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Cyril Basset, VC - Source: ONE News -
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As Armistice Day has been marked around New Zealand, there are fears that the significance of New Zealand's contribution to World War I is being forgotten.
Over 18,000 New Zealanders lost their lives in WWI, over 6,000 more than were killed in World War II.
A new initative has been launched in secondary schools to try to keep the significance of that sacrifice alive.
Cyril Bassett VC, New Zealand's only soldier to win a Victoria Cross at Gallipolli, has had a speech competition launched in his name for students.
The annual competition will be a fitting tribute to Bassett whose VC-winning heroics were all about communication.
During the ferocious battle for Chunuk Bair, the 23-year-old laid and constantly repaired a telephone wire to the front line, day and night, under continuous heavy fire.
"He was a great guy who was just persistent and he worked as a team and he just wanted to get these lines down and to make everything safe for his unit," says Sarah Curry, Bassett's granddaughter.
The student with the best speech detailing Kiwi heroics on the battlefield will win an Anzac Day tip to Turkey.
