The First
World War (WWI) had a significant impact on the New Zealand soldiers who were
involved in this great war. In all, more than 120,000 New Zealand men were
registered of which 103,000 went to serve overseas. The will to fight for their
'motherland' Britain, built ecitement and eagerness for these men of which
majority had self volunteered to partake
in the war. Also, travelling around the world was rare at that time and
therefore the news of World War I encouraged the idea of journey around the
world bringing a sense of excitement amongst these young men. However, the
reality of the war was much different. These young men had no idea of the
journey that awaited them.
The First World War (WWI) had a significant impact on the New Zealand soldiers who were involved in this great war. In all, more than 120,000 New Zealand men were registered of which 103,000 went to serve overseas. The will to fight for their 'motherland' Britain, built excitement and eagerness for these men of which majority had self volunteered to partake in the war. Also, travelling around the world was rare at that time and therefore the news of World War I encouraged the idea of journey around the world bringing a sense of excitement amongst these young men. However, the reality of the war was much
different. These young men had no idea of the journey that awaited them.
World War (WWI) had a significant impact on the New Zealand soldiers who were
involved in this great war. In all, more than 120,000 New Zealand men were
registered of which 103,000 went to serve overseas. The will to fight for their
'motherland' Britain, built ecitement and eagerness for these men of which
majority had self volunteered to partake
in the war. Also, travelling around the world was rare at that time and
therefore the news of World War I encouraged the idea of journey around the
world bringing a sense of excitement amongst these young men. However, the
reality of the war was much different. These young men had no idea of the
journey that awaited them.
The First World War (WWI) had a significant impact on the New Zealand soldiers who were involved in this great war. In all, more than 120,000 New Zealand men were registered of which 103,000 went to serve overseas. The will to fight for their 'motherland' Britain, built excitement and eagerness for these men of which majority had self volunteered to partake in the war. Also, travelling around the world was rare at that time and therefore the news of World War I encouraged the idea of journey around the world bringing a sense of excitement amongst these young men. However, the reality of the war was much
different. These young men had no idea of the journey that awaited them.
Fathers, husbands, sons and brothers were separated from their families during the course of WW1. These young men traveled far from home for long periods of time whilst being involved in the great war. Along with having an immense impact on the family life of the young New Zealand soldiers, the absence of these young men also had an impact on the communities in NZ, as almost the entire generation of young men were sent off to war. What they experienced at war was far from what they had expected. Conditions were tough for these young men. The extensive amount of heat, cold and rain had quite a strong effect on them. Water supply was also limited and therefore many soldiers suffered from dehydration due to the lack of water they were receiving. Hygiene was not maintained and men would also go days without having a proper shower which would not only affect their hygiene but also lead to sickness and also made these young men more prone to catching diseases as well as weakening them. Also further unhygienic conditions, such as flies almost everywhere as dead bodies piled up in the surroundings of the soldiers furthermore affected the health and well-being of these young men.There was also a very limited supply of food available for these soldiers, just enough to go by. For New Zealand soldiers, meals mostly consisted of tinned meat, jam, tea, and biscuits which were described as to being "hard as rock" which shows that the food wasn't too appetizing. These were just some of the many harsh conditions these New Zealand soldiers had faced while away at war, which was of significant impact to their social lives as well as their health and well-being.
Countless hordes of flies settled on everything edible. The soldiers waved them off. The black cloud rose and descended among the filth on the other side of the parapet. Presently they were back again on the food,—and so on, from the jam to the corpse, and back again to the jam, flitted the insect swarm, ensuring that the germs of most things undesirable were conveyed to the soldier's system through his mouth. -Description through words of a NZ soldier.
Communication was difficult for these New Zealand soldiers whilst they were distant from home, the most common way of communicating with those back home was through telegrams, letters or postcards. The lack of communication technology available during this time period had an effect on these soldiers and families of those who went off to fight at war as they didn't have much available forms of contact back home and therefore their family was left unsure if they were safe or killed during war till they received a written letter/telegram to confirm the happenings of the war and the young men who were involved in it.
Below are two postcards from the time of the First World War which were sent back home to New Zealand by two soldiers.
