The narrow bridge and sluice gate where Leslie Averill climbed a ladder to hasten the surrender of German forces in Le Quesnoy on November 4, 1918. PHOTO: CHRIS BARCLAY : Christchurch soldier's heroism the foundation for French town’s strong ties to NZ

George Edmund Butler painted Capture of the Walls of Le Quesnoy in 1920, with Leslie Averill atop the rampart. PHOTO: NATIONAL COLLECTION OF WAR ART, NZ ARCHIVES : Christchurch soldier's heroism the foundation for French town’s strong ties to NZ

Members of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade mingle with Le Quesnoy locals in the main square after four years of German occupation ended on November 4, 1918. PHOTO: HENRY ARMYTAGE SANDERS, ROYAL NEW ZEALAND RETURNED AND SERVICES’ ASSOCIATION COLLECTION : Christchurch soldier's heroism the foundation for French town’s strong ties to NZ

Leslie Averill indicates where he scaled the Le Quesnoy ramparts before the unveiling of a memorial in 1923. PHOTO: ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY : Christchurch soldier's heroism the foundation for French town’s strong ties to NZ

The memorial was unveiled in 1923. PHOTO: CHRIS BARCLAY : Christchurch soldier's heroism the foundation for French town’s strong ties to NZ

Second Lieutenant Leslie Cecil Lloyd Averill after enlisting in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1916. PHOTO: ARCHIVES NEW ZEALAND : Christchurch soldier's heroism the foundation for French town’s strong ties to NZ

New Zealand’s WW1 memorial headquarters on the old Western Front is now home to the New Zealand Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata. PHOTO: CHRIS BARCLAY : Christchurch soldier's heroism the foundation for French town’s strong ties to NZ

A perspex ladder is a focal point of the museum, leading to a higher level of understanding. PHOTO: CHRIS BARCLAY : Christchurch soldier's heroism the foundation for French town’s strong ties to NZ