ANZAC Tatoo Goes Viral

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Anzac tattoo goes viral

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Last updated 20:43 02/03/2015

A poignant tattoo honouring Kiwi war veterans has caught the world's imagination, going viral on social media just days after being inked onto a Lower Hutt man.

A photo of Bruce Neal 's patriotic body art had gained 128,000 likes on Facebook by this afternoon, plus nearly 5000 comments and 40,000 shares.

The Wainuiomata ex-army man got inked last Thursday, and just hours later the tattoo was getting thousands of likes after Petone tattoo parlour Pieces of Eight uploaded a snapshot.

"It just went ballistic," Neal, 59, said.

"It's just unbelievable the way it picked up. Obviously it struck a chord."

The 19-centimetre tattoo depicts a line of World War I soldiers marching into the distance, which reflected creates the shape of a fern. "Lest We Forget" is written below.

Many people commented on Facebook that it was the best tattoo they had ever seen, while others suggested it would make a good new flag.

Neal had been waiting 41 years to fall in love with a design for his second tattoo, having got a kiwi bird on his shoulder aged 18. He saw the soldier fern image on a historical information board on the Wellington waterfront, and knew he had found the one.

"I thought 'that's it'. That means something to me."

Now an icecream salesman, Neal spent 18 years in the army and territorials, and met his wife in the forces. She loved the tattoo, as did his daughter who worked for the Air Force.

"Obviously it means as much to other people as it does to me," Neal said.

Tattoo artist Derek Thunders was still reeling at the attention his work was getting.

"When it got to 2000 likes I took a screenshot, because I thought it would tail off pretty soon. Most tattoos get 80 likes over a couple of weeks."

Several more people had asked for the design since seeing the post, but Thunders would not exactly replicate Neal's design, rather making each tattoo unique, he said.

The fern was designed by Wellingtonian Chris Hay for a forthcoming historical walking trails project, Nga Tapuwae or "The Footsteps".

Part of the WW100 commemorations, a free app will guide walkers with maps, photos and soldiers' diaries through battlefields at Gallipoli and the Western Front.

Several people had got the logo tattooed, as it evoked stories about our past, WW100 spokesman Tim Renner said.

"It resonates with New Zealanders. It talks about who we are,"

Great War soldiers would have been happy to be honoured with a tattoo, Renner said.

"Many New Zealand soldiers were gamblers, drinkers and partiers, so I think there would be no issue whatsoever. If someone wants to tattoo it and it gets people talking about the wars, that's great."