" Dear Mum,
I managed to get down the street today and got a better card your
birthday than the one I sent. I hope you are all well at home and that the
harvest will turn out well. I am in splendid health & spirits & am
getting on well. Then weather is getting more windy but we are very comfortable
& have stoves in the huts & plenty of coal to make fires. I am going to
get my photo taken and will send it along, I am beginning to think of Christmas and
will have to send home cards. Love to all, Your affectionate son, Mick"
This postcard was dated 14/10/1916, which was sent home to New Zealand by a soldier who was away at war. The postcard outlines how he was not home for two very special family events of his mother's birthday and christmas. This demonstrates another impact that when these soldiers were away at war, they missed out on all these occasions along with family which had a significant social impact as a result to the war.
I managed to get down the street today and got a better card your
birthday than the one I sent. I hope you are all well at home and that the
harvest will turn out well. I am in splendid health & spirits & am
getting on well. Then weather is getting more windy but we are very comfortable
& have stoves in the huts & plenty of coal to make fires. I am going to
get my photo taken and will send it along, I am beginning to think of Christmas and
will have to send home cards. Love to all, Your affectionate son, Mick"
This postcard was dated 14/10/1916, which was sent home to New Zealand by a soldier who was away at war. The postcard outlines how he was not home for two very special family events of his mother's birthday and christmas. This demonstrates another impact that when these soldiers were away at war, they missed out on all these occasions along with family which had a significant social impact as a result to the war.
"Dear Mr Boyden,
Just a card to let you know I am quite recovered again and giving another
go at this strenuous life again. Hope you are all well.
Kind regards to you all, Yours faithfully"
This card sent home by New Zealand soldier during WW1 shows an example of how soldiers passed the message of them being safe home to their families. Until a postcard/letter/telegram was received by families of soldiers, they were unaware of their current status i.e. alive, dead or missing in action. Due to this lack of communication, soldiers were impacted socially along with their families back home as communication was very difficult and therefore took lengthy periods of time before letters/telegrams had reached home.
Just a card to let you know I am quite recovered again and giving another
go at this strenuous life again. Hope you are all well.
Kind regards to you all, Yours faithfully"
This card sent home by New Zealand soldier during WW1 shows an example of how soldiers passed the message of them being safe home to their families. Until a postcard/letter/telegram was received by families of soldiers, they were unaware of their current status i.e. alive, dead or missing in action. Due to this lack of communication, soldiers were impacted socially along with their families back home as communication was very difficult and therefore took lengthy periods of time before letters/telegrams had reached home.
Life was tough for these New Zealand soldiers and getting hit by the enemy bullet is what these young men strongly feared. Day by day these men grew weaker physically while living in constant fear of their lives. If soldiers weren't dying by getting shot, they were dying from a number of diseases and infections. These were just the external and physical factors that impacted these soldiers. As well as physically, the first world war had a psychological impact on these NZ soldiers. Death became a part of everyday life for these soldiers, and was something the people back at home would never had fully understood. One of
the last surviving veterans, Tony Fagan described the situation as follows "You're well aware that anybody who had not been on the battlefield couldn't possibly comprehend what we were talking about. They (dead soldiers) were lying in the no man's land. To begin with they swelled up as you imagine a body would and after time they would collapse slowly into the ground and mother earth would fold them into her arms once more. They'd disappear. Could they understand that? I don't think so."
These impacts on soldiers did not improve as they returned home. They were traumatized by what they experienced at war. Many returned home in a different state. Because of the loud and constant sound of weaponry and machine guns, veterans could not stand loud noises and still remained fearful when returned home after the war was over. The psychological effects on these men were great and long lasting.
The impact on soldiers was massive during the war and they are remembered as the heroes of the country and will never be forgotten not only in New Zealand's history but also world history.
the last surviving veterans, Tony Fagan described the situation as follows "You're well aware that anybody who had not been on the battlefield couldn't possibly comprehend what we were talking about. They (dead soldiers) were lying in the no man's land. To begin with they swelled up as you imagine a body would and after time they would collapse slowly into the ground and mother earth would fold them into her arms once more. They'd disappear. Could they understand that? I don't think so."
