Tribute to James Wyllie Died 1st October 1918 Killed in Action
Tuesday, 9 September 2014
Welcome to our tribute to James Wyllie blog.
We are a year 5/6 class from Solway School in Masterton, New Zealand.
James Wylie was a local Masterton soldier who is buried in one of the cemeteries to be visited. We decided to write letters to him to show our gratitude for his service to our country.
Below is the newspaper article which was in the local paper , The Wairarapa Times Age, it explains how we became involved.
Students' crosses bound for France.
By Nathan Crombie
6:45 AM Thursday Sep 4, 2014
TRIBUTE: Solway Primary School students wove 100 small crosses from harakeke flax, which will be taken to the graves of New Zealand soldiers who died during WWI in France. Pictured with the crosses, from left, were Beau-Leah Karaitiana, 10, teacher Steve Hornby, Sophie Cusack, 10, and Kara McKay, 10. PHOTO/SUPPLIEDWTA010914LFFLAX01
Students at Solway Primary School have woven a hundred small crosses from harakeke flax that will soon grace the French graves of Kiwi soldiers who laid down their lives during WWI.
Teacher Steve Hornby said he and his class had woven the crosses at the request of Carterton woman Viv Walker, whose children were past pupils at the school.
Archivist Dolores Ho, from the Waiouru Army Museum, had founded the not-for-profit Dolores Cross Project as a scheme to pay tribute to new Zealand soldiers buried overseas.
The initiative sought out Kiwis to take the crosses if they were living or travelling near foreign cemeteries in which New Zealand soldiers were buried, and laying the small tribute on graves. Ms Walker was travelling to Nord and staying near the Fifteenth Ravine Cemetery in Viliers Plouich, and the Anneux British Cemetery.
"Dolores was a bit short of ready-made crosses and asked if I could make 140 to place on the graves of all the New Zealand soldiers in both cemeteries I was visiting," Ms Walker said.
She had woven 40 crosses and Mr Hornby's Kauri class made up the shortfall, Ms Walker said, for which she was grateful "especially at such short notice"
The Carterton RSA had donated poppies enough to place one of the small paper flowers in the centre of each cross.
Ms Walker said the cemeteries were close to the border of France and Belgium and not too distant from the village of Le Quesnoy, which New Zealand troops had liberated from four years of German occupation, a week before the end of WWI in November,1918.
Wairarapa soldiers had played a part in the capture of the village, Ms Walker said, and numerous lives were saved.
Mr Hornby found that buried in one of the cemeteries was a soldier named James Wylie, who had been the son of Alexander and Julia Wylie, of Masterton. He planned to personalise a tribute for Mr Wylie, he said.
"Today many streets in the village are named after New Zealand, like Place de All Blacks and Rue Nouvelle Zealande, in thanks to their courage and sacrifice," Ms Walker said.
The event also had been retold in a children's picture book titled Le Quesnoy - The Story of the Town New Zealand Saved.
Ms Walker believed it an honour to be delivering tributes to the graves of the 140 New Zealanders who did not return home.
"It will be a privilege to do this for many soldiers, who may never have been visited by anyone since being buried there."
Here are the pictures of the cemetery where Viv walker placed the poppies. The notice on the James Wylie's headstone tells people about our project and the blog. You can also see a cross and poppy on the headstone.
Dear James Wyllie Thank you for sacrificing your life for our freedom and wisdom, so we can do what we would like to do. Let me tell you one thing I can sure remember World War 1 my grandad fought that war. Even though we won he sadly died hopefully you are all up there together. Even though you survived one day this is from Caiden sorry and thank you at the same time meaning that we'll thank you again. Caiden GOD BLESS
you must feel sad that you died on your first day and if you had a wife and kid then they will probs miss you you sound really nice from rileigh i go to solway primary
Thank you for sacrificing your life for our freedom otherwise we would have never be able to do all the things we want to do. I'm so sorry to hear that you died and to hear you only lived one day in the war. Thank you for all the things you did for us.
From Destiny Solway School Masterton
Dear James Wyllie
I hope you have had a good time up there most of us remember you and all the other soldiers it is a good thing that you fought for us.
DEAR JAMES WYLLIE.
On behalf of Solway School we would like to say thank-you for all the hard work you have done for us. Thank-you for saving our lives, we wouldn't be here if you didn't. Thank-you for everything. by Tua.
