Address at the opening of Commonwealth War Graves Commission's 90th Anniversary Photography Exhibition

Address at the opening of Commonwealth War Graves Commission's 90th Anniversary Photography Exhibition

It's a great pleasure for me today to open this exhibition of photographs of scenes from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's cemeteries and memorials around the world.

This exhibition, along with the release of the new illustrated history of the Commission, forms part of the ninetieth anniversary events for the Commission.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission's work began on the Western Front in 1917. There Sir Fabian Ware began his efforts to identify and register the graves of those who had died in circumstances we continue to be horrified by to this day.

In the strategic decisions of battle at that time and since, casualties have often been considered acceptable losses in the interests of achieving a wider goal. Thus the importance of individual lives can be subsumed in the overall reckoning of the figures of the fallen and injured.

Those who founded the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and those who carry on its work today, have always sought to bring recognition and dignity to every individual life lost in war. Every one of us with relatives buried in graves under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission owes it a great debt of gratitude.

As Prime Minister, I have had the privilege of representing New Zealand at many commemorations of battles where our people served - most recently at Paaschendaele and Messines in Belgium.

Thus many of the scenes captured in this exhibition are very familiar to me - from Gallipoli and Malta to the Somme and Flanders; from Crete to El Alamein and Cassino.

Without exception, the graves of our war dead in far away lands are beautifully cared for, and are a tremendous tribute to those who lost their lives.

Here in New Zealand, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage is the agent of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. It takes responsibility for the war graves not only in this country, but also in New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, and the Society Islands.

The Commission has the care of almost 1.7 million graves - a huge responsibility. Now its records can be accessed through the internet, enabling us to easily trace where our relatives are buried.

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage has a large file of letters of appreciation from those who have visited the family graves of family members, and are comforted by the condition in which they find them.

Back in 1916 when people requested photos of loved ones graves, the organisation which was to become the Commonwealth War Graves Commission used to supply directions to the railway station nearest to the grave. That willingness to help the bereaved exemplifies the genuine humanity on which the work of the Commission is founded.

New Zealand is also indebted to the Commission for an undertaking it has recently given with respect to the graves of one of our greatest war heros and his wife - Lord and Lady Freyberg.

These graves in a small churchyard at St Martha's on the Hill in Surrey have recently been refurbished by the New Zealand Government, after our attention was drawn to the state they were in.

Now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has undertaken to maintain the two graves in recognition of Lord Freyberg's outstanding service in the two world wars of the twentieth century.

Over ninety years the Commission has been a unifying force, bringing together member governments and their departments of state, local governments, and many other organisations towards a common goal.

New Zealand is proud of its association with the Commission, and is proud to be represented on its board by the New Zealand High Commissioner to London.

This exhibition "Remembered" is a poignant reminder of ninety years of dedicated work by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

"Remembered" and the book on which it is based, are both outstanding testimony to those who lost their lives in the world wars of the last century.

It is testimony also to those who for the last ninety years have done the painstaking work of ensuring that the fallen are honoured, their records are kept, and their resting places are carefully tended.

The striking images in the exhibition are the work of photographer Brian Harris, who has photographed more than two hundred Commonwealth cemeteries and memorials. Many of the resulting images are in the Commission's new official history, and selections like this one are being exhibited around the world.

After its time here at the National War Memorial, the exhibition will be touring to other centres in New Zealand. This is a compelling way to mark the ninetieth anniversary of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and demonstrate its continuing relevance to New Zealanders.

It is now my pleasure to declare the exhibition officially open.