Bob Davies: Remembrance Day 2025 - Royal Honours

Remembrance Day is the day we Honour sacrifice: It is a time to remember the service and sacrifice of all who have served, including the loss of life and the impact on families and communities. I would like to dedicate today’s address to my 20 year old friend, Don Bensemann, who was killed in action 57 years ago this Sunday.

Karl du Fresne: The soldier whose heroism the NZ Defence Force strangely refuses to recognise

I wrote this post for my blog last week, then decided it was an issue of public importance that deserved a wider audience. I shared it with the NZ Herald, which published its own story by David Fisher today.

A New Zealand Army hero has been denied proper posthumous recognition for reasons that are bafflingly unclear. The most plausible explanation is that the NZ Defence Force wanted to be spared further embarrassment over a shameful episode from its past.