The cache is placed
at a relatively unknown entrance to the Wakapuaka Cemetery. It is
not necessary to enter the cemetery to find the cache, although you
may wish to visit it after you have signed the
log.
It was placed on the anniversary of Armistice Day. 11 am on the
11th of November 1918, (the 11th hour of the 11th
day of the 11th month), the armistice was signed
between the Allies of WW1 and Germany. At that time, WW1 was known
as The Great War because it was believed it was the war to end all
wars.
There are many cemeteries around the world where those who died in
war, mainly young men, are buried. Many of the graves are of
unknown soldiers and we find these the saddest to visit. Many of
their graves are communal and are inscribed with the words in the
cache name.
Some have their names listed on memorial walls and gates, such as
the Menin Gate in Ypres where the Last Post is played every evening
at 8pm.
Tyne Cot Cemetery is increasingly visited by New Zealanders
travelling in Belgium. The stone wall surrounding the cemetery
makes up the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing. The inscription for
the New Zealand memorial reads "Here are recorded the names of
officers and men of New Zealand who fell in the Battle of
Broodseinde and the First Battle of Passchendale October 1917 and
whose graves are known only unto God". The memorial contains the
names of 1176 New Zealanders. There are also 33783 names from other
UK forces. There are tens of thousands of other unmarked graves
throughout the area.
WW2 cemeteries also contain the bodies of many unknown soldiers.
The USA cemetery at Omaha Beach lists 1157 unidentified soldiers,
with the grave inscription 'Here rests in honored glory a comrade
in arms known but to God'.
We visited a German cemetery in France which had 2 soldiers buried
in each grave, with the simple inscription ‘zwei Deutsche
soldaten ’ (‘two German soldiers’) when the names
were unknown. Each group of graves was marked with 3 stone crosses.
In this cemetery alone were buried 11629 soldiers, very few with
names. It is now beautifully maintained by young people from
throughout Europe.
The numbers are enormous, but to their family each individual was
special. We hope you think of them when you sign the
log.
The cache is a camoed container with the usual log.