About 500 people young and old packed a platform at a South Auckland train station today to remember lives lost in the World War I battle of Passchendaele.
The train was named by former prime minister Gordon Coates. Photo: RNZ / Carla Penman
The event at Glenbrook run by the Passchendaele Society was timed with the recent 97-year anniversary of the battle for the Belgian village near Ypres in Flanders, in which thousands died of soldiers died including New Zealanders.
It was also a chance for enthusiasts to hop aboard a newly-restored steam locomotive named Passchendaele.
The train was given the name in 1925 by former New Zealand prime minister Gordon Coates.
The society's president, Iain McKenzie, said today was an opportunity for people to reflect and understand what those men did for this country.
Hundreds turned out at the Glenbrook Station for a ride. Photo: RNZ / Carla Penman
