This is the fourth blog in our series about the real people behind the larger-than-life sculptures featured in Gallipoli: The scale of our war. This is the story of John Robert Dunn, known as ‘Jack’, who was one of the thousands of keen young men who rushed to enlist atRead more
Ko tā Paora Tibble (kaiwhakamāori o Te Papa), he tuhi rangitaki mō te reo Māori ki Karipori. Kāti, i te 3 o Hūrae 1915, ka pae Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū ki uta, ki Karipori. Koia Te Ope Tuatahi (Māori). Ākuni pea, he nui ngā hōia Māori ko te reo Māori tō rātou reoRead more
We presented soldiers’ actual words as much as possible, but had to create an imagined soldier-narrator – ‘the grunt’ – to fill many gaps in the story.Read more
History curator Michael Fitzgerald introduces Lieutenant Colonel Percival Fenwick, the second, larger-than-life figure encountered in Gallipoli: The scale of our war. The 45-year-old surgeon’s despair is palpable, as leans over Jack Aitken on May 4th 1915, knowing that he has been unable to save the fatally wounded Canterbury infantryman. Fenwick (1870–1958) was born inRead more
[This article was originally published in Te Papa newsletter, Te Auahi Turoa newsletter (3 July 2015) and has been reproduced here.] Kimihia, rangahaua, kei hea koutou ka ngaro nei? Tēnā ka riro ki Paerau, ki te huinga o Matariki, ka oti atu koutou e! Tangihia rā Te Ope Tuatahi iRead more
‘This is very different from the unfeeling and emotionally distant historical coverage of a war. I felt a weight in my lower chest as I learned about the stories and suffering of the people, witnessed their rage and despair sculpted on their faces, and felt the ground tremble under myRead more
In May this year, Road to Recovery: Disabled Soldiers of World War I closed, after its ten-month-long display at Te Papa. This exhibition, which explored how New Zealand soldiers disabled by World War I were supported to regain their economic independence, included 8 sepia photographs of limbless soldiers demonstrating new workRead more
We made the call early on to write from the soldiers’ perspective. In an exhibition about their experiences, it felt important to use their words.Read more
Registrations are now open for Museum Victoria’s War & Emotions symposium, which is being held at the Melbourne Museum in September in association with the exhibition WWI: Love & Sorrow. The symposium will explore new perspectives and understandings of the emotional and physical impacts of World War I. The symposium will feature internationalRead more
In this Gallipoli: The scale of our war blog, Weta Workshop’s Rob Murphy talks about overseeing the installation of the exhibition. I’d only been working at Weta Workshop for about eight weeks when the first pieces of the Gallipoli exhibition started to hit the floor and work their way intoRead more
Before or after visiting Gallipoli: The scale of our war, take some time to head up to level 4 to see The Road to Recovery: Disabled Soldiers of World War I. This small-scale exhibition contains sobering content showing the long-term impact of the Great War on individuals, families and communities. In theRead more
Last week we held our biggest ever teacher preview which saw more than 200 teachers, from as far away as Tauranga, come to Te Papa to learn more about our new exhibition Gallipoli: The scale of our war. The preview started with Exhibition Creative Director Sir Richard Taylor giving aRead more
The short answer to this question is yes. I raise this topic in this blog as I reflect on the way that Pacific communities in New Zealand are commemorating our ancestors participation in the First World War, and whether we were present during the fighting on the Gallipoli peninsula. The AustralianRead more
This embroidered cloth was created on the New Zealand hospital ship Maheno as it steamed its way north to Egypt in July and August 1915. The words stitched on it are actually the signatures of the ship’s staff and crew. Two weeks ago this Te Papa object was placed intoRead more
In our latest Gallipoli: The scale of our war exhibition blog, Historical Director Dr Christopher Pugsley recalls uncovering relics from the battlefield. I have walked the Anzac battlefields of Gallipoli many times. The first was in December 1980 and then again in 1983. It was not until 1990 that I travelledRead more
