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 – […]
The festive season can be a stressful time with work deadlines looming, last minute dashes to crowded malls and holidaymakers clogging the highways. It can be easy to feel a little overwhelmed, but we have it pretty good really. Most of us are fortunate enough to have a […]
12 October 1917 – Machine guns poked over the parapets and bayonets were at the ready. Soldiers in khaki approached tentatively, but this wasn’t a battlefield – it was a military-themed ballroom. This is the little-known story of a grand ball that was held in Wellington at the […]
These previously unpublished photographs of the Home Guard offer a rare candid view of an often-overlooked part of New Zealand’s experience during the Second World War. Far from being a safe sideshow, with limited resources these men bravely faced a genuine threat and were prepared to defend their […]
The prominent heights of Pointe du Hoc on the Normandy coast were the scene of a desperate battle during the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. The strategic promontory overlooks Utah Beach to the west and Omaha Beach to the east, making it an obvious choice for a coastal battery. To mark the anniversary of D-Day I thought I’d share some photos I took during a visit to the site.
