PM pays respects to NZ war hero on UK visit

Prime Minister Helen Clark has kicked off a week long European visit with a service rededicating the graves of one of New Zealand's greatest war heroes and his wife.

The graves of Lieutenant-General Bernard Freyberg and his wife Barbara had fallen into a bad state of repair till Christchurch veteran Earle Crutchley visited them in 2004 and mounted a campaign to refurbish them.

At a ceremony early this morning New Zealand time, Mr Crutchley joined several New Zealand defence force personnel, veterans and members of Lord Freyberg's family in a wreath-laying ceremony at the newly-restored graves.

Miss Clark said Lord Freyberg, who was born in Britain but moved to New Zealand when he was two, spent half his life in each country, and it was fitting that New Zealand ensure his resting place was properly honoured.

"Like many others who move between our two countries, Bernard Freyberg was at home in both environments. He understood and perhaps epitomised the similarities and differences between us."

General, later Lord, Freyberg commanded New Zealand troops in Africa and Italy and was in command of allied forces in Crete during World War II. He also served with distinction in World War I, winning the Victoria Cross at the Somme and famously swimming ashore at the start of the Gallipoli campaign to light flares to distract Turkish troops from the landings.

After the war, he served as Governor-General of New Zealand before returning to Britain.

He died in 1963 and Lady Freyberg died 10 years later.

Mr Crutchley discovered the poor state of the graves, which are outside a small church on a hill overlooking the Surrey countryside, when he and his wife, Norma, visited after a trip to Italy to commemorate the Battle of Cassino.

"We were very disappointed, actually, with what we saw - and we decided that something should be done as far as our general was concerned.

"We?ve been going now for nearly three and a half years, and this is the result, and disappointment no more, because it's very, very good."

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has agreed to maintain the graves, a rare departure from its requirement that it administer only graves for soldiers killed in battle.

The event was the first official engagement in a week-long visit to Europe by Miss Clark, who meets new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown early tomorrow (NZ time).

She said the meeting was an opportunity to meet Mr Brown in his new capacity early in his prime ministership.

"It's just a question of connecting for the first time formally, now that Gordon Brown is prime minister to ensure we keep the relationship going at a very high and strong level."

Miss Clark will also meet former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is now a special envoy to the Middle east peace process.

Her trip is centred around the 90th anniversary of the first battle of Passchendaele in Belgium, which will be marked with an international ceremony on Thursday, but she will also meet European Union commissioner Jose Manuel Barroso and new French president Nicholas Sarkozy.

The trip includes a ceremony marking the inflation of a giant rugby ball in front of the Eiffel Tower - a Tourism New Zealand event - and Miss Clark will also attend the All Blacks Rugby World Cup quarter final in Cardiff before returning to New Zealand.

- © Fairfax NZ News