28 Sep 2014

Dunedin commemorates WW1 departure

8:15 am on 28 September 2014

Commemorations will be held in Dunedin today to mark one hundred years since troops first left the area for the battlefields of the First World War.

The Embarkation Day commemorations include a run starting at 9.30am from Tahuna Park to The Oval, followed by a parade from The Oval to the Dunedin Railway Station.

In 1914 soldiers trained for five weeks at Tahuna Park before they set off for the battlefields.

The parade, which starts at 11am, will include people in historical period dress, vintage vehicles, bands and military veterans, along with current members of the Defence Force.

The Mayor of Dunedin, Dave Cull, said it would be a chance for Dunedin to remember the early days of the massive sacrifice made by those who passed through the city on their way to serve.

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