Tag Archives: New Zealand history

The Berry Boys – Girl Day

11 October 2012 – 3.04pm

One of the fascinating aspects of the Berry & Co photographs of World War I soldiers is that they were often photographed with family and friends. These family photographs bring to the fore the fact that women and children were affected by the war. Life on the home front was far from easy. People had to learn to live with the constant worry and fear that their loved one might be killed or injured. Food and other resources were severely limited and expensive. With so many men away, the work force was greatly reduced. Women often had to bring up young children on their own both during the war when their husbands were away and sometimes for the rest of their lives, if their loved one died.

In recognition of United Nations ‘International Day of the Girl Child’ I’d like to dedicate today’s blog to the women and children in the Berry & Co photographs. This annual event aims to raise public awareness about the equal rights of girls. It therefore seems appropriate and timely to highlight some of the girls featured in these photos and explore what their lives were like growing up in New Zealand.

Herbert and Marguerita Freeman with baby Zena, circa 1917, Wellington. Berry & Co. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

Baby Zena situated in the centre of this photo was the first child of Marguerita and Herbert Freeman. She was about three months old when this photo was taken. Her father was granted leave for four months in December 1916 on grounds of ‘hardship’ and that his wife Marguerita was a ‘very delicate woman’, which was code for her being pregnant. When he eventually embarked for the Great War on the 1 August 1918, Zena already had a sister, Rita who was born in April 1918. The family was lucky because even though Herbert was away from home for about a year, he arrived in England just prior to the Armistice in November 1918.

Arthur and Amy Gamon with baby Kathleen, Circa 1918, Wellington. Berry & Co. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

 Kathleen Gamon pictured here between her father Arthur and mother Amy was born on 20 June 1916. This photo was probably taken in about 1918 prior to Arthur leaving for the war. 

Life in New Zealand when Zena and Kathleen were born and growing up, was very different from today. The 1877 Education Act meant that there was free compulsory education for children aged between five and 14 but although secondary schooling was available, most children left school when they turned 14.

Kathleen attended the Lyall Bay Primary School but it is not known where Zena went to school. It is highly likely that they shared their classroom with up to 40 other children. Children were crammed into rows and the rooms were often hot in summer and cold in winter. Fresh air was considered to be highly beneficial so teachers were encouraged to keep the windows open year-round.

Most children learned to write on slate boards and when good enough they moved on to paper and pencil, and then ink. Widespread use of the strap and the cane ensured children followed the rules, held their pencils correctly and did their homework!

The 1920s was a time when the educational and professional sectors expanded in New Zealand. Women seized new opportunities in employment. The School Dental Nurse service, established in the 1920s, provided an opportunity for women to train as Dental Nurses and the Plunket Society trained Plunket and Karitane nurses all considered good career choices for young women.

Like most women, both Zena and Kathleen married and had children. Kathleen died in 2003 but Zena is still alive. It’s amazing to think about the changes she would have seen in her life time. The opportunities for girls in New Zealand today are vast in comparison to when Zena and Kathleen were little girls and it’s hard to imagine a time when women weren’t allowed to take part in parliament or choose to have a career or university education. In many countries though, there are still huge levels of inequality for girls. ‘The International Day of the Girl Child’ is an important date and moment to think about girls’ rights and the recognition girls deserve as citizens and as powerful agents of social change.

By lynettet | Posted in Collections Online, Education, History, Kids, Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Do you know this building?

8 October 2012 – 3.49pm

 Te Papa has an enormous collection of photographs, negatives and transparencies by Brian Brake (1927 – 88), one of New Zealand’s best known photographers.  Brake became famous while working overseas as a photojournalist – one of his best known works is the Monsoon photo essay, which he took in 1960.  He also photographed extensively in New Zealand, taking many images of scenery and historic buildings.  Many of these have come to us with nothing to tell us where they are, but maybe they’re just up the road from you.  So I’m hoping you might be able to identify these for us … send us your ideas!

