A century ago communities around New Zealand gathered to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Hostilities had ended the previous November, but now the official terms of the peace had been locked into place, the worst of the deadly flu had passed and many loved ones […]
Seventy-five years ago the largest seaborne invasion in history was underway in Normandy, France. In the early hours of the morning, airbourne troops landed behind enemy lines and fought their way to strategic objectives and then just before dawn an opening bombardment roared along the coast – followed […]
The 28th (Māori) Battalion is one of New Zealand’s most well-known military units to have served during the Second World War. Their heroism on battlefields in Greece, Crete, North Africa and Italy is the stuff of legends. Sadly there are only a couple of veterans from this unit […]
This is the story behind a remarkable collection of photographs that remained hidden for over a century. Glass plate negatives with forgotten scenes of everyday life in Edwardian New Zealand. It is also the story of my personal quest to discover who was behind the lens – the […]
This week marked one hundred and seventy-nine years since New Zealand’s foundational document was signed on Busby’s lawn at Waitangi. It was peddled by a frail Royal Navy officer, influenced and interpreted by other Europeans, each with their own agendas, and the signatories also had their own individual […]
Happy New Year! As is tradition here at History Geek, at the start of each year I like to share a list of upcoming anniversaries. This isn’t an exhaustive or definitive list – there are others that do a much more thorough job than me – this is […]
This Christmas card is one of my favourite New Zealand greeting cards from the First World War. I’ve shared this card before, but it seems appropriate to share it again on the centenary of its original use. Also I have a new scanner now, so hopefully the quality […]
