael Craig
A memorial project led by Dannevirke locals for World War II hero Phil Lamason is set to commemorate his leadership and courage.
The memorial will be built at Dannevirke Domain by mid-2026, honouring the Squadron Leader and the Allied airmen he helped.
The project aims to address the lackof formal recognition for Lamason’s efforts during the war.
In 1944, Lamason’s plane was shot down, and after being sheltered by the French Resistance, he was captured and taken to Buchenwald, a concentration camp near the city of Weimar in east-central Germany.
He was held captive for 60 days and at one point was within moments of being shot by a firing squad, yet he managed to talk an officer into disobeying those orders.
A concept image of the Lamason-Buchenwald Memorial in Dannevirke Domain.
The Allied airmen, led by Lamason, banded together and co-ordinated a non-violent disobedient approach to what was required of them and were eventually transferred to bona fide POW stalags, where they remained until their release.
According to the Phil Lamason Heritage Centre Trust, his work to secure the survival of what reports say were more than 160 Allied airmen was never formally acknowledged.
Trust chairman Mike Harold said the memorial was a “project of national significance aimed at putting right a poignant omission in New Zealand’s military history”.
The names of the airmen, including the two who perished while in Buchenwald, will also be incorporated into the Lamason-Buchenwald Memorial.
Harold said Lamason, a Dannevirke farmer born and raised in Napier and who died in Dannevirke in 2012, was described as a reluctant hero and rarely attended commemorative events, only speaking publicly of his wartime experiences later in life.
A New Zealand Defence Force spokesperson said Lamason was well known within Air Force circles and is featured on a panel at the Air Force museum of New Zealand in Wigram, Christchurch.
The spokesperson said after World War II, at the behest of veterans, the New Zealand Government’s policy was to contribute funding to “utility” or “living” collective memorial halls, parks, libraries and swimming pools.
Phil Lamason in his Lancaster bomber before a mission over Germany during World War II.
“Given the numbers who served overseas and the significance of the changes to life at home in New Zealand, the national focus has remained very much on the collective memorialisation rather than commemorating individuals.”
The spokesperson said the recognition of individuals and local service personnel continues to be led by families and communities.
Over the past two years, the Phil Lamason Heritage Centre Trust has worked closely with former NZ Defence Force artist Matt Gauldie and a team of engineers to design a memorial that is both unique and appropriate to the enduring legacy of this wartime story.
Matt Gauldie’s design celebrates the empowerment and triumph of the human spirit over the devastation, dehumanisation and catastrophe of war.
The trust has secured about half the required funds for the project from people with a connection to the story.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