1 – Old wooden buildings – maybe Arrowtown?

New Zealand Historic Buildings:, 1960 s - 1980 s, New Zealand. Brake, Brian. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

New Zealand Historic Buildings, 1960s – 1980s, New Zealand. Brian Brake. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

 2 – Where and who is he?

New Zealand Historic Buildings: Monument, 1960 s - 1980 s, New Zealand. Brake, Brian. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

New Zealand Historic Buildings: Monument, 1960s – 1980s, New Zealand. Brian Brake. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

3 – A wee wooden church somewhere:

New Zealand Historic Buildings: Church, 1960 s - 1980 s, New Zealand. Brake, Brian. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

New Zealand Historic Buildings: Church, 1960s – 1980s, New Zealand. Brian Brake. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

 

4 – A monument or a building?  Nice location …

New Zealand Historic Buildings:, 1960 s - 1980 s, New Zealand. Brake, Brian. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

New Zealand Historic Buildings, 1960s – 1980s, New Zealand. Brian Brake. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

5 – Maybe Otago?

New Zealand Historic Buildings:, 1960 s - 1980 s, New Zealand. Brake, Brian. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

New Zealand Historic Buildings, 1960s – 1980s, New Zealand. Brian Brake. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

6 – This reminds me of some of the old East Coast freezing works . . .

New Zealand Historic Buildings:, 1960 s - 1980 s, New Zealand. Brake, Brian. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

New Zealand Historic Buildings:, 1960s – 1980s, New Zealand. Brian Brake. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

By Anita Hogan | Posted in History, Photography | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (8)

September 1907 – this month last century

28 September 2012 – 10.51am

105 years ago New Zealand becomes a Dominion (26 September 1907)

At 11am, 26 September 1907, New Zealand officially moved up in the ranks in the British Empire. On that day it became a Dominion instead of a Colony. That night, electric illuminations on buildings in the capital proclaimed this auspicious and historical moment.

Dominion Day - Government Buildings at night, 25.09.1907, Wellington. Maker unknown. Te Papa

Dominion Day – Government Buildings at night, 25.09.1907, Wellington. Maker unknown. Te Papa

Although public servants were given a holiday and children were presented with a special medal to commemorate the event, this change did not translate into any significant changes to everyday life in New Zealand.

Dominion Day parade, 25.09.1907. Photographed by Frederick Brockett (1881-1956). Te Papa

Dominion Day parade, 25.09.1907. Photographed by Frederick Brockett (1881-1956). Te Papa

And despite military parades and flag raising ceremonies, many people did not comprehend the differences between begin a Colony and Dominion. The change was more of a political initiative, motivated by perceptions – perceptions that within the Empire, Dominions were superior to Colonies.

There’s more about New Zealand becoming a Dominion on nzhistory.net.nz

Learn about New Zealand and its colonial attachment to Great Britain in the 1900s on the Slice of Heaven exhibition website

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in History, Exhibitions, Collections Online, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa, Photography | Also tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Surviving a shipwreck – the wreck of the Dundonald

16 August 2012 – 5.55pm

In my last post I touched on the shipwreck of the Dundonald on Disappointment Island in 1907, and the rescue of its survivors by the Hinemoa when she was taking scientists to the Auckland Islands.  The Auckland Islands were on a major shipping route, but the available charts were not always accurate, and several ships were wrecked there in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  The twelve Dundonald crew who survived spent eight months on the islands during a freezing sub-antarctic winter, eating what they could catch, and making shelter without any equipment.  

Survivors of wreck of the barque "Dundonald". From the album: [1907 Sub-Antarctic Expedition]; circa 1908; North, W. November 1907, Auckland Islands. Page, Samuel. Te Papa

Survivors of wreck of the barque “Dundonald”. From the album: 1907 Sub-Antarctic Expedition. November 1907, Auckland Islands. Attributed to Samuel Page. Te Papa

 

Smashed on the cliffs

The Dundonald was sailing from Sydney to England with a cargo of wheat when she ran aground on the 6th of March, 1907.   Some survivors gave their story to the newspapers when they finally returned to the mainland.  These extracts from Charles Eyre’s account were published in the Auckland Star on 2 December 1907.

