On Monday, 18 April, I issued my annual Trans-Tasman Anzac Day Blog Challenge.

Its where I invite people to submit their blogs, written from their research about family members who served in the wars.

This year it was the centenary of the First Anzac Day. Our remembrance day that we share with our mates across the ditch.

Attendances at commemorations were at a record high throughout New Zealand; and from what I have read, they were in Australia too.

Its thought provoking to see so many children and young people taking part in the march, the ceremony, or just as part of the crowd. A large number wearing medals of grandparents or great-grandparents . . .

What is it about Anzac Day that interests so many young people and motivates them to get up to the Dawn Parade, or the Citizens Ceremony a couple of hours later?

Sitting at the bottom of the world, with images of war on the news on TV, maybe makes war seem more real - combined with the learning the children get at school and the ensuing conversations at home about what "Grandad (<insert other family members' title here>) did in the war".

My two girls are in Yr 11 now. Every year since they started school they've learned about Anzac Day. And each year, they have learned more and a bit deeper about the topic, broadening out - like building blocks of knowledge.

This year, we really had some conversations around the dinner table. They had learned such a lot about the First and Second World Wars - how they started, the politics, the Anzacs and the Allies. We discussed the Treaty of Versailles, the great campaigns like Gallipoli and Passchendale, how Hitler came to power and about the death camps.

We also discussed the impact on women (including those who served) and families left behind as well as the stories of the conscientious objectors.

My husband and I discussed with them, members of our own families who had served and what parts they played. It got very sad at times.

I was privileged to be able to guide my girls with their homework and their projects. and send them into my own place of work to do their own research, guided by my awesome colleagues (as it was a non-work day for me).

I don't remember learning this period of history so intensely and wholistically when I was at school, such a very long time ago now. I think the learning at schools these days seems to be alot more objective and delve more deeply into the topic than in my day (at least at my school).

Of course, researchers have been adding to the accumulated knowledge; while museums, libraries and archives have been collecting stories, and retrieving and preserving records. So much more is known by the general public now, than in the years following the return of our service personnel.

The most keen researchers of course, have been family historians. Those that have been researching their family. Apart from assembling genealogies, family historians research to pay tribute to and honour their ancestors by remembering them - even more poignant when it is someone who saw active duty.

It's this personal connection to the past that creates the interest to know what happened. And this I believe is what also brings people of all ages to the Anzac Day services.

This year, my Anzac Day blog challenge was issued late, but a number of bloggers still rose to the challenge.

I share their names and links here, so that you can read their research and stories of their family that they have chosen to share:

Alison: Anzac Day 1916 - Richard O'Brien & Hugh O'Brien 
Jonas Mockunas: Baltic Anzacs in the First World War
Jennifer Jones: Ellenor Calnan – Bangka Island Massacre
Jill Ball: Herb Sullivan - a Fighter joins the fray
Fiona Tellesson: Major Hugh Quinn - The Man Behind Quinn's Post Gallipoli Turkey WW1
Fiona Tellesson: Gallipoli hero Captain Samuel William Harry - 100 years on
Barb: Two great-uncles of mine: Patrick Joseph Stettler and John Harold Stettler
Fran Kitto: Herbert Eric Cleveland Kitto #atozchallenge U – Uncle Eric
Kerryn Taylor: Bugler William John Pike MORGAN of Euroa
Shauna Hicks: The Finn Brothers – 2016 Trans Tasman ANZAC Day Blog Challenge
Pauleen Cass: Anzac Day 2016: Villers-Brettoneux and James Paterson
Alex Daw: U is for HMAS Una (oh allright and Uniforms too)

My grateful appreciation to the people who blogged this year. The majority of these bloggers come back every year and contribute to this blog challenge, and we get to learn a bit more about history through reading their family research,.

Please do take the time to read through these amazing blogs - and follow them as I know they will have more outstanding stories to share.

Happy reading

Seonaid


Lest we forget . . .

One of the websites I receive a newsletter from is Lost Cousins run by Peter Calver in the UK.

While I don’t subscribe to his site I get the newsletter as I find this really useful in that he often announces when discounts are available for various sites or advises how to get more bang for your buck, informs of books of interest and of course events etc relating to the genealogical world.

