Several 1970s-era stained glass windows within Wellington Cathedral of Saint Paul commemorate the service of the New Zealand and Commonwealth armed forces during wartime. Two windows above the choir stalls are dedicated to Army and Navy/Merchant Navy personnel. Designed by New Zealander Howard Malitte, they were adapted for stained glass by Brian Thomas, who previously designed windows in St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey in London. On the pulpit side, there is an Air Force window designed by English artist, Edward Liddall Armitage.
Another memorial inside the cathedral commemorates the Battle of Chunuk Bair at Gallipoli in August 1915. White stone in the centre of the memorial wall is from the New Zealand Memorial at Chunuk Bair, while there are two plaques inscribed with the following quotes from Lieutenant-Colonel William Malone, commander of the Wellington Battalion during the battle, and Süleyman Demirel, President of Turkey (1993-2000):
I AM PREPARED FOR DEATH AND HOPE THAT GOD WILL HAVE FORGIVEN ME ALL MY SINS. MY DESIRE FOR LIFE – SO THAT I MAY SEE AND BE WITH YOU AGAIN – COULD NOT BE GREATER BUT I HAVE ONLY DONE WHAT EVERY MAN WAS BOUND TO DO IN OUR COUNTRY’S NEED. IT HAS BEEN A GREAT CONSOLATION TO ME THAT YOU APPROVED MY ACTION, THE SACRIFICE WAS REALLY YOURS. MAY YOU BE CONSOLED AND REWARDED BY OUR DEAR LORD. / LT. COL. WG MALONE
THE LAND AND ROCKS OF OUR COUNTRY ARE SACRED TO US. WE HAVE HAPPILY ARGREED TO REMOVE A PIECE OF ROCK AS A SYMBOL OF GOODWILL OF THE TURKISH PEOPLE TO THE FALLEN ANZAC SOLDIERS. IT IS A TOKEN OF THE RESPECT AND AFFECTION THAT THE TURKISH PEOPLE NURTURE TOWARDS THE PEOPLE OF NEW ZEALAND. / SULEMAN DEMIREL, PRESIDENT OF TURKEY
In August 2015, eleven red ‘remembrance’ poppies were added to the Chunuk Bair memorial to represent the eleven chaplains who have died as a result of war service. A single white ‘peace’ poppy was added as a sign of hope for the future.
Sources: ‘Chunuk Bair memorial’, Wellington Cathedral of St Paul: https://wellingtoncathedral.org.nz/chunk-bair-memorial/; ‘Chancel’, Wellington Cathedral of St Paul: https://wellingtoncathedral.org.nz/chancel/
Community contributions