” The weather on the night of the 6th of March was very thick and heavy … Suddenly the land was seen right ahead.  We tried to wear the ship short round, but she would not stay, and went stern first into a crevice of the cliffs.  Orders were given to clear the lifeboats, but it was found to be useless, as there was a big sea, and rocks all around us … One tremendous sea washed clean over us, and although we managed to hang on, the next one washed us all away … I caught hold of one of the shrouds and climbed up (the mast)”.

The next day Eyre found that several other men had spent the night clinging to the mast.  Eventually they struggled to shore.  “There were sixteen of us out of 28 that got ashore, which left twelve to be accounted for as drowned … we were all very much exhausted when we got ashore, being very hungry and cold … Later on we discovered there was no depot (of emergency supplies) on that island.  This was a great disappointment to  the mate … he sank rapidly and died the twelfth day after the wreck.”  The mate was an elderly man called Jabez Peters, from Glasgow.  Among those who died in the wreck were Captain Thorburn and his young son, and sailors from around the UK and Scandinavia.

Find out more about emergency depots for shipwrecked sailors in the Sub-Antarctic Islands

Staying alive

“The first day after getting ashore, we subsisted on raw mollymawk. … We managed to scrape through the winter all right by living on sea hawks, mollymawks, and seals … we did not know how to kill (the seals).  At first we used to whack them with a stick, but one of the fellows happened to hit one on the nose, and it rolled over, so after that we had no difficulty in dispatching them.” 

Sea Lion on shore of Enderby Island. From the album: [1907 Sub-Antarctic Expedition]; circa 1908; North, W. November 1907, Auckland Islands. Page, Samuel. Te Papa

Sea Lion on shore of Enderby Island. From the album: 1907 Sub-Antarctic Expedition. November 1907. Attributed to Samuel Page. Te Papa

The men soon realised they would need some form of shelter to survive the snows of winter.  ” We then decided to dig holes in the ground, which we did with our hands.  Above the holes we built up sticks and put sods on top, forming huts about six feet long and four feet wide”.  One of their huts was used as a cook-house by the scientific expedition which eventually discovered and rescued the men.

Shipwrecked mariners camp, Disappointment Island. Auckland Islands seven miles distant in background. From the album: [1907 Sub-Antarctic Expedition]; circa 1908; North, W. November 1907, Auckland Islands. Page, Samuel. Te Papa

Shipwrecked mariners camp, Disappointment Island. The Auckland Islands are just visible on the horizon. From the album: 1907 Sub-Antarctic Expedition. November 1907, Auckland Islands. Attributed to Samuel Page. Te Papa

A desperate plan

“(We) knew the depot was on the other island, which was about six miles distant, but we did not know how to get across.  … In July three men built a boat of canvas and sticks. To do this we had to put pieces of our clothes and blankets and sew them together, and the task was all the harder as the ship’s sailmaker and carpenter were both drowned.”

The first boat made it to the main island, but the men couldn’t find the depot, and returned empty handed after several days of searching.  A second boat was smashed as it left shore.  “We build a third (boat) in October … we got to the large island, but as we reached the shore we struck a rock and the boat was smashed, sending us all into the water … the mishap put out a fire we had carried in the boat on a sod.  We had carried it in order to save matches, of which we had only two. These got wet, and even after drying them for three days we could not get a light.”  Without a fire, the men subsisted miserably on raw seal meat.