In his newsletter of 8 February 2016 he has provided a link to the database of Red Cross volunteers WWI (currently A-V; the rest is still to come).

This is a wonderful database.  You enter either a full name or just a surname, there is also provision for including location/hospitals and role/duties.  Once you have entered the details you get a list of results (or not).  The image below is what the results look like (I have cropped other information out).

You then click on the name of the person of interest (I only used a surname) and you get a transcript of the record as well as a digitised image of the record.




This is yet another resource you can use to find out what your family may have been involved in during WWI.

Marie Hickey

The 100th anniversary of the First World War has meant there has been a huge flurry of activity to make research resources available worldwide.

A large number of books have been reprinted, some have been revised and updated and a number have been newly written.

My Family History shelves are groaning with new resources, and I know that other non-fiction and reference collections throughout Auckland Libraries are similarly bulging with new books.

Here at Auckland Libraries we have created a webpage on our website devoted to the centenary commemorations, which includes links to a themed page or new and recommended reading list including selected family history titles. This is just a small sample of new items we have - we have many more resources on the shelves.

Additionally, we also have developed the Our Boys, Your Stories website, where we have curated digitised versions of our collection.

Have a look at the Resources page on the Our Boys website to see what has been developed to assist you! Particularly the "Our Boys, Our Families" research guide that has been developed to assist you with your research. Feel free to download the guide to your computer.

Anzac Day is the day that is a national day of remembrance for Australians and New Zealanders who died during armed conflict.

This is the fifth year that Auckland Libraries and the Kintalk blog have issued a Trans-Tasman Anzac Day Blog Challenge.

Do you have a story to share about an Anzac?

Stories we'd like to hear about could be about their service, or the way their sacrifice shaped or impacted on their family history. Maybe you want to blog from the perspective of those that were left behind?

Your story doesn't have to involve a serviceperson who lost their lives - during times of war, families had all sorts of experiences.

And you can write about those who also served in other wars, as all who served in Australia and New Zealand are now recognised as Anzacs.

Maybe you have written about your Anzac before, and have more research to add to the story?

To participate:

• See if your service person is included in the Our Boys website. If he/she is please create a free account and add your story or
• Write a blog post about an serviceman or woman and/or their family, and the impact war had on their family's story or
• Post a comment with the URL to your blog on the comments section of this post or
• If you don't have a blog then you can email us your story at kintalk@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and we will share it for you
• Publish your post by 26 April 2015.

• the Auckland War Memorial Museum;
• the Australian War Memorial site
• Archives New Zealand Archway - Discover World War One
• Discovering Anzacs - the joint initiative between the National Archives of Australia and Archives New Zealand
• the National Archives of Australia or look further by 
• using the resources listed on Cora Num’s website.
• National Archives of Australia Facebook page about their Shellshocked Exhibition and some of the personal stories that they have collected might also be of interest.

Helen Vail's blog 100 NZ WW1 Memorials 1914-2014 is a mine of information about WW1 memorials, and individuals that she has researched. Helen's goal is to personally visit and collate information from 100 New Zealand World War One Memorials throughout New Zealand by August 2014 to commemorate the 100 year Anniversary of the start of World War One and to honour those who paid the ultimate price.

Remember Ancestry, Findmypast and the Genealogist are all free to use with Auckland Libraries.
Blog away
Seonaid

This year's blog challenge is late - primarily due to the fact that in March I was attending the 2015 AFFHO Congress (Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations) in Canberra (more about that in a later blog), and there was much I had to do to prepare before I left.

The 100th anniversary of the First World War has meant there has been a huge flurry of activity to make research resources available worldwide.

A large number of books have been reprinted, some have been revised and updated and a number have been newly written.

My Family History shelves are groaning with new resources, and I know that other non-fiction and reference collections throughout Auckland Libraries are similarly bulging with new books.

Here at Auckland Libraries we have created a webpage on our website devoted to the centenary commemorations, which includes links to a themed page or new and recommended reading list including selected family history titles. This is just a small sample of new items we have - we have many more resources on the shelves.

Additionally, we also have developed the Our Boys, Your Stories website, where we have curated digitised versions of our collection.

Have a look at the Resources page on the Our Boys website to see what has been developed to assist you! Particularly the "Our Boys, Our Families" research guide that has been developed to assist you with your research. Feel free to download the guide to your computer.

