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 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 […]
It’s only been a few weeks since I shared a postcard from my collection but I felt that this one was too important not to share as well. The image on the front is unremarkable, so much so I haven’t bothered to scan it, a view of tree […]
I was browsing through my First World War postcard collection the other day and was prompted to share this one when I noticed the date. The message on the back of this card was written exactly one hundred years ago – on 18 October 1918. It gives us […]
2 August 1918 – This isn’t an average Friday afternoon. Workers down their tools and diners abandon their lunch to rush to the waterfront and see what all the fuss is about. Motorists and cyclists stop along the Hutt Road. There is a commotion in the harbour – […]