Frame of coracle used by shipwreck survivors to reach Relief Depot, Auckland Islands, where whaleboat was stored. From the album: [1907 Sub-Antarctic Expedition]; circa 1908; North, W. November 1907, Auckland Islands. Page, Samuel. Te Papa

Frame of coracle used by shipwreck survivors to reach Relief Depot, Auckland Islands, where whaleboat was stored. Charles Eyre is on the left, and another survivor, John Gratton, on the right of the boat. From the album: 1907 Sub-Antarctic Expedition. November 1907, Auckland Islands. Attributed to Samuel Page. Te Papa

The men walked fifteen miles across the island to locate the depot.  “There was a good boat at the depot, but no sails, so we cut up our clothes to make a sail … we had found clothes at the depot and exchanged them for what we were wearing, and we had also cut each others’ hair and beards, which over the seven months we were on the other island had grown so long that we looked like  a lot of ‘spring poets’.  As we got near our old camp our mates did not know us in our new ‘toggery’ and they thought we were sealers.”

The survivors then moved over to the main island and kept close watch for the Government steamer which called at the islands every six months. The small amount of biscuits and tinned meat they found in the depot was carefully rationed in the meantime – the butter, coffee, tea and sugar which should have been there had been stolen.

Rescue

Charles and the others were finally rescued when the Hinemoa arrived on 16 November.  Before they left the islands, they retrieved the first mate’s body from Disappointment Island and buried him at the small cemetery at Port Ross, alongside other shipwrecked mariners.  The ceremony was attended by all the survivors, the crew of the Hinemoa, and the members of the scientific expedition.

Read Eyre’s full account of the wreck

See maps and more information about shipwrecks in the Auckland Islands

By Anita Hogan | Posted in Disasters, History, Photography | Also tagged , , , , , , | Comments (1)

July 1986: this month last century

31 July 2012 – 11.53am

26 years ago the Homosexual Law Reform Bill is signed into law by the Governor General (11 July 1986)

This historic piece of legislation, introduced by Labour MP, Fran Wilde in March 1985, decriminalised sexual relations between men aged 16 years and over. This was after a close vote in parliament. Forty-nine members voted to pass the Bill while 44 voted against it. The Act came into effect in August 1986.

Fierce debate had raged over the 14 months leading up to this moment. Supporters of the bill and gay rights upheld the proposed new law on the grounds that it extended equal human rights to homosexual New Zealanders. Opponents argued that the decriminalisation of homosexuality would result in social mayhem. They used evidence from the bible to support their view that the law should not be changed.

Dance sign ’Gay Gordons’. Gift of Robert McLean, 2005. Te Papa

Dance sign ’Gay Gordons’. Gift of Robert McLean, 2005. Te Papa

The idea of ‘gay rights’ inflamed intense passions on both sides, the word ‘gay’ now invoking more than just something that was ‘light-hearted and carefree’. It was no longer an apolitical word, as featured in the name of a popular dance at socials and balls – ‘the Gay Gordons’.

There were many public meetings, marches, and rallies, both for and against the Bill. In September 1985, a petition signed by up to one million anti-law reformers was presented to parliament. The petition was later found to contain far fewer signatures than the organisers had claimed.

T-shirt, ’Queer’, mid 1990s, Australia. Act Up. Gift of Neil Anderson, 2000. Te Papa

T-shirt, ’Queer’, mid 1990s, Australia. Act Up. Gift of Neil Anderson, 2000. Te Papa

The eventual passage of the Homosexual Law Bill into law represented a partial victory in a longer battle to see that discrimination due to sexual orientation was made illegal. This landmark was finally reached in 1993, when the Human Rights Bill passed into law.  

The recognition of rights paved the way for members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities to freely express their identities in public – even reclaiming formerly derogatory terms such as ‘queer’ – without the fear of official persecution.

Read more about Homosexual Law Reform on the Slice of Heaven exhibition website.

There are also details on this topic at nzhistory.net.

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in Collections Online, History, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

The Berry Boys – another story from the photos featuring World War 1 soldiers

18 July 2012 – 1.20pm

One of the amazing things about researching the Berry and Co portraits is that with each identification comes new insight into World War 1. The stories behind the people and their experiences make what happened during the war more real and personal. One image in particular pulled at my heart-strings this month, that of John Owen Clay and his involvement in the Battle of the Somme.

