“We are in the trenches again …

… this time for a longer term, but it is a very easy life. In my present shelter there is actually a four-poster spring bed, and picture prints of distractingly pretty girls round the walls. What do you think of that, within two hundred yards of the Huns? … Of course we are only in the front line part of the time, but it really is the best place …

Letter to Hazel from Cecil Malthus, 11 June 1916

Timaru-born Cecil Malthus wrote two books about his war-time experiences. Born in 1890, he spent three years in service in the 1st Canterbury Battalion from 1914. The Canterbury College modern languages professor first published ANZAC: A retrospect in 1965. In the foreword of the book he wrote:

I offer nothing but the truth for those who want to know what the war was like for the average man. Readers can believe that whatever I relate of my own experience is very nearly the same as what happened to their own uncle or grandfather.

A collection of Malthus’ letters has been digitised and made available online by Christchurch City Libraries. The letters are penned to his future wife, Hazel Watters. Malthus died on 25 July 1976.

This collection of letters and documents dates from April 1914 to his discharge in April 1917. The collection is not complete, and portions of some letters are missing. The letters follow Malthus’ progress from training in New Zealand to his experiences throughout the war, including time in Egypt preparing for Gallipoli, and his time in France. Malthus was injured in September 1916 and returned to New Zealand in March 1917.

 

A hero for ANZAC Day

Thursday 25 April 2013 is ANZAC Day. You may have noticed last year that many wreaths and bouquets from the Dawn Service ended up at the statue of Sgt Henry James Nicholas V.C. M.M., northwest of the Bridge of Remembrance on Cambridge Terrace.

Henry Nicholas was the first soldier from the Canterbury Regiment to be awarded the Victoria Cross. He died in action on 23October 1918 aged 26. He was awarded the Military Medal posthumously for his bravery during the fight for the bridgeheads at the River Ecaillon near the village of Beaudignies on 23 October 1918, 12 days before the New Zealanders’ capture of the town of Le Quesnoy.

• About ANZAC Day
• ANZAC Day events in Christchurch and Canterbury
• ANZAC Day in pictures
• ANZAC Day information for kids
• World War I resources
  
• The Bridge of Remembrance

All of our libraries are closed on ANZAC Day.

 

ANZAC Day in pictures

We remember.

Graves of officers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps on the Gallipoli Peninsula [1915]

Returned soldiers pass through Cathedral Square, Christchurch [1917]

About 200 wreaths lay outside the front porch of the Christchurch Cathedral [25 April 1923]

Colonel Hugh Stewart, President of the Christchurch Branch of the RSA places a wreath on the foundation stone, Bridge of Remembrance
[25 Apr. 1923]

ANZAC Day 1980, Akaroa

• Photos of the foundation stone laying for the Bridge of Remembrance, 25 April 1923
• More ANZAC Day photographs
• Our ANZAC Day page

 

Was your grandfather in the Māori Battalion?

In 1939 New Zealand answered the call to arms and many Māori enlisted.  In response to Sir Āpirana Ngata‘s request for a Māori Battalion, the 28th Māori Battalion was formed. It was to be a front line infantry unit made up of volunteers.

For these men, it was a baptism of fire in the Mediterranean. They saw action first in Greece, then Crete, where they were outnumbered by the Germans. The Battalion then spent time regrouping and retraining in Egypt. In November 1941 the New Zealand Division moved west into Libya to take part in Operation Crusader, the British Army’s push to lift the siege of Tobruk. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to fight Rommel’s Afrika Corps in the desert. However, on 13 May 1943  the war in the desert ended, leading to the surrender of 238,000 German and Italian troops.

Sgt. Hone (Jackie) Paerata

In October 1943 the Māori Battalion arrived in Italy. The mud and snow, mountains and rivers were a sharp contrast to the hot arid desert of North Africa.

The Battalion’s main target was Monte Cassino: a mount some 130 kms south-east of Rome, with a Benedictine monastery at the top.  The allies had several attempts at capturing Cassino and the Māori Battalion suffered heavy losses, with 128 out of 200 men killed, wounded or captured. At the end of the war in Europe, it took more than seven months to bring the  Māori Battalion home.

When I started writing this blog post, my colleague Dianne hunted out some fantastic books in our collection for me. I also found this useful link which may help you answer my question: was your grandfather in the Māori Battalion?

If so, or if on ANZAC Day you are commemorating the sacrifices of a relative or friend who was or is a war veteran, please do share your memories with us – we’d love to read them.

P.S. Don’t forget also to check out the fantastic ANZAC Day display at Shirley Library.

 

“And in the Morning …” – film featuring an interview with war veteran Lachie Griffin

The Central Library in Christchurch is pleased to be showing “And in the Morning…” by Chalice Productions, produced and directed by Jennifer Barrer.

