New Zealand Pilgrimage Trust

19/10/2026

Only 4 months after the moving rededication of Corporal McFarland it is with great honour that we share the news of another 𝓻𝓮𝓭𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 ceremony, this time for 𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓰𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓽 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓼 𝓢𝓶𝓲𝓽𝓱, to be held on 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟲 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮 𝗽𝗺 at Tyne Cot Cemetery (Vijfwegestraat 4, 8980 Passendale/Zonnebeke).

Thomas Smith was born in 1885 in Portsmouth (England). He served for 18 months in the British army and eight years in the navy before WWI. Thomas was a merchant seaman when he enlisted in New Zealand on November 29, 1915. He had been living at a boarding house in Lyttelton at the time. He was described by his assessor as a very suitable man. He went on to serve with the New Zealand Machine Gun Corps.

On 12 October 1917, during the Battle of Passchendaele, Sergeant Smith was killed in action. That day would become known as New Zealand’s blackest day of the war, a day of immense loss, marked by mud, shellfire and the courage of those who advanced into the unknown.

For more than a century, Thomas had no known grave. His name was commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, among so many others whose final resting places remained unknown. Now, through the dedicated work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and other researchers, his final resting place has been identified.

This rededication is more than the marking of a grave. In the run-up to Armistice day it is also the restoration of a name, a story and a place of remembrance for a man who left his home and never returned.

We warmly invite you to join Ambassador Jennifer Troup of the New Zealand Embassy in Belgium as we gather to honour Thomas’ life, service and enduring place in New Zealand’s history.

All are welcome to attend this special ceremony of remembrance.

To find out more about Thomas: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C14713

12/10/2026

𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓭𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓼 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝔀𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓷 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂

For New Zealand, 12 October carries a particular weight. On this day in 1917, during the Battle of Passchendaele, New Zealand suffered one of the darkest chapters in its military history. In the mud and devastation of Flanders, hundreds of New Zealand soldiers lost their lives and many more were wounded.

Last week representatives of embassies from several nations, including New Zealand, gathered for commemorative ceremonies in Gemeente Zonnebeke. Different flags, different languages, different generations united by a shared responsibility to remember.

Some photographs from that day tell their own quiet story, they show us that remembrance is not simply to look back or lay a wreath, but to notice...
.. a single poppy, offering a fragile touch of colour amid the grey.
.. Maurice the Rat, the little companion from the Passchendaele Museum, reminding us that remembrance can also be carried through the eyes of young people.
.. South African students accompagnied by teachers of the Burgerschool, standing among the memorials, proof that memory does not belong to one nation or one generation.
.. the dark, heavy clouds, hanging above the ceremonies, as though the sky itself has not forgotten.
.. an angel at Tyne Cot Cemetery, overlooking the cemetery, a gentle presence amid the countless reminders of lives cut short and futures never lived.
.. and then there is 's Graventafel, a name that connects the quiet Flemish landscape to a day that Aotearoa and we will never forget.

Lest we forget. E kore rātou e warewaretia.


📸 Eric Compernolle

New Zealand Embassy in Belgium - Australian Embassy to Belgium and Luxembourg and Mission to the EU and NATO - UK in Belgium - British Embassy Brussels - South African Embassy ,Belgium - Genootschap Passchendaele Society 1917

03/10/2026

𝓦𝓮𝓵𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓱𝓸𝓶𝓮, 𝓓𝓪𝓿𝓮

In December 2025 our Trust was able to support the Homegrown TV team, led by Jude Dobson, while filming in Flanders, following the story of Dave Gallaher, captain of New Zealand’s 1905 ‘Originals’ All Black team, who died on the 4th of October 1917 and is buried at Nine Elms British Cemetery in Poperinge.

This evening, on the eve of the anniversary of his passing, there could have been no more fitting place than Talbot House - Every man's club for the Belgian premiere of this remarkable documentary.

‘From field to front’ is so much more than a tribute. It gives a soul not only to Dave’s story as a former All Black captain, but to every New Zealander who never returned home. Therefore we are deeply grateful to have played a wee part in this meaningful weaving of past and present.

25/09/2026

🎬 LAST CALL '𝓕𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓕𝓲𝓮𝓵𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓕𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓽': 𝓪 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 𝓸𝓯 𝓼𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽, 𝓱𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮

Don’t miss this remarkable Belgian premiere and join us next week at Talbot House - Every man's club on the eve of the 109th anniversary of Dave Gallaher's death. Discover the life of a man who made history both on and beyond the rugby field.

📅 Saturday 3 October
🕗 19:45
🎟️ €10 – including a free drink
🎥 Watch the trailer: https://vimeo.com/1186797969
🎟️ Get your tickets: https://talbot-house1.odoo.com/en/event/from-field-to-front-56/register

📸 Eric Compernolle

17/09/2026

𝓡𝓮𝓹𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝔃 à 𝓵'𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓵!

