Events in 2007

4-7 October       90th anniversary of Passchendaele - The Third Battle of Ypres
The 90th anniversary of Passchendaele was marked in 2007 with a series of special ANZAC events in Belgium from 4 to 7 October which were attended by a number of NZDF personnel including the Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae and Chief of Army Major General Lou Gardiner. The 1917 battle of Passchendaele (also known as the Third Battle of Ypres) was one of the major battles of World War I, fought by British, ANZAC and Canadian soldiers against the German Army. The aim of the battle was to break through the German defences and capture Passchendaele Ridge then drive north to the Belgian coast and capture the German submarine bases there. After three months of fierce fighting the town was finally taken by the Canadian forces, but the allies suffered almost half a million casualties, and the Germans almost a quarter of a million.

• 4 October         The start of the Battle of Broodseinde, 
  Notable for being the first time four ANZAC divisions had attacked side by side, the attack on the 4th was a success, advancing the line by nearly 2000 yards. However subsequent attack on 12 October in atrocious, muddy conditions by the New Zealand Division’s 2nd and 3rd (Rifle) brigades were a disastrous failure that cost the lives of more than 800 men.
• 12 October          Gravenstafel memorial ceremony    
  Senior NZDF personnel attended a special ceremony at the New Zealand memorial at Gravenstafel. A ceremony will be held in memory of the bloodiest day of New Zealand history when more New Zealanders were lost in one day than any other day of the war (845 men were killed and 2,700 injured).

1902 - 1919 Imperial Training & World War I

16 October 1914

Middle East - The main body of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force sailed for the Middle East. It comprised 8417 men (all volunteers) and was the largest single body of men ever to leave New Zealand arriving in Egypt on 03 December.

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