Passchendaele essay winner congratulated

Veterans’ Affairs Minister Judith Collins today presented a $2000 education grant to the inaugural winner of a nationwide multimedia contest commemorating the Battle of Passchendaele.

Whangaparaoa College student Eve Bain, 17, received the prize from the Minister at a ceremony at Auckland Museum marking the 94th anniversary of the battle.

The competition was launched by Ms Collins to commemorate the Battle of Passchendaele which was fought in Belgium as part of the Allied offensive on the Western Front in 1917.

During the battle, New Zealand suffered its greatest loss of life in a single day in New Zealand history with 2700 New Zealanders listed as killed, wounded or missing in just two hours.

“Such cataclysmic events test the strength of a nation and shape its character. Within them are lessons that we should not forget, and nor should future generations,” Ms Collins said.

“This competition will help ensure that our young people don’t forget this terrible event in our history, or the lessons that we have learned from it.”

Ms Collins said Eve’s entry, For The Cause Of The Empire, was a powerful tribute to those who sacrificed their lives during the battle.

“I would like to congratulate Eve on an entry that gave a vivid insight into what war on the battlefields of the Western Front was like for soldiers, and the agonising concern for their safety by families and loved ones back in New Zealand.”

The competition is open to year 13 students and is held annually.