Have you already made plans for this weekend? Then perhaps it’s time to answer the call…

Our friends at New Zealand Liberation Museum - Le Quesnoy are waiting for you for a weekend like no other. Step back in time and experience history in a way that is both immersive and unforgettable.

Discover a reconstructed recruitment station, step into an immersive photographic experience, visit the ration stand or take part in a photo rally for all ages.

Whether you come for the history, the stories, the atmosphere, or simply to share a special day with friends and family, you will be warmly welcomed!

📍 Le Quesnoy – Te Arawhata Museum
🗓️ Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 September
⏰ 10:30am – 6pm
🎟️ Free entry

15/09/2026

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓕𝓵𝓮𝓻𝓼–𝓒𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓬𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮

In this episode of 'Tales from the battlefield' Terry Whenham takes you to Flers, September 1916, and follows in the footsteps of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force during the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, this week exactly 110 years ago.

Terry is joined, as they walk the battlefield, by the relatives of 2 New Zealanders who died in this battle and gets their thoughts on what their sacrifice means to them. Their reflections bring the past remarkably close, reminding us that the meaning of sacrifice does not end when a battle does.

Podcast Episode · Tales from the Battlefields · 16 January 2024 · 1hr 3min

14/09/2026

𝓜𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓷 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓪 𝓳𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓮𝔂

Some journeys are about places. Others are about the people. Our Belgian board members had the honour of meeting and hosting Dean 'Doon' Groves (NZDF) from Wellington.

Yesterday Marijke (Passchendaele & Ypres), today Steven (Messines) and tomorrow Simon (Poperinge) will each have the privilege of sharing the story of New Zealand’s World War One efforts in our area, walking the same landscapes where so many New Zealanders once stood, fought and fell.

For Dean this journey has taken on an even more personal meaning. He recently discovered that his own family history can be traced back to these places, adding another, deeply personal layer to his pilgrimage. History is no longer simply something to be remembered: it becomes something that reaches across generations and quietly finds its way back home.

📸: Marijke Vandevyvere & Steven Reynaert

03/09/2026

𝓡𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼

Yesterday our Trust had the privilege of joining a New Zealand theatre group on a remembrance tour organised by the In Flanders Fields Museum.

Together with New Zealand performers and a group of art students from Heilige Familie Ieper, we spent a truly meaningful afternoon bringing several WWI sites to life through stories, personal accounts and shared memories. It was a remarkable reminder that these places are not simply landscapes or monuments, they are places filled with human stories that still have the power to connect generations and people from opposite sides of the world.

The afternoon was a wonderful example of how remembrance can remain alive: not only by looking back at the past, but by inviting young people to listen, question, reflect and keep those stories moving forward.

And tonight, we're looking forward to ‘The Ground Remembers Us’! This contemporary 45-minute performance (directed by Blaise Barham and produced by Paul Percy) is exploring the legacy of the First World War through the eyes of young New Zealanders, with the Battle of Passchendaele as its starting point.
ℹ & 🎫: https://www.inflandersfields.be/nl/programma-1/the-ground-remember-us

📸: Marijke Vandevyvere

01/09/2026

Looking forward to meet this group later this week!

31/08/2026

𝓕𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓕𝓲𝓮𝓵𝓭 𝓣𝓸 𝓕𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓽 @ Talbot House - Every man's club

We are proud to announce that the New Zealand documentary 'From Field to Front' will be screened in Belgium for the very first time on 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟯 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝟴:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 at Talbot House - Every man's club in Poperinge.

Created in collaboration with Jude Dobson and her Home Grown TV team, with whom our Trust had the privilege of working last year, this docu tells the remarkable story of Dave Gallaher, the legendary captain of the 1905 New Zealand Originals, the team that laid the foundations of what would become the mighty All Blacks.

But Gallaher’s story reaches far beyond the rugby field. A pioneering leader and one of New Zealand’s greatest sporting figures, Gallaher also served as a sergeant during the First World War. On 4 October 1917 he was killed during the Battle of Passchendaele.

In the documentary, former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick takes us on a deeply moving journey through sport, history and remembrance. At its heart is a symbolic exchange of soil between four places that shaped Gallaher’s life: Ramelton in Ireland, the Parc des Princes in Paris, his final resting place at Nine Elms British Cemetery in Poperinge and Eden Park in Auckland. Through this extraordinary journey Dave Gallaher is symbolically brought home, connecting the rugby fields of New Zealand and Europe with the battlefields of Flanders.

Join us at Talbot House on the eve of the 109th anniversary of Dave's death for this unique Belgian premiere and discover the remarkable story of a man who made history both on and beyond the rugby field.

🎟 Tickets: https://talbot-house1.odoo.com/en/event/from-field-to-front-56/register