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Gail Romano

Gail Romano

Associate Curator, War History

About Gail

In my curatorial role I work with, research and talk about Auckland War Memorial Museum's large and diverse collection of objects related to New Zealand's war and social histories. My focus is largely on the war collections, both military & personal, and the insights and reflections these material legacies make possible.

I am a member of the steering committee for the War, History, Heritage, Art & Memory (WHAM) special projects research network based in Massey University Te Kunenga Ki Pūrehuroa.

Research Interests and Projects

My particular interests include the country’s conflict experiences in the Pacific, SE Asia and North Africa / the Middle East, and the legacies of those engagements with an emphasis on the material expression of commemoration and memorialisation. I am also strongly interested in the economic aspects of New Zealand's war experience and in Auckland's economic development.

A project I am currently working on is Scarred Nations, the second symposium in a series organised under the leadership of WHAM, in collaboration with Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, Massey University, and Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage. This event is planned for April 2023. The first event in the series was the 2017 multidisciplinary, international symposium, The Myriad Faces of War: 1917 and its Legacy.

Selected Research Publications

Romano, Gail (2020/21). ‘The invisible tailor: Finding Isaac Calmanson’, Context: dress / fashion / textiles 41, 2020/21, Journal of the Costume and Textile Association of New Zealand

Romano, Gail & Kingsley Baird (eds) (2020). The Enduring Impact of the First World War: A Collection of Perspectives, Bulletin of the Auckland Museum, Volume 21 (2020), print & online.

Abbenhuis, M., N. Atkinson, K. Baird & G. Romano (eds) (2018). The Myriad Legacies of 1917: A Year of War and Revolution, Palgrave MacMillan, Switzerland, 2018.

Women in the Army
LATEST ARTICLE

Serious business

Women in the Army

July 2022 marks the 80th Anniversary of the formation of the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps. Formed in July of 1942, it was the last of the three women's services to be established. In this article, Gail Romano (Associate Curator) discusses the history of the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps from its inception. 

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2nd Lt. Meryll Neely sitting at her desk in the NZ Forces Club in Cairo, World War II. Taken on 19 February 1942 by an official photographer. Image kindly provided by National Library DA-02386-F

More articles by Gail

Improving Our Galleries: New WWI Stories

Improving Our Galleries: New WWI Stories

'Doing our Part' is a collection of cases in our WWI galleries that have just undergone improvement. In this blog, some of the team behind the project talk about their process.
A Collie for the Service Corps

A Collie for the Service Corps

On this Purple Poppy Day, Associate Curator, Gail Romano acknowledges the contribution of the mascot Sam. Sam was ‘a handsome English collie dog’ gifted to the Canterbury section of the New Zealand Army Service Corps during WWI.
Death in the Spring

Death in the Spring

In this article, Gail Romano writes on the life of Private Lemuel John Bagnall known as Jack, and the Bagnall family of Auckland. Jack served with the New Zealand Railway Engineers in Samoa, and then later with the Auckland Regiment, during the German Spring Offensive.
What We're Excited To See Again

What We're Excited To See Again

Who better to advise you on the best things to see at the Museum than the very people who put them on display? We asked our curators what Collections items they're most excited to see again when the Museum reopens to help you prepare the perfect must-see list.
A Poem for Passchendaele

A Poem for Passchendaele

Gail discusses New Zealand poet and writer Kevin Ireland's poem, 'A Fine Morning at Passchendaele'.
Stranded on Emirau

Stranded on Emirau

On 21 December 1940, some 500 merchant seamen and passengers were left stranded on an island in the north-east of Papua New Guinea, their ships intercepted and sunk by German raiders.
Jayforce: 75 Years On

Jayforce: 75 Years On

Seventy-five years ago, the main body of Jayforce, landed in Japan. Jayforce is the name given to New Zealand Forces who served as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, Japan.
Coal-hearted

Coal-hearted

The Brunner Mine Disaster of 1896 remains New Zealand's worst worksite incident. Gail and Wilma Blom, Curator Marine Invertebrates re-tell the stories of some of our country's worst mining tragedies and interrogate the social and economic repercussions of coal mining.
A Khaki Valentine

A Khaki Valentine

Even at the height of the war in South Africa with no access to romantic stationery, enterprising young soldiers made do. Gail examines a heartfelt note written on a torn piece of uniform.
McNeil Brothers on Gallipoli

McNeil Brothers on Gallipoli

Gail discusses the story of the McNeil brothers, one of 55 pairs of brothers who lost their lives on the Gallipoli peninsula, and how Auckland War Memorial Museum’s history collection is keeping the stories alive of those lost in the First World War.
The Zero: Two men and a plane

The Zero: Two men and a plane

Gail explores stories of war and relationships emerging from the Zero plane on display at Auckland Museum. She discusses two Zero pilots: Wing Commander WR (Bill) Kofoed DSO DFC and young Japanese Navy pilot, Petty Officer Sekizen Shibayama.
A gift of remembrance

A gift of remembrance

Auckland War Memorial Museum has recently completed the formal acquisition and cataloguing of memorabilia gifted by the 21st Battalion Association after the veteran’s club in Auckland closed its doors in 2005.