New Zealand- 2017- 1 OZ Silver Proof Coin 1917 The Darkest Hour Passchendale

  

As the war continued its persistent trudge into 1917, New Zealanders began to grow weary of this great war that seemed to have no end in sight. While small victories such as the taking of the Sinai Peninsula came as good news and seemed to boost the morale of those back home, the larger picture was still looking grim. New Zealand would experience the deadliest day in its military history when 845 lives were lost at the Belgian town of Passchendaele. 12 October 1917 was the deadliest day in New Zealand's military history.

The failed attempt to capture the Belgian village of Passchendaele resulted in 3,700 New Zealand casualties, including 845 killed. The failed offensive saw many of the casualties buried in unmarked graves.

After the war the Tyne Cot Cemetery was built to memorialise these fallen troops close to where they had perished, along with other sites at Buttes, Polygon Wood and Messines. This coin depicts two soldiers paying their respects to a fallen comrade at a makeshift grave, with the desolation of the landscape in the background.

Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, United Kingdom. Two soldiers paying their respects to a fallen comrade at Passchendaele. Strategy Creative, Wellington, New Zealand.

New Zealand- 2014- 1 OZ Silver Proof Coin - 1914 The Announcement of War. New Zealand- 2015 - 1 OZ Silver Proof Coin - 1915 The Spirit of Anzac. New Zealand- 2017- 1 OZ Silver Proof Coin - 1917 The Darkest Hour Passchendale. New Zealand- 2018 - 1 OZ Silver Proof Coin- 1918 Back from the Brink.

New Zealand -2015- 1 OZ Silver Proof Dollar Coin- The Spirit of ANZAC. New Zealand- 2017 - 1 OZ Silver Proof Coin - the Battle of Messines.