Te Ara - New Zealand

Origins The First World War was caused by the destabilisation of the balance of power in Europe due to the rise of Germany. The war began in 1914 when Austria-Hungary invaded Serbia because of the assassination of an archduke. Countries had made alliances with each other, and soon most of Europe was at war. New Zealand was part of the British Empire, and when Britain declared war on Germany, in August 1914, that meant New Zealand was at war too. The two sides were called the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary) and the Allies, which included the British Empire, Russia and France. New Zealand enters the war New Zealand decided to send soldiers to fight in the war for a number of reasons, including New Zealand’s strong ties to Britain and its concern with keeping trade routes open so it could continue to export to Britain. Within a month New Zealand troops had occupied Western Samoa, which was a German territory. Gallipoli Turkey had entered the war on the Central Powers side. Related: World War One

Australian War Memorial Anzac Diversity Collection Anzac Diversity is a collection of case studies exploring the ethnic diversity of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Anzac Diversity Anzac Diversity is a collection of case studies exploring the ethnic diversity of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). The Gallipoli campaign - The Gallipoli campaign Each year on Anzac Day, New Zealanders (and Australians) mark the anniversary of the Gallipoli landings of 25 April 1915. On that day, thousands of young men, far from their homes, stormed the beaches on the Gallipoli Peninsula in what is now Turkey. For eight long months, New Zealand troops, alongside those from Australia, Great Britain and Ireland, France, India, and Newfoundland battled harsh conditions and Ottoman forces desperately fighting to protect their homeland. By the time the campaign ended, more than 130,000 men had died: at least 87,000 Ottoman soldiers and 44,000 Allied soldiers, including more than 8700 Australians. In the wider story of the First World War, the Gallipoli campaign made no large mark.

First War War Poetry The First World War Poetry Digital Archive is an online repository of over 7000 items of text, images, audio, and video for teaching, learning, and research. The heart of the archive consists of collections of highly valued primary material from major poets of the period, including Wilfred Owen, Isaac Rosenberg, Robert Graves, Vera Brittain, and Edward Thomas. This is supplemented by a comprehensive range of multimedia artefacts from the Imperial War Museum, a separate archive of over 6,500 items contributed by the general public, and a set of specially developed educational resources. These educational resources include an exciting new exhibition in the three-dimensional virtual world Second Life. Freely available to the public as well as the educational community, the First World War Poetry Digital Archive is a significant resource for studying the First World War and the literature it inspired.

WWI Battlefields Digital Collection - NZ You are here: Home > Digital Collection > Wars & conflict Heritage Digital Collection Home The Canterbury Aviation (N.Z.) A brief history by Henry Wigram recounting the beginnings of the Canterbury Aviation Company. The Canterbury (New Zealand) Aviation Co. Details of services and training offered by the company following World War I. Christchurch War Memorial: Bridge of Remembrance The history and symbolic features of the Bridge of Remembrance opened By Viscount Jellicoe of Scapa, on Armistice Day, November 11, 1924. City of Christchurch, N.Z. : peace celebrations Programme of Christchurch peace celebrations, held on 19-21 July 1919 to mark the end of World War I. Cecil Malthus: World War I papers [letters, telegrams, documents] A collection of Malthus letters has been digitised and made available online by Christchurch City Libraries. Diggers’ poems A small collection of poems by returned soldiers published after World War I. Ephemera A selection of public notices. Gallipoli papers H.H. The Kiwi

The Long, Long Trail - UK European stories & official histories WW100 New Zealand A selection of sites and sources for learning about the history of the First World War from a New Zealand perspective, and the role your family members might have played in it. Soldiers inside the YMCA library in Beauvois, France. Ref: 1/2-013635-G. Courtesy of Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. Starting Places Use these websites to start your learning journey. New Zealand and the First World War history Get an overview of the history of New Zealand and the First World War. Researching First World War soldiers Read a guide to researching New Zealand soldiers and related service personnel. Cenotaph database & personnel files Discover whether someone in your family served. Use personnel files to get more detail about First World War soldiers, from Archives New Zealand. A guide to understanding personnel files is available. Digital New Zealand search Filter by ‘usage rights’ to see how you can use the material you find. Further sites and sources Guides to specific collections

Anzac Day Collection This documentary gave NZ viewers, for the first time, a Turkish view of the Gallipoli story. Produced for TVNZ and Turkish TV, it focuses on four young people, two Turks and two New Zealanders, descended from Gallipoli veterans, as they explore the grim reality of their ancestors’ experience. Six Māori Battalion soldiers camped in Italian ruins wait for night to fall. In the silence the bros-in-arms distract themselves with jokes before a tohu (sign) brings them back to reality. Directed by Oscar-nominated Taika Waititi it won international acclaim: honourable mention at Sundance and a special jury prize at Berlin. The story of the New Zealand Army's (28th) Māori Battalion, this Tainui Stephens documentary tells the stories of five men who served with the unit. This seminal 1984 documentary tells the stories of the New Zealand soldiers who were part of the identity-defining Gallipoli campaign in World War I. Between 1964 - 1972, 4,000 young Kiwis volunteered for service in Vietnam.

WWI - Library of Congress, USA Compiled by Kenneth Drexler, Digital Reference Specialist The digital collections of the Library of Congress contain a wide variety of material related to World War I, including photographs, documents, newspapers, films, sheet music, and sound recordings. This guide compiles links to World War I resources throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, this guide provides links to external Web sites focusing on World War I and a bibliography containing selections for both general and younger readers. Furthermore, as part of our commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the U.S. involvement in World War I, the Library of Congress has created a World War I portal to its extensive holdings on the subject of the war. Library of Congress Web Site | External Web Sites | Selected Bibliography American Leaders Speak: Recordings from World War I American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936 to 1940 George S. The diaries of U.S. army officer George S. John J.