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Cathedral of St Paul, Wellington

online resource
posted on 2024-06-05, 18:59 authored by Their Finest Hour Project Team

While visiting the North Island of New Zealand (Te Ika-a-Māui, Aotearoa) I attended a service in the Cathedral of St Paul, Wellington (Te Whanganui-a-Tara). There were many memorials to distract me. After the service, I took these photos of:

The Chancel’s stained-glass windows, that commemorate the armed services, those who flew with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) and Royal Air Force (RAF), the NZ Army, the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Merchant Navy. One inscription reads "In grateful memory of those men and women who lost their lives in the Navies and Merchant Service of the Commonwealth during two World Wars, the above windows were installed by and dedicated presence of former shipmates, 1967."

The Cross of Nails, according to the inscriptions are from Coventry Cathedral. When it was destroyed by the bombing nails from its roof were collected, silvered, and made into crucifixes that were sent to organisations committed to peace and reconciliation around the world like this Anglican cathedral.

Other inscriptions and displays including "To the glory of God. In memory of all who served in the 14th New Zealand Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment 2NZEF Egypt, North Africa, Italy 1941 1945"; "Given by the Wellington District Group of the Normandy Veterans Association of NZ to honour the memory of our comrades who gave their lives in the Normandy Campaign 6 June to 20 August 1944 which led to the liberation of Western Europe VE Day 8 May 1945"; "To the Glory of God a tribute to Anglican Chaplains to the Forces - past, present and future. Sponsored by the Anglican Church Military Affairs Committee with the support of the New Zealand Defence Force".

History

Item list and details

Exterior and interior of the Cathedral of St Paul, Wellington; Stained-glass windows; Inscriptions; The Cross of Nails from Coventry Cathedral;

Person who shared the story/items

Alun Edwards

Type of submission

Shared online via the Their Finest Hour project website.

Record ID

109639