Dear James Wyllie, Thank you for sacrificing your life to set New Zealand free. I wonder if you got to choose to go to war. I wasn't alive when the war was on but I think it sounds horrible! I will never forget the young men who suffered in the war. Love Renee a student at Solway Primary School Masterton.
Tuesday, 2 September 2014
Dear James Wyllie
Even though you died in the first day in war
and it was you who helped New Zealand free
Dear James Wyllie
Thank you for the sacrifice that you made for us. If it wasn't for you and the other soldiers we wouldn't be living in freedom and have a safe environment, we wouldn't even be writing this letter.
It was a BIG choice that you chose to go over to the war.
It is very sad that you only got one day in war. We will never forget you and all the other soldiers. I loved how the soldiers and you fought for our country. Thank you that you saved us. Lest we forget. From
Ashton (student from Solway Primary School Masterton)
Thank you for giving up your life. I really respect it. And thank you for making the world a better place to live in. Just a reminder thank you very much, Kauri (our class) is thinking about you. Thank you very much. I just want to say THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH LOVE FROM RILEIGH FROM KAURI AT SOLWAY PRIMARY SCHOOL BYE :}
To James Wyllie
We all miss you. I am from Solway School.
I wish you did not go in the war from Jorja.
Dear James Wyllie Thank you for fighting for us and the British. It's really sad that you only had one day in the war. Thank You From Honor
Dear James Wyllie I'm sorry for your loss. Thank you for sacrificing your life for our freedom. Your tragedy was horrible. I'm sorry to hear how you died, our Kauri classroom's thinking about you. I heard that you were killed in action. I'm writing this letter to show you how sorry I am for you. R.I.P From Beau-Leah A student from Solway Primary school
Dear James Wyllie
I deeply thank you for sacrificing your life for our country's freedom even when you only had one day of being in the war. No one will ever forget what you did not even in 1,000 years time.
God bless you
Dear James Wyllie Thank you for serving in the war and sacrificing your self to save New Zealand. And thank you for our freedom. R.I.P From Isaiah.
Dear James Wyllie,
We are thanking you for sacrificing your life to save our country even though you only survived one day. We have freedom now all because of you and we hope there will be no more wars. Thank you again, lest we forget.
Jaden K.I.A, James Wyllie R.I.P
Dear James Wyllie Thank you for fighting for our country If you were still alive I wouldn't be writing this to you. I so sorry you only spent only a day in the war R.I.P From Le Bron
To James Wyllie.
Thank you for giving up your life for us. It was such a tragedy that you died. When we get sick we go to the hospital but you would have only been able to fight the pain.When you died I was not born but we will still think of you {RIP} From Demi
Thank you for sacrificing your self for New Zealand in the war. Because of your help we're living free without slavery from the Germans.
Thank you very much.
Yours sincerely Nathaniel.
Dear James Wylie Thank You for fighting for our country and sacrificing your life just for us. Also thank you for making us all be able to have freedom in the open world. I feel so sorry that you got killed in action on the first day and I would've loved to be there to support you fighting and rescuing our country. Love from Maia
Thank you for fighting for our country to let us have freedom in the whole of new Zealand. Also I am sorry that you trained so hard all that time just to save our country, we will never forget you From Tia Solway School Masterton
Thank-you for sacrificing your life so I could be free and live the way I do. You played an important role in the war if it weren't for your bravery I probably wouldn't be here today .
The first World War was 100 years ago , and since then we have had freedom but along with freedom there was tragedy and sacrifice! So we must never forget those who lost their lives for us and our freedom. We must never forget those families who have lost loved ones. So all I'm saying is thank you , thank you
Dear James Wyllie I am sad to hear about your bad tragedy at war. It was sad to hear that you were only in the war for 1 day of your life. If you didn't go to war we wouldn't be here writing this letter to you in peace and freedom. We will never forget the people who went to war and died.Thank-you for what you did to save us. And that you sacrificed your life to go to war Lest we forget.
From Olivia Goodin Solway School Masterton.
To James willie
We appriciate what you did for us when you sacrificed your life to save us and give us freedom.Thank you
Dear James Wyllie even though we have not met I am sure you were a nice guy. I mean you didn't have to give up your life, but you did. It is good you did, not for you but good for us because now we live a care free life and we just take it for granted .Like when we are sick we just go straight to the Hospital but if you got sick you either just had to tough it out or die. Lucky that you didn't get sick but then you went out to the front lines and got killed in action. Just saying we are still thinking of you lest we forget.
From Dylan