Clay, John Owen, circa 1916, Wellington. Berry & Co. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

Clay, John Owen, circa 1916, Wellington. Berry & Co. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

Sergeant John Clay had fought extensively in France where he was wounded several times. His medical records show that he received medical treatment in Alexandria and Estaples but it was the last entry on his medical record that linked the experiences of John to one of New Zealand’s most devastating battles – the Battle of The Somme, September 1916.

The Somme was New Zealand’s first major engagement on the Western Front, beginning with an advance across ‘No Man’s Land’ at 6.20am on 15 September. The NZ Division fought for 23 consecutive days in bad weather conditions and suffered heavy losses. There were 7000 casualties with 1500 men killed. John was there and was one of those injured.

His military medical report documents that on the 25 September John received a compound fracture of the skull. The record states, ‘While in a bayonet charge he was struck by a bullet, sustaining an extensive depression over posterior frontal region’. John was lucky to survive, but after a period of recovery he was discharged from service in April 1917.

Medical record for John Owen Clay. New Zealand Defence Force Personnel Records. Archives New Zealand.

Medical record for John Owen Clay. New Zealand Defence Force Personnel Records. Archives New Zealand.

It appears that John lived in the Wellington region after the war, he may have gone back to his old job working for the New Zealand Railways in Trentham. He died at the Silverstream Hospital in July 1968 aged 81 years old. His next-of-kin at the time of his death was Mrs B Clay who was possibly his wife.

John lived a long life and it would be great to know more about what happened next.  This is the next stage of the project and to help with this we now have two wonderful researchers from the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists using their research skills and networks to flesh out the stories of the people we identify in these portraits. We now have about 30 soldiers as well as their family identified and are starting to build up quite a fascinating collection of stories.

If you would like to see all of the World War 1 photos by Berry & Co you can search the group on Collections Online or go to Flickr where you can leave us a message.

By lynettet | Posted in Collections Online, History, Photography, Uncategorized | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

June 1987: This month last century

29 June 2012 – 6.51pm

25 years ago the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act is passed (8 June 1987).

Badge, ’Keep New Zealand Nuclear Free’, 1980s, New Zealand. Maker unknown. Gift of Ken Thomas, 2008. Te Papa

Badge, ’Keep New Zealand Nuclear Free’, 1980s, New Zealand. Maker unknown. Gift of Ken Thomas, 2008. Te Papa

This legislation was a flash point in the history of New Zealand’s international relations. It derailed New Zealand’s defence alliance with the USA and Australia known as Anzus.

The Anzus Treaty, which had come into force on 29 April 1952, drew the three parties together over shared defence interests. Under Article II in the Treaty, they had agreed that ‘separately and jointly by means of continuous and effective self-help and mutual aid’, they would ‘maintain and develop their individual capacity to resist and attack’.

Still life, 1984. Pam Debenham (Australia, 1955- ). Purchased 1988 with Harold Beauchamp Collection funds. Te Papa

Still life, 1984. Pam Debenham (Australia, 1955- ). Purchased 1988 with Harold Beauchamp Collection funds. Te Papa

Increasingly, nuclear weapons and nuclear-powered military apparatus became integral to defence. The 1980s saw a proliferation of nuclear weapon, especially in the arsenals of the two major Cold War super powers, the USA and the Soviet Union. With this, fears increased about the potential global fall-out of nuclear war.

David Lange (1942-2005), 'New Zealand - Lange Family', 1980s, New Zealand. Brian Brake photographer. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

David Lange (1942-2005), ‘New Zealand – Lange Family’, 1980s, New Zealand. Brian Brake photographer. Gift of Mr Raymond Wai-Man Lau, 2001. Te Papa

Locally, there were also specific concerns about the impact of nuclear testing in the Pacific. Anti-nuclear sentiments gained popular and political support, and saw New Zealanders elect a Labour-led anti-nuclear government, under David Lange, in 1984.

