"Memorial Tablet. (Great War) SQUIRE nagged and bullied till I went to fight,   (Under Lord Derby’s Scheme). I died in hell—   (They called it Passchendaele). My wound was slight,   And I was hobbling back; and then a shell   Burst slick upon the duck-boards: so I fell           Into the bottomless mud, and lost the light.      At sermon-time, while Squire is in his pew,   He gives my gilded name a thoughtful stare:   For, though low down upon the list, I’m there;   ‘In proud and glorious memory’ ... that’s my due. &nb ..read more

Lance Corporal Norman William Jellyman Killed in action 8 June 1917 Private George Douglas Fox Killed in action 8 June 1917 Sapper Robert Jackson Proude Died of wounds 11 June 1917 Private John Kirkland Died of wounds, 15 June 1917 ..read more

From the humdrum existence of camp life to the horrors of the front line trenches, soldiers lived for the day to get a trip to 'dear old Blighty'. 'Blighty' was a slang term referrring to Britain, and New Zealand soldiers deployed in France and Belgium longed for their chance of either gaining a leave pass to England or receiving a 'blighty wound' that was just enough to pull them out of the trenches and send them to hospital and eventually a convalescent depot in Britain. What follows, are examples of some of the many Blighty-themed postcards in distribution during the First World War ..read more

Two ladies identified only as Sylvia and Nell, dressed in khaki military uniform as a show of support to New Zealand soldiers on active service overseas. This portrait postcard was taken at Alva Studios on Cuba Street in Wellington c.1915. "The Alva Studio, 26 Cuba street, is now under entirely new management, Mr H. Fawson, a well-known Auckland photographer, having purchased the business. General alterations and improvements have been effected, and the studio is now one of the most up-to-date in the city. First-class work and entire satisfaction is guaranteed all patrons." NZ Times, 9 Jul ..read more

The Wytschaete-Messines Ridge in Western Flanders, Belgium was strategic high ground held by the Germans in 1917. Over a year in the making, Allied forces ambitiously tunnelled their way underground, far beneath No Man's Land and beyond to the German front line. Many tunnels were created and they all led to chambers laden with high explosives. Secrecy was paramount during construction of these tunnels and in the lead-up to Zero Hour, at 3.10am on 7 June 1917. It was at that moment that nineteen of these high explosive mines were detonated. Many veterans remembered the ferocious blasts, the mas ..read more

"A Charge at the Battle of the Somme 1916" an Oilette postcard by British artist Harry Payne. "Amiens Cathedral from the Banks of the Somme" a NZ YMCA postcard signed by artist 'SM'. " 'Somme' Retreat" postcard by artist T Gilson. A German panoramic postcard of the Somme countryside. A French postcard showing Albert's Basilica in ruins following heavy artillery fire. A NZ YMCA postcard entitled "A Well-known Village on the Somme". A selection of souvenir postcard booklets ..read more

The haunting sound of the whistle synonymous with the clamber of troops heading 'over the top' and doing best to rush across No Man's Land, was the sound that many would rather forget. That shrill blow from the lips was the call to death for so many of our New Zealand lads one hundred years ago today. It was Friday 15 September 1916 and the Battle of Flers-Courcelette on the Somme in Northern France had begun. Few anticipated the huge cost in casualties the New Zealand Division would sustain over the 23 consecutive days they spent on the bloody, muddy Somme landscape. Among them was Rifleman E ..read more

To mark the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Jutland and H.M.S. New Zealand's involvement in this naval encounter, I have gathered together some of my postcards on this subject to share with you... An early postcard of H.M.S. New Zealand. A record of the major actions she faced during the First World War feature in the picture: Heligoland, August 1915; Dogger Bank, January 1915; and Jutland, May 1916. Admiral Jellicoe can be seen on the right of the picture. A short handwritten message on the back reads: "To Mother and Dad, from Will. Wishing you both and all at home a heart ..read more

Some postcard humour from British artist Donald McGill.  This card was published by Inter-Art Co., Florence House, Barnes, London and is part of the "Comique" Series, no.2184. The message on the back of this postcard was written by a New Zealand soldier named Archie while at Brocton Camp in England. He has dated the message 14 April 1918 and addressed it to his brothers Harry and Will... "Dear Harry & Will, Just a line. I am still in Old Blighty and going strong. We are having rumors of war here occasionally. Expected to go over last week but it was a washout. Am on the Lewis gun s ..read more

A proposal to erect a National War Memorial in Wellington in 1919 was postponed owing to financial strains on the New Zealand economy caused by the war. The favoured proposal was to build a Carillon at Mt Cook. In 1930 the bells intended for Wellington's Carillon were erected in a special structure at Hyde Park in London for the inaugural recital before the bells were shipped to New Zealand. The carilloneur for the occasion was Mr Clifford Ball whose talent hailed from the Cadbury Brothers Carillon at the English town of Bournville. He was assisted at the recital by New Zealander, Miss Gladys ..read more