World War 2 veteran Syd Herriott will be joined by
great-grandson Kristian Groves (5), son Phil and grandson
Daniel (17) for the dawn parade at Dunedin's cenotaph at
today's Anzac Day service. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
Syd Herriott has not missed a dawn parade since coming
home from the war - and losing his medals, poor eyesight and a
few health "hiccups" are not going to stop him now.
This year, the 87-year-old, who as a 19-year-old lied about
his age to get into the army and then fought with the 26th
Battalion in Egypt and Italy during World War 2, will march
to the Dunedin Cenotaph alongside his son, grandson and
great-grandson.
The old soldier will also be sporting a new set of medals,
reissued after he misplaced his and had paraded without them
for the past two years. His great-grandson, Kristian Groves,
will wear a matching pint-sized set when he marches alongside
him at his first dawn parade.
It was "wonderful" that four generations of his family would
march together, Mr Herriott said.
He said he attended a service every year wherever he was and
had been to parades all over the South Island and one in
Cairns, where he was holidaying at the time.
He would continue attending dawn parades as long as he could
because, to him, the purpose of Anzac Day was to make an
effort to remember the soldiers who had not come home.
"[It's about] fallen comrades. You don't forget them."
Mr Herriott's son, Phil (48), himself an ex-naval warrant
officer, said he marched every year, but usually "down the
back".
This year, because of Mr Herriott's failing sight, the RSA
had allowed the family to walk "up front with Dad".
His father was one of four Invercargill brothers who went to
war and one of two who came back, he said.
The military tradition remained strong in the next generation
of the family too. Mr Herriott's three sons, including Phil,
all served with the Royal New Zealand Navy.
• A mild day is expected in Otago today with temperatures for
dawn services expected to be in double figures, MetService
weather ambassador Bob McDavitt says.
Meteorologists say a low over the Tasman Sea will drag
subtropical air on to New Zealand this weekend.
This was expected to bring rain about the Southern Alps but
Otago, and especially Dunedin, was expected to remain dry
today, he said.
A moist northeaster would mean weekend temperatures
could reach 16degC-17degC.
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