Lancaster Memorial

A War Memorial called the "Lancaster Memorial", has been unveiled to honour two local airmen who lost their  lives in a 1944 bombing raid over Germany. The sculpture is in the Te Atatu Peninsula Gun Emplacements special area, off Gunner Drive.
Mayor Bob Harvey says: "This will be a fitting way to remember these servicemen. A lasting tribute to them in a very significant part of the west. It is a fine addition to the sculpture collection in Waitakere."
The two servicemen involved were Flying Officer Whelan Hazard and Flight Sergeant John Wright.
Whelan Hazard's neice, Lynn Ashton campaigned for the Council to build a memorial for the servicemen and is pleased that this has finally happened.
The 6.2m sculpture includes a stainless steel wing and three plinths to represent New Zealand, Canada and Great Britain - the countries from which the servicemen killed came. The sculpture is a replica of the Weiswampach Lancaster Memorial in Luxembourg.
A ceremony to mark the sculpture recognition, attended by Mayor Bob Harvey, Governor General Anand Satyanand and many other dignitaries was held at the Te Atatu Memorial RSA on 17th September 2010. Photo left: The wreaths presented. Centre: Crosses to acknowledge the thirteen servicemen killed in the two plane crashes involved. Right: the new memorial.