Win a Flight in the M*A*S*H Helicopter!!

Be in to win a M*A*S*H Chopper Ride for two people on both Saturday and Sunday.  Just fill out the coupon in your programme and put it in the bucket at the Information Tent and you could win a ride in the Bell 47G Sioux helicopter. 

The draw is at approx 2.30pm Saturday and 2.40pm Sunday.  You must be present at the time of the draw to receive the prize.  The flights must be taken on Saturday 7th or Sunday 8th November 2009.  Anyone under 16 years old must have permission of or be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

Kindly Sponsored by Phil Hooker and the guys at Adventure Aviation
http://www.adventureaviation.co.nz/

Friday Night at Our Bar, The Masonic Hotel

As well as the Victory Dance which will be held on the evening of Saturday the 7th of November in the Cambridge Town Hall, this year we also have an official social evening happening in Our Bar, which is at the Masonic Hotel in Duke Street, Cambridge.

Angel, J.D. and the crew welcome one and all to come along to Our Bar for the Friday evening  festivities where you can get into the spirit of the weekend’s events early.  That’s Friday the 6th of November. All are welcome, locals and vistors to Cambridge.mIf you don’t have a Victory Dance ticket for the Saturdy then again head down to Our Bar where it all happens in town

Keep an eye on their website for more details at  
http://www.ourbar.co.nz/

or their Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cambridge/OurBar/72206547252?ref=mf

The F-16 Model Display

One of the features this year on the programme is a taxi display by a large scale model of a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon jet, which features a genuine miniature jet engine. Here are some statistics of the model:

- It is built from a Philip Avonds kit 
- The scale is 1/6.8
- Length is 2.1 metres
- Wing Span measures 1.45 metres
- It features pneumatic wheel brakes
- It has pneumatcally operated retractable undercarriage
- It is powered by a Behotec gas turbine engine that turns at 11800rpm and develops a thrust of 13 kilograms (29 lbs)
- To start the engine this model uses propane to heat the combustion chamber and then it switches over to Jet A1 fuel, the same fuel used in fuel sized jets!
- It has a top speed of 250 km/h
- It is painted in the colours and markings of the Begian Air Force

Sadly we will not get to see it flying due to the lack of space at memorial Park and the danger to the crowd, but just seeing this thing start up and taxi will be rather interesting and loud.

Pitts Special Disappointment

We regret to annonce that the exciting displays by Cambridge pilot Noel Kruze in his Pitts S2S Special have had to be cancelled due to technical issues. This is a great shame as Noel puts on a wonderful display and is a world class aerobatic pilot. However we hope that perhaps we’ll see him flying at a future Armistice event in years to come.

Khaki Angels – Our World War One Battle

This year the battle re-enactment that will depict the First World War era will be something special. Rather than the standard New Zealanders versus Germans battle, in the scenario devised for this year there is more to it. An Allied forward medical aid post has been captured by the German forces, and the New Zealanders have to attempt to rescue their medics back from the enemy.

For the unarmed army medics who operated on the front lines and right into no man’s land, the war was a very dangerous place. Dodging bullets and shellfire in order to rescue and assist others took a special courage. It is fitting that we acknowledge their work in the form of this re-enactment becuse one of the men taking part, as he does every year, is historian Brendan O’Carroll, who has just released the book Khaki Angels. This book is all about the medics and the amazing work they did. You can see more about the book at his publisher’s website here http://www.ngaiopress.com/KA-home.htm

Throughout history  New Zealand’s Armed Forces have continued to have medics in the front lines of the world’s conflicts, from World War Two to Korea to Vietnam and to the first Gulf War. Even now we have medical teams in several UN hotspots including Afghanistan.

Another display this weekend that remembers the great work of military medical staff is the display of the Sioux helicopter by Phil Hooker.  Painted in the colours of a M*A*S*H unit, or Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, this helicopter was not just made famous by the popular TV comedy but in fact really did carry out medivac (medical evacuation) flights and other mercy missions on the front lines in the Korean War (1950-1953). The bravery of these US pilots flying in unarmed and alone to front line positions to exacuate wounded soldiers was outstanding. New Zealand didn’t then have military helicopters so did not take part in that aspect of the Korean War, however the RNZAF did have trained helicopter pilots by the time the Vietnam War came along, and many New Zealand pilots flew in Vietnam with the Royal Australian Air Force. One such was Robin Klitscher, who is now the National President of the Royal new Zealand Returned Services Association. Robin will be laying a wreath at the Armistice in Cambridge Commemorative Ceremony on the morning of Sunday the 8th of November 2009.

A Very Special Family Reunion

A special family reunion will be taking place in Cambridge over the Armistice in Cambridge weekend, and has been incorporated into the event proceedings. Armistice in Cambridge not only commemorates New Zealand’s military past and marks the end of the Great War, but it has always been a way of demonstrating Cambridge’s close connection to its sister-town of Le Quesnoy in France. The Battle of Le Quesnoy was the last battle the New Zealanders fought in during the First World War and is particularly special in that rather than allow the ancient walled  town to be flattened by artillery, the kiwi soldiers stormed the walls and captured the stronghold through hand to hand combat. The town was liberated and also saved from bombardment.

One of the officers who lead the attack was Lieutenant Leslie Averill, the first New Zealander to climb the ancient wall. You can read about his exploits in his own words here:
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/le-quesnoy/battle-accounts-lt-averill

Now for the first time ever, Leslie Averill’s descendants will come from all around to have their first ever family reunion in Cambridge, and they’ll take part in the proceedings. Leslie – like all our WWI soldiers – is no longer with us, but ten family branches descending from him will be represented at the reunion. On Sunday morning during the Commemorative Service, chosen members of the Averill family will be amongst the Official Party, and along with World War One expert Herb Farrant, Leslie’s son Colin Averill will be saying a few words. This marks another interesting chapter in the connection between Cambridge and Le Quesnoy.

The 2009 Programme now online

The proposed Event Programme is now on the website here:

http://www.armisticeincambridge.co.nz/Programme.html

New Page of 2007 Victory Dance Photos

I have just received a disc of photos from the last Victory Dance, which was held in 2007, and many of the best ones are now online here

http://www.armisticeincambridge.co.nz/Gallery_Dance.html

Armistice Street Parade Set to Return

After a two-year absense that was out of the control of the Armistice in Cambridge committee, we are pleased to announce that plans are being formulated now to see the return of the very popular military vehicle street parade on the Sunday morning.

The array of Jeeps, trucks, light armoured vehicles, motorcycles and more will hopefully once again be shown off to the people of Cambridge as they parade down and back up Victoria Street through the main shopping precinct, where the Sunday market will be taking place. This has previously been a highlight of the day and marks the beginning of the commemorations at the Cenotaph. So the return of this should be a most welcome return.

Chieftain Tank Set To Appear at Armistice

Among many different armoured fighting vehicles from various eras, another highlight of Armistice in Cambridge 2009 will be the presence of the 65 ton Chieftain main battle tank!! 

It has been confirmed as down to appear this year.