Bells of remembrance

Watch Carillonist Timothy Hurd playing in this short video, 'The Carillon - Granada'. (Storybox)

Completed in 1932 as a national memorial to those who died in the First World War, the National War Memorial Carillon has since become a memorial to all New Zealanders who have lost their lives in military conflict. The Carillon – a musical instrument made up of large bells – stands 50 metres tall and is located in Mount Cook, Wellington, at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park.

The original 49 bells of the Carillon were given to commemorate the First World War. Each bears a name or inscription in memory of those to whom they were dedicated. Twenty-five bells have been added to the Carillon since the first bells were cast, bringing the total number to 74. Of these, only the four large bells added in 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War also bear inscriptions. Read more about the Carillon.

The bells

Click on the links below to read the stories behind the inscription on each bell.

No.	Title	Note	Height	Diameter	Weight
1	Delville Wood bell	G#	140mm	175mm	4.00kg
2	Gaizencourt bell	G	146mm	174mm	4.50kg
3	Armentieres bell	F#	178mm	152mm	5.00kg
4	Mametz bell	F	152mm	190mm	5.00kg
5	Hill 60 bell	E	159mm	184mm	5.00kg
6	Flers bell	D#	165mm	190mm	5.00kg
7	Bapaume bell	D	171mm	203mm	5.50kg
8	Longueval bell	C#	179mm	216mm	7.00kg
9	Havrincourt bell	C	184mm	229mm	9.00kg
10	Couin bell	B	197mm	241mm	10.00kg
11	Bellevue bell	A#	210mm	254mm	11.00kg
12	Anneux bell	A	222mm	267mm	14.00kg
13	Beaumont Hamel bell	G#	241mm	279mm	16.00kg
14	High Wood bell	G	260mm	305mm	21.00kg
15	Rongomai bell	F#	279mm	330mm	27.00kg
16	Hebuterne bell	F	286mm	343mm	30.00kg
17	Bell no. 17 (Lewis bell)	E	298mm	368mm	38.00kg
18	Chunuk Bair bell	D#	317mm	387mm	44.00kg
19	Cambrai bell	D	330mm	406mm	46.00kg
20	Krithia bell	C#	340mm	420mm	53.50kg
21	Fricourt bell	C	356mm	432mm	55.00kg
22	Suvla Bay bell	B	375mm	457mm	66.00kg
23	Baghdad bell	A#	387mm	483mm	74.00kg
24	Ypres bell	A	413mm	508mm	87.00kg
25	Codford bell	G#	438mm	533mm	103.00kg
26	Mahara bell	G	464mm	559mm	129.00kg
27	La Vacquerie bell	F#	502mm	610mm	147.00kg
28	La Bassee bell	F	521mm	641mm	182.00kg
29	Wellington’s South African War Veterans’ bell	E	565mm	686mm	219.00kg
30	Abraham Heights bell	D#	578mm	711mm	232.00kg
31	The New Zealand Permanent Forces bell	D	597mm	737mm	252.50kg
32	Vailima bell	C#	629mm	762mm	266.50kg
33	Ubique bell	C	635mm	794mm	302.00kg
34	Le Quesnoy bell	B	686mm	850mm	366.00kg
35	The Nurses’ bell	A#	711mm	889mm	417.00kg
36	Bell no. 36 (Medical Services)	A	762mm	953mm	516.00kg
37	Walker’s Ridge bell	G#	813mm	1016mm	602.50kg
38	Sari Bair bell	G	864mm	1067mm	732.00kg
39	Gallipoli 1915 bell	F#	9144mm	1130mm	865.00kg
40	Bell no. 40 (Hutt Valley)	F	965mm	1194mm	1078.00kg
41	Flanders Fields bell	E	1041mm	1270mm	1269.00kg
42	Messines bell	D#	1092mm	1346mm	1459.00kg
43	Bell no. 43 (Merchant Marine)	D	1168mm	1422mm	1708.00kg
44	Jutland bell	C#	1245mm	1524mm	2040.00kg
45	Passchendaele bell	C	1321mm	1600mm	2448.00kg
46	Palestine bell	B	1397mm	1702mm	3005.50kg
47	Anzac bell	A#	1499mm	1803mm	3177.00kg
48	The Somme bell	A	1549mm	1905mm	4143.50kg
49	Reo Wairua bell	G#	1651mm	2032mm	5048.00kg
50	Grace (Aroha) bell	G		2145mm	6458.00kg
51	Hope (Tūmanako) bell	F#		2273mm	7904.00kg
52	Remembrance (Whakamaharatanga) bell	F		2403mm	9278.00kg
53	Peace (Rangimārie) bell	D		2720mm	12475.00kg

For further information see: https://mch.govt.nz/pukeahu/park/national-war-memorial/carillon