New Zealand to remember WWI battles as body recovered in Belgium

The New Zealand government Wednesday announced plans to commemorate at home and in Europe the centenary of one of the country's worst ever losses in battle.

The Battle of Passchendaele - one of the major battles of World War I - was fought in October 1917.

"It was during the Battle of Passchendaele where the New Zealand Division suffered its darkest day, with the loss of 842 New Zealand soldiers," said Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Maggie Barry.

The commemoration would be part of a program of events to mark the centenaries of key battles on the Western Front of 1917, which included the Battle of Messines in June.

New Zealand's contribution to the Battle of Messines would be commemorated with ceremonies on June 7 in Mesen, Belgium, while Passchendaele would be remembered on Oct. 12 at Tyne Cot Cemetery, near Zonnebeke, Belgium.

"These Western Front centenaries are very significant to our history and are a time for us to reflect on what our country was going through on the home front 100 years ago," said Barry.

The government World War I centenary program would also focus on how the war affected the home front with labor shortages, conscription woes, the rising cost of living and industrial unrest.

Also Wednesday, the New Zealand Defence Force announced the partial remains of an unknown World War I New Zealand soldier would be buried with the partial remains of two British soldiers on March 7 at a the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery near Ieper in Belgium.

The remains were found in an area where the New Zealand Division was active over the winter of 1917 to 1918.

It was the third New Zealand unknown soldier found in Belgium in the past five years. Endit