In 1985, the government said no to an American request for a visit to the country by the guided missile destroyer USS Buchanan. The basis for the refusal was that the Buchanan could potentially be carrying nuclear weapons. The US government, which would not confirm or deny this, retaliated by severing military ties and downgrading diplomatic ones.

Badge, ’Please leave Me A green and Peaceful Planet’, 1980s, New Zealand. Greenpeace. Gift of Ken Thomas, 2008. Te Papa

Badge, ’Please leave me a green and peaceful planet’, 1980s, New Zealand. Greenpeace. Gift of Ken Thomas, 2008. Te Papa

Visits by vessels carrying weapons, or those that were nuclear powered, were specifically banned by the 1987 Act. Under section 11, ‘entry into the internal waters of New Zealand by any ship whose propulsion is wholly or partly dependent on nuclear power’ was prohibited. The statute also vetoed the acquisition, storage and testing of nuclear explosive devices.

The legislation finally ruptured the Anzus Treaty. The US suspended military cooperation with New Zealand, and demoted New Zealand to the status of ‘friend’ rather than ‘ally’. But four years after this expulsion, more than half of the New Zealand population still believed this sacrifice was worth it.

Read more about New Zealand’s changing foreign ties on the Slice of Heaven exhibition minisite

 Read about Wellington becoming  nuclear free on Te Papa’s blog

 Watch material about New Zealand’s nuclear-free movement at NZ OnScreen

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in Collections Online, Exhibitions, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

The Berry Boys – photos featuring New Zealand World War One Soldiers

20 June 2012 – 11.47am

The public interest following last month’s blog post was immense and extremely heart-warming. The reaction was helped along by an article in The Dominion Post on the 5 June entitled ‘Positive search via war negatives’ and an interview with Jim Mora on Radio New Zealand National.  The emails, phone calls and letters poured in. As well as people seeking to find images of family members who were in World War One, there were others who were able to provide information about the soldiers and a few people have offered ongoing assistance. This response has proven to me that there is a huge amount of interest and a hunger for information about people’s experiences during World War One, and that the images and the stories behind the images are fascinating and compelling.

One very exciting outcome was when a relative of Harold Batten, pictured below, recognised the photo in the Dominion Post article and rang to add new information.

Batten, Harold John, circa 1917 - 1919, Wellington. Berry & Co. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

Batten, Harold John, circa 1917 – 1919, Wellington. Berry & Co. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

Harold was 24 years old when he commenced service on 5 January 1917. At this time he lived in Otaki and was a horse trainer and jockey.

He left Wellington on a ship named the ‘Pakeha’ in April 1917. This young fresh-faced man was about to be engaged in one of New Zealand’s most catastrophic and tragic battles of all time, killing thousands men. Harold’s unit endured Passendale in October 1917, but he survived. Harold was wounded by  ‘high explosive’ shell on 12 October 1917. He received a wound to his lower left forearm and was hospitalised. Once he was well enough, Harold returned to New Zealand.

Harold survived the war and according to his niece, he lived a long and happy life. He married Bessie Olive Taylor in 1918 and they had two children, Patricia and Ernest. He lived in Hamilton until the age of 61.

Another negative with the name Baigent etched on it was an unsolved case last month, but with the help of Iain Davidson, a sheep farmer with a special interest in military history, the sitters’ have been reunited with their identities.

Baigent, Annie and Ashley Heath, Circa 1917, Wellington. Berry & Co. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

Baigent, Annie and Ashley Heath, Circa 1917, Wellington. Berry & Co. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

The woman and soldier above have now been identified as Annie (nee Packard) and Ashley Heath  Baigent. Ashley was a farmer from Takaka, just like Iain. Although there is no family connection between Iain and Ashley they shared similar lives.

