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Cenotaph Stories

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Cenotaph Stories

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Wwi

  • Remembering the Fallen: Memorials and Memory in post-War New Zealand

    Matthew Nickless
    Collection Technician - Research Support

    In towns and cities across Aotearoa New Zealand, war memorials stand as quiet witnesses to sacrifice, loss, and remembrance. The story of a lamp-post in Rakaia, gifted in memory of one young soldier, reminds us of the deeply personal motives behind these public memorials.

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  • Upholding Māoritanga: Stories of Māori Prisoners of War in WWII

    Sophie Elborough
    Collection Technician, Research Support

    While stories of New Zealand’s prisoners of war during WWII are plentiful, there has been little focus on the experiences of Māori POW. Their stories reveal that despite hardship, significant displays of Māoritanga broke through the mundanity and hopelessness of their time as prisoners and demonstrate the importance of their experiences in New Zealand’s history.

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  • Dick Owen and the Arctic Convoys

    Sophie Elborough (COLLECTION TECHNICIAN) & Judy Owen (Volunteer)
    Online Cenotaph

    Pou Maumahara volunteer Judy Owen shares a story written by her father Malcolm (Dick) Cunningham Owen about his experience in the Arctic Convoys during World War II.

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  • Echoes across the waves: The Wally Ware story

    Sophie Elborough (Collection Technician) and Victoria Passau (Online Cenotaph & Enquiry Services Manager)

    Wally Ware served in the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II, witnessing key moments aboard HMNZS Achilles and Gambia. His remarkable experiences, from naval battles to coded letters home, shaped his post-war life as a pioneering farmer and community leader.

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  • The Kokoda Legacy: New Zealanders among the ranks

    Matthew Nickless
    Collection Technician - Research Support

    New Zealand has always had a close military connection with Australia. This is the story of two New Zealanders who served with the Second Australian Imperial Force in one of Australia's most famous campaigns - the Kokoda Trail.

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  • A message home: Connecting whānau through Online Cenotaph

    Victoria Passau, Online Cenotaph & Enquiry Service Manager

    In 2024, sound history researcher Sarah Johnston shared a poignant story about a World War II sound disc that reconnected the family of Daniel Joseph Clifford, a young New Zealand airman, with the voice of their long-lost loved one.

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  • Life after Armistice: William Osborne Liggins

    Sophie Elborough
    COLLECTION TECHNICIAN - RESEARCH SUPPORT

    While Armistice Day was not an official end to World War I, it did mark a vital turning point in the conflict. For the approximately 52,000 New Zealand service personnel overseas, including William Osborne Liggins, the news meant leaving behind muddy trenches and starting a long journey back home.

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  • From Service to Sports: The journeys of New Zealand's Veteran Olympians

    Madeleine Williamson
    Collection Access Librarian

    From military service to the world stage, New Zealand's veteran Olympians exemplify resilience and dedication. Fifteen New Zealand military veterans have had the privilege of representing New Zealand at the Olympics. Let’s celebrate their stories as we reignite the Olympic flame.

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  • A Family Affair: Intergenerational Service in the Merchant Navy during WWII 

    Sophie Elborough
    COLLECTION TECHNICIAN - RESEARCH SUPPORT

    These are the stories of two families whose lives were inseparable from the Merchant Navy. As these siblings, children, and parents served alongside each other during World War II they demonstrated incredible perseverance and their experiences highlight a surprising sense of continuity despite global conflict.

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  • New Zealand Nurses in Samoa

    Sophie Elborough
    COLLECTION TECHNICIAN - RESEARCH SUPPORT

    When the Expeditionary Force Advance Party set sail from Wellington to Samoa on 12 August 1914, they became some of the first New Zealand troops to see active service. Among them were six, soon to be seven, New Zealand nurses whose unusual service fundamentally shaped New Zealand's contribution to the war effort.

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