Photos by Linny Folau and Peter Poulsen

The solitary soldier atop Tonga’s Cenotaph was removed from Pangai Si'i on November 5 and crossed Taufa’ahau Road where, dangling from a crane and in the protective arms of a serviceman, he was lowered to a new position next to the National Flag Station - in time for the Remembrance Sunday Service tomorrow November 8.

There was none of the fanfare, brass bands, tears or the laying of wreaths that the statue of the soldier has been the centre of during the 92 years he has resided at Pangai Si‘i, from 11 November 1923 to 5 November 2015. However, it was a solemn journey, in the hands of HMAF, with care to make sure that it would be a smooth ride to a new, but temporary, location on the northern side of the flagpole, where the white statue shone in the rain that fell heavily during his removal. But there was a dawn salute from the soldiers who worked through the night to move him.

The Tongan Parliament was told in September by the Minister for Internal Affairs, Hon. Fe’ao Vakata, that the transfer of the Cenotaph from Pangai Si’i to the National Flag Station would be temporary, and that the Cenotaph would be relocated back to Pangai Si’i  once the construction of the St George’s Palace was completed in 2017.

Armistice Day

The Cenotaph and Band Stand commemorated Tongan soldiers who served and were lost in both World Wars. The War Memorial was commissioned by the late Queen Sālote and unveiled on Armistice Day, 11 November 1923, to honour the men of Tonga who served and died in the first world war. More names were input after the second world war for those who served and died. The solider, head bowed and hands resting on his rifle - reversed in the position that would have been assumed at the burial of a comrade, stood on top of a tapered pedestal.

The nearby band stand and its surrounding trees were bulldozed earlier this year to make way for the government’s new building.

His Majesty’s Armed Forces will hold its annual Remembrance Sunday Service at the National Flag Station at noon tomorrow, Sunday November 8.

The Guests of Honour for the Remembrance Sunday Services will be HRH Crown Prince ‘Ulukalala Tupouto’a and HRH Crown Princess Sinaitakala Tuku‘aho.

See also: Smashed cenotaph, sad and possibly illegal [2]