You must register to visit Polygon Wood on 100th anniversary

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Dan Tehan said Australians can register to attend the 100^th anniversary commemoration service for the Battle of Polygon Wood later this year.

CAPTION: Moonlight shines over Polygon Wood and Buttes New British Cemetery before the ANZAC DAY dawn service 2016. Photo by Corporal Craig Barrett.

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs Australia, with the assistance of the Government of Flanders, the municipality of Zonnebeke and the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 will hold a Dawn Service to mark the 100^th anniversary of the Battle of Polygon Wood on 26 September 2017.

Members of the public can visit https://overseascommemorations.ticketek.com.au/ to register to attend or find out more.

Polygon Wood was the first major battle for the Australian 5^th Division in Belgium and resulted in 5,770 casualties.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Dan Tehan said victory at Polygon Wood had come at a great cost but the success laid the foundation for the 3^rd Australian Division’s victory at the Battle of Broodseinde.

“The Butte is now the site of the Australian 5^th Division Memorial, however many of the Australians who died at Polygon Wood have no known grave and are commemorated on the Menin Gate,” Mr Tehan said.

“The Buttes New British cemetery is the last resting place of more than 500 Australians, half of whom are not identified.

“As a nation we will honour and remember every Australian who fought at Polygon Wood.”

Zonnebeke was the centre of Australian operations in Flanders during the First World War.

Minister-President Geert Bourgeois of Flanders said: “The huge losses suffered by Australia in the Zonnebeke region during the Battle of Passchendaele make this place one that is dear to the hearts of many Australian families. Australia’s ongoing commitment to commemoration has only made the ties between Australia and Flanders stronger over recent years”.

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