Ashley’s war story is quite a short one. He attested for service in 1917, was assigned to the New Zealand Field Artillery’s 25th Reinforcements but was found to have a goitre and therefore ‘unfit for active service’.

I’d like to end this month’s blog by drawing attention to the high death rate of soldiers caused by influenza. Even though I was aware that the influenza epidemic that swept through New Zealand caused the death of thousands of healthy people, I was surprised by the number of soldiers I have come across that died from it. One example, Private James Frederick Carnes of the 40th Reinforcements, became ill on his journey to the Great War in 1918. He died of influenza and was buried at sea.

These men were exceptionally fit and healthy. Who would have guessed their fate would be to die of the flu. Another example I came across was William Anderson, pictured below with his mother Marion. He attested for service in January 1918, only 20 years old. He had been living in Westport and working as a purser for the Union Steam Ship Company. His mother and father lived in Wellington and he had a brother George and sister Janet.

Anderson, Marion and William, circa 1918, Wellington. Berry & Co. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

Anderson, Marion and William, circa 1918, Wellington. Berry & Co. Purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

He embarked on the Tofua from Wellington, 22 May 1918 as part of the 42nd Reinforcements, C Company. Two months later while training at the Cannock Chase army camp in Staffordshire, England he died of ‘pneumonia’ probably caused by the Spanish Flu epidemic which was rife there. He is buried at the Cannock Chase War Cemetery.

All of the people in these images have a unique story to tell about their lives during World War One. If you think that you might have something to contribute please visit our new Flickr site Kiwi Faces of War which will enable you to view all of our soldier portraits (arranged alphabetically) and add comments and information.

We are regularly updating and adding to the Te Papa records. For the most up to date information on each image go to Collections Online

By lynettet | Posted in Collections Online, History, Photography | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

May 1965 – This month last century

14 May 2012 – 4.30pm

47 years ago  Keith Holyoake announced that New Zealand would send a combat unit to Vietnam to support the US-led coalition fighting there (24 May 1965).

The Right Hon. Keith J. Holyoake C.H. circa 1965, New Zealand. William Dargie (1912-2003). Gift of Sir Henry Kelliher, 1967. © Te Papa.

The Right Hon. Keith J. Holyoake C.H. circa 1965, New Zealand. William Dargie (1912-2003). Gift of Sir Henry Kelliher, 1967. © Te Papa.

This is a portrait of the National party Prime Minister Keith Holyoake who, at the end of May 1965, announced that a combat unit from New Zealand would be deployed to Vietnam. This was the 161st Battery RNZA, a four-gun field artillery battery. Originally comprising of around 120 men, the battery’s strength was increased to six guns in 1966.

Although medical staff and military engineers had already been posted to Vietnam, this represented New Zealand’s first military commitment to what would be the country’s longest and most controversial military engagement of the twentieth century.

Between 1964 and 1972, a total of 3,500 New Zealanders served in what amounted to  Vietnam’s civil war.

Yet it was the Cold War, and containing communism in South East Asia, that partly explained New Zealand’s presence there. The Prime Minister  had to balance this objective with the country’s existing and ongoing military commitment to the Malayan Emergency. The number of New Zealand combatants was kept to a minimum, while also meeting the expectations of the USA and Australia, New Zealand’s partners in the ANZUS defence treaty.

Anti Vietnam war demonstration, Early 1970s, Wellington. Ans Westra. Purchased 1993 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

Anti Vietnam war demonstration, Early 1970s, Wellington. Ans Westra. Purchased 1993 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa

Protests escalated as Holyoake responded to increased pressure from the United State by expanding New Zealand’s military commitment in 1967. Photographer Ans Westra documented many of the street protests that demonstrated this growing opposition to the war, and New Zealand’s involvement in it, including the image shown above.

Read more about the broad diplomatic context of New Zealand and the Vietnam War on the exhibition website: Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa.

There are also further details about the war on NZHistory.net.nz and a related website dedicated to memories of New Zealand and the Vietnam War

Reference:

Roberto Rabel, ‘’Vietnam War’, in Ian MacGibbon, ed., The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Military History, Oxford, 2000.

