A New Zealand Dawn Act of Remembrance at the National Military Cemetery

At 7:00 a.m. on November 10, under a calm and misted sky, members of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and the New Zealand High Commission in Canada gathered at the National Military Cemetery of Canada, located within Beechwood Cemetery, to conduct a solemn Act of Remembrance.

The early hour was deliberate,  a continuation of the dawn service tradition that has become a defining element of New Zealand’s remembrance culture. As the first light rose over the headstones, the stillness of the morning echoed the reverence of Anzac Day ceremonies at home, connecting those present in Ottawa with New Zealanders standing in silence across the world.

Honouring SGT Pilot Blyth Kempton-Werohia

This year’s service centred on SGT Pilot Blyth Kempton-Werohia of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, who lost his life on 14 August 1942 while training in Canada with No. 31 Bombing & Gunnery School in Picton, Ontario. Only 21 years old, he was among thousands of New Zealanders who travelled abroad under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, forging the deep ties between New Zealand and Canada that endure to this day.

The service opened with words of welcome from the Defence Attaché, followed by a moment of silence. The Act of Remembrance (Ode) was read in both English and Te Reo Māori, reflecting the bicultural foundation of New Zealand’s identity. A reading of “In Flanders Fields” underscored the universality of loss and remembrance shared by all nations that served.

A wreath was then laid at SGT Kempton-Werohia’s headstone, and poppies were placed by NZDF members and representatives of the High Commission, each one a gesture of remembrance from a nation half a world away.

The Legacy of the Dawn Service

The dawn service holds a sacred place in New Zealand’s military tradition. As outlined by the New Zealand Defence Force, it represents the quiet time of day when soldiers once stood to arms, a moment of alertness and reflection, poised between darkness and light.

Across the world, from Gallipoli to Ottawa, the dawn hour has become a powerful symbol of remembrance, one that transcends geography and time. The act of gathering before sunrise embodies resilience, unity, and hope.

For those present at Beechwood, this was not only a remembrance of the past but also a reaffirmation of shared values between New Zealand and Canada, two nations that have stood together in war, peacekeeping, and the pursuit of global security.

We Will Remember Them

As the sun crested over the National Military Cemetery, the final words of the Ode carried through the quiet air:

“At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”

"Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou."

Through this act of remembrance, the New Zealand Defence Force and the New Zealand High Commission honoured not only SGT Pilot Blyth Kempton-Werohia, but all New Zealanders who served and sacrificed abroad, ensuring that their memory lives on, even in the farthest corners of the world.