November 4 - Liberation Day
November 4 is a special day in Le Quesnoy. This year marks 106 years since soldiers of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade scaled the walls of the town to liberate its people after more than four years of occupation. Since that day in 1918, the people of Le Quesnoy have kept the memory of their New Zealand liberators alive with moving and well-attended commemorations.
The New Zealand Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata invites New Zealanders living in France and broader Europe to come to Le Quesnoy to mark this significant occasion.
As was the case back in 1918, on 4 November 2024, New Zealanders and Quercitains will meet to further strengthen the connection between our two countries.
The commemorations will begin at Te Arawhata at 5:45pm on Monday 4 November 2024. All are welcome to participate in the march to the New Zealand Memorial and then onto the Le Quesnoy Town Hall for speeches.
€110 for a three-day experience from Saturday 2 November to Monday 4 November.
Alongside the events of 4 November, the team at Te Arawhata in collaboration with the New Zealand Community in France has arranged a three-day programme of activities connected to the New Zealand First World War effort.
Starting with a dinner in Valenciennes on 2 November, visitors will then be exposed to the incredible Wellington Tunnels of Arras, dug by the New Zealand Tunnelling Company in 1916, on the 3rd.
The 4th will then focus on the story of the Liberation, with guided tours of the museum, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery at Le Quesnoy, and Vauban’s imposing ramparts encircling the town.
This emotional day will conclude with a private dinner alongside 11 members of the Le Quesnoy-Nouvelle-Zélande Association, allowing our visitors to more deeply connect with the incredible story and friendship between Le Quesnoy and Aotearoa.
For more information and to buy tickets.
Saturday 2 November 2024
Dinner at a typical northern-style restaurant in Valenciennes.
Sunday 3 November 2024
Day trip to Arras to visit the incredible Wellington Tunnels, an 18-kilometre-long tunnel system dug by the New Zealand Tunnelling Company in 1917 to enable the biggest surprise attack of the First World War.
Delicious lunch provided in the centre of Arras, rebuilt to its former glory following the war. Ticket holders will arrange own transport to and from Arras.
Monday 4 November 2024
Representing New Zealand in the official commemorative service.
Guided visits of the New Zealand Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata, the medieval ramparts of Le Quesnoy and the military cemetery.
Lunch at a typical northern-style restaurant.
Dinner with Le Quesnoy locals following the commemorations.
Refunds unavailable. Ticket exchange permitted.
Site designed and developed by Great North