"Far From Forgotten"
Zealandia's Great War

In Wellington 7-10 November more than 150 people gathered for a conference on New Zealand's role in World War I. Well-known New Zealand military historian, Dr Chris Pugsley, reviews the conference proceedings. The RNZRSA sponsored Dr Pugsley to the conference.

The debate over due process at the National War Memorial saw New Zealand’s Unknown Soldier remain in France, but that delay did not dampen the enthusiasm shown by an impressive gathering of historians, teachers, post-graduate students and those just interested in New Zealand’s history at the National Library Auditorium for three days of papers over the weekend 7-10 November, covering all aspects of Zealandia’s participation in the Great War of 1914-1918.

The 85th Anniversary of the Armistice ending the First World War saw the first major conference ever held in New Zealand on New Zealand’s participation. It was well seeded with overseas speakers who provided a comparative context to three days of wide ranging examination and discussion on all aspects of New Zealand’s involvement in the Great War. It covered the nature of the war itself and the purpose why New Zealand found itself at war, willingly fighting as a member of the British Empire against the threat posed by Imperial Germany. The reality of the German threat and what it meant was assessed by Dr Gary Sheffield in one of the keynote addresses on the Saturday morning. This was complimented by Dr Ian McGibbon’s assessment of New Zealand preparedness and how the Dominion’s involvement was based on a realistic assessment of the threat posed and a determination to act in its own interests. In 1914 this was within the context of Empire and New Zealand’s politicians found that circumstances demanded that they spoke for New Zealand in making sure that the Dominion’s concerns were addressed within the larger Imperial effort.

Saturday’s papers set the parameters for the following days’ discussions, and ranged over issues covering the nature of New Zealand’s military administration in German Samoa, the nature of the Maori contribution to the war effort and New Zealand’s stance at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.

Hard-edged operational and tactical assessments were the focus of Sunday’s papers with detailed analysis of the effectiveness of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on Gallipoli and the Western Front and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade in Sinai and Palestine. It was a day of too many choices with double sessions covering New Zealand’s contribution to the naval war, the merchant marine’s war and the third dimension – the war in the air. There were excellent assessments from established historians such as John Crawford, Glyn Harper and Gavin McLean that were matched by newcomers such as Andrew McDonald with his incisive assessment of New Zealand performance during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and Lieutenant-Colonel Terry Kinloch’s equally impressive assessment of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles in Sinai and Palestine. This was placed in context by the overseas’ contribution with Dr Peter Stanley of the Australian War Memorial showing the importance of the New Zealand effort, and of Lieutenant-Colonel W G Malone of the Wellington Infantry Battalion, to the holding of Quinn’s Post on Gallipoli, while Dr Jennifer Keene talked to the American contribution on the Western Front and Dr Jenny McLeod reminded us of the other participants’ memories of Gallipoli.

Monday brought it home with wide-ranging assessment of the churches’ attitudes to the war, the role of the various patriotic and welfare associations, the temptations of the flesh and the soldier’s response and the debates and pressures within local communities whether in Taranaki as examined by Graham Hucker or Christchurch by Gwen Parsons. The economic costs and farming realities was also a strong theme with papers by Drs John Martin, James Watson and Ashley Gould. Dr Stephen Clarke looked at the problems of return, repatriation, remembering and the formation of the Returned Soldiers’ Association in the years immediately following the First World War, and Professors Peter Dennis and Jeffrey Grey gave us a working glimpse at the impressive data base they have created on the Australian Imperial Force by using examples of New Zealanders who served in the AIF.

First World War medals

As one can see the breadth of current research is impressive ranging as it does over all aspects, it is also evident that in every area people are approaching cultural, political and operational questions from different angles and points of intersection. Gone are the days that if someone was looking at an area, others shied away, no claims can be staked and no one view is sacrosanct. Eighty five years after this ‘War to End All Wars’ ended it is evident that throughout New Zealand the Great War is more than a misty mythical memory but a pivotal event that is being dissected to see how it forged the society we belong to today. The belated return of the Unknown Soldier in the next year or so will be a further spur to what is already a rich and fruitful field of endeavour.

Lt Col (Retd) Christopher Pugsley D Phil, is Senior Lecturer, Department of War Studies, Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

Related story:

WWI book launch

Related links:

Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
www.atra.mod.uk/atra/rmas

Tomb of the Unknown Warrior (Ministry for Culture and Heritage)
www.nationalwarmemorial.govt.nz