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in Collections Online, History, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

April 1982: this month last century

24 April 2012 – 6.11pm

Thirty years ago, Wellington is voted nuclear weapons-free by the city council (14 April 1982).

In 1981, New Zealand peace groups began campaigning for sites around the country to become nuclear weapons-free. This initiative was supposed to highlight the dangers of nuclear weapons and to change national policies related to them. The following year, Wellington became nuclear weapons-free.

No nukes in the Pacific. 1984. Pam Debenham. Purchased 1988 with Harold Beauchamp Collection funds. © Pam Debenham. Te Papa

No nukes in the Pacific. 1984. Pam Debenham. Purchased 1988 with Harold Beauchamp Collection funds. © Pam Debenham. Te Papa

This anti-nuclear position had evolved from environmental protests over French nuclear testing in the Pacific in the early 1970s. As the decade progressed, protests were also directed at visits to New Zealand by US vessels that were either nuclear-powered or -armed. The poster below advertised a protest that took place in Auckland in 1976.

Poster, ’No Nuclear Warships in N.Z. Ports’, 1976, New Zealand. Campaign Against Nuclear Warships. Gift of Robyn Anderson, 2004. Te Papa

Poster, ’No Nuclear Warships in N.Z. Ports’, 1976, New Zealand. Campaign Against Nuclear Warships. Gift of Robyn Anderson, 2004. Te Papa

Opposition to visiting American ships more than doubled between 1978 and 1983, even though these visits were part of maintaining ANZUS, the defence treaty that New Zealand had entered into with the USA and Australia after World War II.

By 1984, nuclear weapons and where the government stood in relation to this issue became a critical election issue. Some say that it caused the downfall of Prime Minister Robert Muldoon and the National government.

Badge, ’ANZUS’, 1980s, New Zealand. Maker unknown. Gift of Anne Else, 2004. Te Papa

Badge, ’ANZUS’, 1980s, New Zealand. Maker unknown. Gift of Anne Else, 2004. Te Papa

The newly elected Prime Minister, David Lange, was openly opposed to nuclear weapons. He declared that ‘there’s only one thing worse than being incinerated by your enemies, and that being incinerated by your friends’ (Frontier of Dreams, p. 367).

Badge, 'Greenpeace’, circa 1985, New Zealand. Greenpeace. Gift of Ken Thomas, 2008. Te Papa

Badge, ’Greenpeace’, circa 1985, New Zealand. Greenpeace. Gift of Ken Thomas, 2008. Te Papa

The bombing of the Greenpeace protest vessel, Rainbow Warrior, in Auckland harbour in 1985 strengthened New Zealanders’ anti-nuclear stance. In 1987, the Labour-led government passed the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament and Arms Control Act. As the badge illustrated below put it, New Zealanders had all the arms they needed.

Badge, ’All The Arms We Need’, 1980s. Maker unknown. Gift of Ken Thomas, 2008. Te Papa

Badge, ’All The Arms We Need’, 1980s. Maker unknown. Gift of Ken Thomas, 2008. Te Papa

The USA responded to this situtation by downgrading New Zealand’s status from ‘ally’ to ‘friend’.

But this demotion did not affect local attitudes, and New Zealanders held to their anti-nuclear ideals. By 1988, 72% of the population was living in a total of 105 areas that had been declared nuclear weapon-free zones. And, by 1989, over half the country indicated that it would sacrifice formal defence ties, such as ANZUS, rather than admit nuclear-armed ships into the country.

Go to the Slice of Heaven exhibition website to read more about the background to this story.

Read further details about ‘Nuclear-free New Zealand’ on nzhistory.net.nz

Reference:

Bronwyn Dalley and Gavin McLean, eds, Frontier of Dreams: The Story of New Zealand, Auckland, 2005.

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in Collections Online, Exhibitions, History, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (1)
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