These impacts on soldiers did not improve as they returned home. They were traumatized by what they experienced at war. Many returned home in a different state. Because of the loud and constant sound of weaponry and machine guns, veterans could not stand loud noises and still remained fearful when returned home after the war was over. The psychological effects on these men were great and long lasting.
The impact on soldiers was massive during the war and they are remembered as the heroes of the country and will never be forgotten not only in New Zealand's history but also world history.
Soldiers were required to keep a diary during the war. These diaries showed the emotions and the thoughts of these soldiers whilst at war on an almost daily basis. If a soldier was killed in action, these diaries were interpreted by family members back home who were then able to see what the experience was like for their fellow family member had partook in the war. Below are a few pictures and extracts from diaries of New Zealand soldiers who fought in World War 1.
Our last day of work at the sling and a very disappointing one. Men going on draft next week and absolutely untrained. Reinforcement officers don't care a continental about them. Absolute disgrace. (16/10/1917)
Also tin of toffee from jack. Very pleasant to a long and tiring day and one has very reason to be thankful. (05/02/1917)
Cycled home for dinner. Spent last afternoon among the tress. I enjoyed the last four days of holiday more than any since I left New Zealand. (02/05/1917)
Also tin of toffee from jack. Very pleasant to a long and tiring day and one has very reason to be thankful. (05/02/1917)
Cycled home for dinner. Spent last afternoon among the tress. I enjoyed the last four days of holiday more than any since I left New Zealand. (02/05/1917)
"At 6 am this morning a move was made. We pulled anchor and moved slowly out. The warships and fleet left a little before us & presented a great sight. We are following two big barges. Absolutely magnificent scenery. Everyone greatly excited. At the time of writing can see the warships bombarding & the Tommies landing under cover. A magnificent sight. We are landing further up. Half the Coy landed about 4pm and I with the other half did not get ashore until 11pm. About 7pm they commenced fetching wounded aboard our ship as all the hospital ships were full. The Australians who landed first performed brilliantly but lost heavily so also did our Auckland & Canterbury boys. We got about 100 wounded before leaving some of them being awfully bad. At midnight we got orders to line a ridge just above headquarters & we have here all day. Fighting has been continuous for 15 hours but we have been lucky enough to have only [scrapnel bursting over us & a few bullets.]"
Diaries such as this one, described the experiences for these soldiers through their own words and emotions. Without any such diary keeping, no one would be able to comprehend the true experiences of these men at war. Diaries were very reliable sources for after the war was over for these soldiers themselves to look back at and also for families of these soldiers, so if killed in action their families had a diary belonging to the soldier to read and understand the realities of the
war which had been experienced.
Diaries such as this one, described the experiences for these soldiers through their own words and emotions. Without any such diary keeping, no one would be able to comprehend the true experiences of these men at war. Diaries were very reliable sources for after the war was over for these soldiers themselves to look back at and also for families of these soldiers, so if killed in action their families had a diary belonging to the soldier to read and understand the realities of the
war which had been experienced.
Long after the shots were fired, the happenings of the war continued to have an impact on those New Zealand soldiers who were involved in it. One of the most notable post-battle effects was that of shell-shock. Distinctive to World War 1, shell shock was a reaction soldiers encountered due to the intensity of the shelling that took place during the battles. Shell shock didn't inflict physical wounds, however had a mass psychological impact on the soldiers. One wounded soldier reported an experience he encountered of which "one man called out at night. No one could stop him. The doctor questioned him and he said he had a hole in his back. Looked there, nothing. Took off his pyjamas and not a mark could be found." This demonstrates how extreme the psychological effects were that these soldiers had experienced.Not only during the war but also after it was over. With adequate help, the soldiers were able to overcome the effects of the shell shock but without proper help many of the soldiers struggled to adjust to a normal life, terrified at any noise that sounded like a falling shell .
The video above illustrates life in the trenches for New Zealand soldiers during WW1, from this you are able to view the realities of the life in the trenches that these NZ soldiers had faced from the time of the war.
The video above is of a ANZAC soldier by the name of Jack Hazzlit who was a runner during the First World War. He describes the horrors he faced when he landed at the ANZAC cove. This gives an insight of the initial experience of Jack who had fought in WW1 and is described through his own words which is relevant as he was involved in the First World War.