Summer has well and truly arrived in Le Quesnoy, and with it, we have seen an influx of visitors during this month of June.
Starting on a high, Te Arawhata received a visit from more than 60 members of the French armed forces who were in Le Quesnoy for a sports training day.
I was honoured to receive a challenge coin from General Philippe de Montenon, who thanked the team and the New Zealand Memorial Museum Trust for our efforts of remembrance not just for New Zealand soldiers, but for the French forces and civilians.
We were also pleased to host a 16-strong EuroVista Holdiays group including members of the Geraldine RSA.
The group had a guided tour of the museum followed by a tour of the ramparts and a memorable poppy-laying ceremony at the NZ Memorial. The day concluded with a lunch of northern specialties and a brief stop in nearby Beaudignies to pay hommage to William Charles Sefton (“Charlie”) Moorhouse, one of the group’s ancestors who won a DCM there.
This was a particularly special group to host in Le Quesnoy as the Geraldine RSA were endorsers of the Museum. You can see the list of our patrons here.
On a very different note, I was blown away by a recent work of stitchwork art completed by a recent visitor, Dave Adamson. Dave, who clearly possesses enormous talent with needle and thread, recreated Te Arawhata’s monumental soldier and required more than 90,000 individual stitches to capture Wētā Workshop’s stunning artistry.
Thank you, Dave, for sending through photos of your beautiful work.
The end of the month marks the departure of intern Aurore Giroutx, who has been at the Museum since the beginning of May.
Thank you, Aurore, for your contribution to Te Arawhata – we hope to have you back with us for events and visits in the future.
We also closed the temporary exhibition Ça Roule – Remembering the New Zealand Cyclist Corps.
I am proud to have shone a light on a lesser-known part of the New Zealand war effort and introduced people to one of the more surprising pieces of First World War military kit!
On 30 July, we open our next exhibition entitled Who Were These Young Soldiers?
Heartfelt and deeply personal, the exhibition displays works byNew Zealand artist Lindsey Kirk created to remember New Zealand soldiers that fell on the Western Front.