Anzac Day is the day that is a national day of remembrance for Australians and New Zealanders who died during armed conflict.

This is the fifth year that Auckland Libraries and the Kintalk blog have issued a Trans-Tasman Anzac Day Blog Challenge.

Do you have a story to share about an Anzac?

Stories we'd like to hear about could be about their service, or the way their sacrifice shaped or impacted on their family history. Maybe you want to blog from the perspective of those that were left behind?

Your story doesn't have to involve a serviceperson who lost their lives - during times of war, families had all sorts of experiences.

And you can write about those who also served in other wars, as all who served in Australia and New Zealand are now recognised as Anzacs.

Maybe you have written about your Anzac before, and have more research to add to the story?

To participate:

• See if your service person is included in the Our Boys website. If he/she is please create a free account and add your story or
• Write a blog post about an serviceman or woman and/or their family, and the impact war had on their family's story or
• Post a comment with the URL to your blog on the comments section of this post or
• If you don't have a blog then you can email us your story at kintalk@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and we will share it for you
• Publish your post by 26 April 2015.

• the Auckland War Memorial Museum;
• the Australian War Memorial site
• Archives New Zealand Archway - Discover World War One
• Discovering Anzacs - the joint initiative between the National Archives of Australia and Archives New Zealand
• the National Archives of Australia or look further by 
• using the resources listed on Cora Num’s website.
• National Archives of Australia Facebook page about their Shellshocked Exhibition and some of the personal stories that they have collected might also be of interest.

Helen Vail's blog 100 NZ WW1 Memorials 1914-2014 is a mine of information about WW1 memorials, and individuals that she has researched. Helen's goal is to personally visit and collate information from 100 New Zealand World War One Memorials throughout New Zealand by August 2014 to commemorate the 100 year Anniversary of the start of World War One and to honour those who paid the ultimate price.


Remember Ancestry, Findmypast and the Genealogist are all free to use with Auckland Libraries.
Blog away
Seonaid

Access  New Zealand WWI and WWII military service personnel files.

2014 is a significant year, with August being the 100th anniversary of beginning of WWI.

Countries around the world are preparing to take part and contribute to commemorations. Many institutions have instigated projects to record memories and consolidate resources, particular online.

Have a look at what Heritage and Research at Auckland Libraries "Our boys, their families" has developed to assist you! Feel free to download to your computer.

ANZAC Day is the day that is a national day of remembrance for Australian and New Zealanders who died during armed conflict.

This is the fourth year that Auckland Libraries and the Kintalk blog have issued a Trans-Tasman ANZAC Day Blog Challenge.

Do you have a story to share about an ANZAC? 

Stories we'd like to hear about could be about their sacrifice, or the way it shaped or impacted on their family history. Maybe you want to blog from the perspective of those that were left behind?

Your story doesn't have to involve a serviceperson who lost their lives - during times of war, all sorts of loss unfortunately are experienced. 

And you can write about those who also served in other wars, as all who served in Australia and New Zealand are recognised as ANZACs.

Maybe you have written about your ANZAC before, and have more research to add to the story?

To participate:

• Write a blog post about an Australian or New Zealander serviceman or woman's family, and the impact war had on their family history
• Post a comment with the URL to your blog on the comments section of this post.
  Or if you don't have a blog then email us your story at kintalk@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
• Publish your post by 26 April 2015.

With the ever rapidly approach of 2014 and the start of the WWI commemoration events it is perhaps timely that a book recently received in Auckland should be about New Zealand’s hospital ships.  It is titled The White Ships: New Zealand’s First World War Hospital Ships by Gavin McLean.  There is a reference copy in the Central Auckland Research Centre but there are borrowable copies throughout Auckland Libraries.

This book is very well presented with many photos of ships, crew and some records.  There is a list of their movements 1915-19 as well as what happened to them after the war.

Image from color plate, page c.4.

While I have not read this yet myself, I think that anyone with a connection with these ships will find it invaluable as a matter of interest or to add to their research.

Marie Hickey

Although Symonds Street Cemetery was closed to new burial plots in 1886, people continued to be buried there if they had family already there right up until 1950s - from the end of 1909, they had the added requirement of needing to also be over 50 years of age.
  

