Imperial Camel Corps
Camels, like horses, have been used in warfare for centuries. Their ability to carry heavy loads and go for days without water made them ideally suited for patrol and transport work during the desert campaigns of the First World War.
Capture of German Samoa
Armistice Day
In New Zealand
The signing of the Armistice between the Allies and Germany on 11 November 1918 was celebrated in many cities and towns around New Zealand. Enthusiasm was dampened, though, by the ongoing impact of the influenza pandemic then ravaging the country. A premature report of the Armistice declaration published on 8 November added to the general sense of uncertainty about celebrating the official announcement.
The Arras tunnels
Passchendaele: fighting for Belgium
The Gallipoli campaign
We live so much under the shadow of sudden death, that one sees things very differently to ordinary times. Life is normally complicated, here it is savagely simple. Eat while you can, help all you can, sleep when and where you can, and above all, grin and keep a stiff upper lip. Even a mechanical smile is better than an anxious look. Worrying is not good for the men.
Percival Fenwick, medical officer on Gallipoli, 1915
Conscientious objection in the First World War
There are always supporters and opponents of a country fighting a war. As a nation, New Zealand took a full part in the First World War. More than 120,000 New Zealanders served overseas, and there was strong support for the war on the home front. But there were also people who opposed the war, for political, religious or moral reasons. Some of these people – conscientious objectors – paid a heavy price for their stance.
Over by Christmas
When the war broke out in 1914 men flocked in their thousands to answer the call to arms. By the end of the first week of the war 14,000 had enlisted. Few New Zealanders seemed opposed to the war.
