How it all began…
The First World War began in Europe in 1914. It took the lives of over
16 million people.
The killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand set off a war between Austria
and Serbia.
Other countries were brought into it because if one country was
attacked their friends would come to help.
In the end two sides were created: The Allies versus the Central
Powers.
The War Action Review
So Austria declared war on Serbia. Other countries got involved and
two sides were formed.
The Central Powers were made up of Austria - Hungary, Germany and
Turkey.
The Allies were made up of Serbia, Russia and Britain who brought
along the children of her empire—New Zealand, Australia, Canada,
India and South Africa.
Later, Japan, Italy and the United States would enter on the side of the
Allies.
For the most of the war, the New Zealanders were in Europe.
Welcome to the Front
Some men wanted to fight, while many others were made to. Those
who wouldn’t go to war were either tortured and put in prison or else
they had to become stretcher bearers on the battle fields.
Many women left at home took up the jobs usually done by the men.
They kept the country running while also raising their children.
From New Zealand it was a 6 week journey by boat to join the war.
The New Zealand troops went to Egypt for training, along with the
Australian group. The New Zealanders and the Australians became
friends in the war. They were known as the ANZACs.
After their training, the men were sent off to fight. A lot of men expected
to find excitement and the heroism of battle, but mostly it was not like
that.
Once they arrived at the frontline, they found terrible conditions, endless
danger, and the constant fear of death.
And for those landing at Gallipoli, it was possibly a worse welcome to
the war...
Gallipoli & the ANZAC Legacy
The Allied troops arrived in boats and landed on the beaches of Gallipoli
on April 25, 1915. The date of the landing is known as ANZAC Day, the
day we remember New Zealand’s part in World War 1.
The ANZACs were put ashore in the wrong spot. Some men drowned
under the weight of their packs, guns became jammed with sand or too
wet to work and some boats caught fire.
Under enemy gunfire, many ANZACS threw off their packs and ran forward, trying to get as far as they could before digging into the sand for
cover. Unable to move forward, the Allies began digging trenches,
which was the opposite of what was meant to happen.
There were thousands of men all on a piece of land that was only a few
kilometres long. It was very hot in the summer and freezing cold in
winter.
The Allies fought for almost 9 months and never reached the place they
were meant to get to.
In the end, more than eight and a half thousand New Zealanders served
at Gallipoli. 30 percent of them were killed and over half were wounded.
People back home were proud of how well their ‘brave boys” did under
such awful conditions.
Gallipoli is seen as the place where we began to see ourselves as
separate and different from Mother England.
After Gallipoli, most ANZAC troops were sent to the Western Front to
carry on fighting.
Life in the Trenches
The trenches along the Western Front were built in a zig-zag and were
not very deep or wide.
No-Man’s Land was the name for the barbed wire land between the
enemy trenches. In some places the enemy were close enough to call
out to each other.
The biggest problem in the trenches was the millions of rats who lived
there. They grew to the size of cats, and men often woke to find rats
running over their faces.
Days were spent trying to rest, or digging toilets, repairing trenches,
carrying supplies and keeping look out on the area.
Trench life was a mix of boredom and sheer terror.
Technology in War
During World War 1 new technology was introduced that forever
changed the way people could fight, and nothing would change things
as much as the machine gun.
These guns could fire out 600 rounds of bullets a minute—a lot more
than any other gun at the time.
Another new machine that would have an huge impact on the war was
the aeroplane.
For the first time ever, planes were able to fly over enemy territory and
report back what was happening. The element of surprise was lost for
both sides. Armies began “digging in” to secure their position, and
trench warfare started.
The tank was also used for the first time during World War 1. Though
they often broke down, they did allow armies to move around.
Another major new weapon was poison gas. It was used to attack
many soldiers in large groups. Gas warfare had terrible effects on
soldiers and caused severe illness, pain and death.
For many the memories of being gassed were the worst memories of
the war.
Disease
In the Trenches of World War 1 it was very important to keep clean, but
not easy to do.
Disease spread very easily. More soldiers died from disease during
World War 1 than died fighting.
The trenches were wet and muddy, littered with food scraps and dead
bodies.
The millions of rats in the trenches helped spread disease. There was
trench foot, dysentery, trench flu, and also lice that caused itching and
fevers.
There were nurses and doctors in the trenches to help sick and hurt
soldiers—over 500 nurses came from New Zealand alone.
But there were many more patients than there were people to help them,
and doctors and nurses often worked all day and all night to keep up.
Some wounded men received no help at all. But not all stories of the war
are bad...
Live and Let Live
The friendship between soldiers kept them all going, and letters from
home were very important. There were 12 million letters arriving each
week.
The army biscuits were very hard and not very nice, so families back
home sent their own biscuits. They became known as ANZAC biscuits.
Posties rode bicycles through the mud to get the letters and the biscuits
to the soldiers.
On Christmas Day, 1914, the fighting stopped for awhile, and both sides
started singing Christmas Carols and lighting candles.
They swapped food and drink, and in a few places along the front line a
football was produced and the two enemy sides played a game against
each other.
Afterwards, the soldiers were not allowed to do this again.
Armistice & the Lasting Impact of War
The First World War ended in 1918.
The Germans were running out of supplies, and asked for a peace deal.
It was agreed that all fighting would stop on November the 11th, 1918,
at 11 am.
And then, it was all over.
Around the world people were celebrating and dancing in the streets.
On the battlefields there were no celebrations, only silence and
emptiness after four exhausting and terrifying years of fighting.
Many soldiers were very upset and badly injured. A lot of men carried
with them the horrors of what they’d seen, and also of what they’d done,
for the rest of their lives.
Those on the battle field, and those at home, all lost people they
loved—their brothers, friends, sons, husbands, uncles, cousins and
fathers.
The Last Post was played at the end of the day to show that the
sentries were on duty and everyone else could go to sleep.
It is played as a farewell to those who had fallen, to represent the end of
their duty, so that they know they may now rest.
Lest we forget.