Full length portrait of Private William Parker, Reg No 38740, of the Auckland Infantry Regiment, 22nd Reinforcements, - E Company. Killed in action in France on 4th October 1917 at the Battle of Passchendaele. Heritage Images: 'Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 31-P2442'


However, there are 11 names associated with World War One noted in the Cemetery. Memorials were erected for soldiers lost in action. These are:

• Sapper Walter Edwin Clarke (4/516) who was killed in action on Gallipoli on 7 August 1915.
• Sapper Alfred Ernest Drummond (12/2687) who was killed in action in France on 4 October 1917.
• Private Walter Drummond (12/3307) who was killed in action in France on 26 September 1916.
• Private Thomas William Hobson (12/3681) who was killed in action in France on 7 July 1916.
• Corporal Leonard Ivy Joseph McCarthy (24663) who was killed in action in France on 17 February 1918.
• Private Ernest Wieland Monk of the Royal Fusiliers who died in France on 12 March 1916.
• Lance Corporal Charles Stanley Nicholson (23/535) who was killed in action in France on 15 September 1916.
• Corporal Edward John Parker (2/2896) who was killed in action in France on 26 September 1918.
• Private William Parker (38740) who was killed in action in France on 4 October 1917.
• Rifleman Stanley William Rowe (26690) who was killed in action in France on 12 June 1917.
• Wesley Neal Spragg, Royal Flying Corps, who was killed in action in Egypt on 1 January 1918.

David Verran

PS - Don't forget you can contribute
your ANZAC story to our
Trans-Tasman ANZAC Day Blog Challenge

O’Neill’s Point Cemetery, Bayswater, Auckland

From 1915, a number of recruits from the Pacific trained at Narrow Neck Camp in Devonport before being shipped to the battlefront. The Third Maori Contingent included 50 from the Cook Islands along with 153 Niueans, Tahitians, 15 Fijians, Gilbert and Ellis Islanders (now Kiribati) and Western Samoans. However, of the Niueans only 140 completed their training at Narrow Neck Camp and were sent to Egypt – 12 were discharged back to Niue due to illness and one, Private Vilipate, died at Narrow Neck Camp on 25 December 1915 and was buried in the O'Neill’s Point Cemetery. The Third Contingent sailed on 5 February 1916.

Showing exterior view of church at O'Neills Point Cemetery, surrounded by gravestones   Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-6273 Heritage Images

Two more Niuean soldiers and one Cook Island soldier were buried in that cemetery during the training of more Contingents in 1916. A returning Cook Island solider, Sergeant Beni Banaba was buried there as well in 1917, having served in Egypt and Palestine.

The influenza epidemic of late 1918 hit Narrow Neck Camp particularly hard, and at one stage in early October 1918 there were 226 cases of influenza at the Camp. Ultimately 21 either died in the Camp or in the nearby Barracks and all but one were buried in the O'Neill’s Point Cemetery, including three from Kiribati, one from Fiji and one from the Cook Islands.

In 1919, another Fijian soldier and two Cook Island soldiers were buried in O’Neill’s Point Cemetery, from Auckland Hospital. They were returning home in the troopships.

Visiting O'Neill’s Point Cemetery today, you can see the well-tended and orderly graves of Pasifika soldiers buried there, most with New Zealand Expeditionary or Defence Force emblems on their graves.

David Verran

FindMyPast UK has published the prisoner of war records for both the First and Second World Wars!

Details in brief:

Prisoners of War 1914-1918
The records of 7,703 British Army Officers who were prisoners of war between 1914 and 1918

Most records will tell you the first and last names, rank, service, section, of your ancestors, and the date they went missing and date they were returned.

• Prisoners of War 1939-1945 – British Navy & Air Force Officers: 19,229 records
• Prisoners of War 1939-1945 – Officers of Empire serving in British Army: 39,808 records
• Prisoners of War 1939-1945 – British Army held in German territories: 107,000 records

Most records will advise you the name, rank, regiment, army number, camp number, Prisoner of War number of your ancestor - and the camp type, camp location and extra notes, where applicable.

For more info, see their blog - or try searching for yourself online!

You can use FindMyPast UK FREE throughout all 55 libraries in the Auckland region.

Happy hunting

Seonaid