More Info →New Zealand Centennial parade, 1940

Originally described as a 1945 Victory Parade celebrating the end of World War II this is clearly not the case because the Post Office clock tower - dismantled after an earthquake in 1942 - is still standing. This is the New Zealand Centennial parade; events such as this took place all over the country in February/March 1940. The float representing the light cruiser Achilles confirms this analysis. The Battle of the River Plate (December 1939) was still fresh in people's minds and there was considerable pride in the role played by the Achilles which was attached to the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy and had a largely New Zealand crew. A story appeared in the Feilding Star on March 18 1940 which mentions floats representing the British vessels and their adversary, the German pocket battleship Graf Spee.