This moving film contains an interview with local war veteran Lachie Griffin, Jennifer Barrer’s own personal account of her father Bryan Amherst Barrer, and archival footage of World War II servicemen. The film will be playing throughout the day at the West End of the 2nd floor from Friday April 23 to Monday April 26.

Jennifer will also be speaking at the library about the film on Saturday April 24 at 11 a.m. Please join us to experience a powerful local film on this ANZAC holiday. 

Jennifer Barrer interviews well known war veteran Lachie Griffin of the Canterbury 19th Battalion Armoured Regiment, then gives her own personal account of her father Bryan Amherst Barrer of the 2nd Expeditionary Forces of the 19th Infantry Battalion. She also reads her poem “War Baby” which has been translated into German. She dedicates the film to the soldiers and their families and peace.
There is archival footage of (1) “Welcome Home” , the return of the soldiers from World War II at Lyttelton and Christchurch, and (2) Soldiers departing from Christchurch.
We then experience an ANZAC Day Service at the 19th Infantry Battalion and Armoured Regiment Memorial, Victoria Park, Christchurch and World War II veterans who fought in North Africa, Sicily and Italy; with special reference to the Battle of Cassino.”

 

ANZAC Day for children

ANZAC Day is celebrated on 25 April every year in New Zealand and Australia to remember all the members of the armed forces who served in the two World Wars and other major conflicts, such as the Vietnam and Korean Wars.  Children can learn some interesting facts about ANZAC Day and some of the wars that our troops fought in by:

• Checking out the ANZAC Day and Gallipoli fact page on our Kids website.
• Borrowing some nonfiction books about war from your library. There are some really good books that have true stories about soldiers in the wars and children who lived through war, like True Stories of the Second World War and Under Fire: Children of the Second World War tell their stories.
• Reading some stories set in war-time. Goodnight Mister Tom is one of the best, but you could also try The Silver Sword, Rose for the ANZAC Boys, and War Horse.

There are also a number of dawn parades and memorials around Christchurch and Canterbury that you could go along to to remember those that died fighting for their country.

 

Remembering Great Uncle Tom

For a long time, ANZAC Day just meant to me another public holiday and yummy Anzac biscuits for morning tea, until our family discovered a personal connection. Delving into our family history, we discovered that my grandmother’s favourite brother, my Great-Uncle Tom, had fought and died at Gallipoli on ANZAC Day, which was poignant for me and fascinating for my sons!

We checked out some of the military history books in the library, in particular Bloody Gallipoli: the New Zealander’s Story and Gallipoli : the New Zealand Story, and amazingly discovered a couple of references to Great-Uncle Tom in the descriptions of what happened at Gallipoli. The description of his death was particularly moving.

Corporal Gillanders, modest and brave, was shot through the head whilst passing an order.

We also found more information about him on the Cenotaph database. Now on ANZAC Day we always set up a photo of Great-Uncle Tom, with a poppy next to it. We will remember him.

Many New Zealanders have a relative who fought, and possibly died at Gallipoli or in other World War One battles. Christchurch City Libraries’ New Zealand At War and ANZAC Day resources have an amazing amount of information for people interested in the wars that New Zealand has been involved in and researching the personal stories of soldiers.

Has anyone else researched their relatives who fought at Gallipoli? How do you mark ANZAC Day? Is it more than just Anzac biscuits for you?

 

Anzac, Poppies, Remembrance

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row …”

The Poppy has become an international symbol of remembrance for fallen servicemen and women. Canadian John McCrae’s poem, “In Flanders Fields”, appeared in 1915 and since then the wild red poppies of Flanders have been associated with the terrible slaughter of war.

Anzac Day, April 25 is tomorrow. If you haven’t been to a dawn service or some other memorial service, it is worth going. Somehow, remembering military disasters and sacrifices worlds away produces a blend of pride and sadness that is a significant part of our national mythology. Gallipoli, Cathedral Square or the little war memorial at the crossroads outside a country town – the feeling is the same.

Anyone delving into our nation’s history or our own family histories is bound to come across the military history that is the background to Anzac Day and the development of New Zealand as a nation with it’s own unique identity. Christchurch City Libraries has heaps of material – try our Anzac Day resources as a starting point.

Associated with Anzac Day is the annual Poppy Day appeal, held on the Friday before ANZAC Day. RSA volunteers throughout New Zealand offer red poppy buttonholes in exchange for donations to the RSA Welfare Fund. The first Poppy Day Appeal was held in New Zealand in 1922, which makes it one of the oldest nationwide appeals in the country. The style of the poppy has evolved over time but the meaning has remained constant — remembrance and welfare. A new feature for 2009 was the Mobile Poppy. Make a donation now and you can choose wallpaper and ringtones memorabilia for your phone. You can also leave your thoughts on the online Wall of Remembrance.