Ah, winter. Lovely, lovely winter.

It's almost at an end which is such a shame, because how perfect is winter and a book? Some would say the beach and a book but there is so much potential for disaster there. What if you get wet, and then get covered in sand, and get all this sandy, gritty mess all over the pages, or drop the book in the water-filled moat the kids have made in the sand, or even worse, what if you drop the Kindle? And then the sun glares off the pages, causing huge blind spots in your vision, or you have to wear non-prescription sunglasses and can't see, or you've got sunscreen all over your hands and you touch the pages, and its a library book! Or you spill your vanilla milkshake all over it... No. Too much can go wrong at the beach, way too much. But winter? Winter is perfect for reading on the couch or in bed, on the bus ride home, or at a café with a coffee. Fictional bliss!

On to the family history fiction.

You would not be wrong in assuming from the title "Kissing Mr Wrong" that this is one for those who like romantic comedy in the chick-lit vein. It is indeed. Yet besides the romantic angst and confusion, there is a lovely family history thread running through it with associated mystery to solve.

Set in England, Lu is a 30-something children's book illustrator whose beloved grandmother, Delia, has asked her to find out who her birth parents are. Delia knows she was adopted, she has her father's name and some documentation, and figures all Lu has to do is go on the internet, like they do on the TV shows.

Lu has never been interested in her family history, but as she embarks on a mission to find out who her real great-grandparents are, she finds herself becoming hooked on the research, and the war becomes more and more real to her.

If you're a long-time family historian and know a lot about the First World War, the information may be a bit basic for you, with scenes like the "Mr Wrong" of the story, Nick, teaching Lu how to find the information, and Lu learning details about the war, when she hasn't been all that interested before. But it's such a fun read, as you would expect a romantic-comedy to be. Like the scene where worried grandma Delia, concerned over having to be put under for dental surgery, says to Lu: "It'll be like Death Row, the lethal injection. I'm ninety-two, you know, no good to anyone, I've had my time. They'll want to put me down, save me being a drain on resources." She sighed. "It's probably for the best."

The story is of course all about the budding romance with the confusion, conflict, why Nick is the wrong one for Lu, domestic dramas and happy-ever-after, but the family history thread running through it is most enjoyable. I loved this story.

There are large-print versions floating around the library system, as well as an audio book version.

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

Centenary photographs from Auckland Libraries Heritage Images

The Leith brothers, David and James, both served with the New Zealand Tunnelling Company. Auckland Libraries, 31-L688.

Private Cyril Gladwin Jonkers and family. Auckland Libraries, 31-J1890.

Trooper Thomas Robert Catton with his sisters. Auckland Libraries, 31-C1942.

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

In the first week of February, Auckland Libraries was delighted to have hosted several events to support New Zealand Cemeteries Heritage Week, which was to celebrate the launch on Ancestry of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists (NZSG) cemetery microfiche.


The cemetery microfiche was the culmination of almost 50 years' worth of work by volunteers from the NZSG - a painstaking process of recording and transcribing cemetery headstones from 1400 public and private cemeteries nationwide, including Māori urupa from 1800 right up until 2007.

The official launch day was held on Monday, 2 February, 2015, at the New Zealand Society of Genealogists head office in Panmure where current NZSG President Gay Williams discussed the history of their Cemetery Collection and explained the work that was behind it.

The launch made the news on TVNZ.


Auckland Libraries hosted events in support for the following three days. Subjects presented were:

• S.S.Tararua  - our worst civilian shipwreck, 29 April 1881 - Gay Williams, President, (NZ Society of Genealogists) 

• The shipwreck of the HMS Orpheus on 7 February 1863 - Michael Wynd, Researcher, (National Museum of the Royal New Zealand Navy)

• The ‘Great Flu’ pandemic, 1918 - Gay Williams

• Hawkes Bay Earthquake 3 February 1931 - Christine Clement

• The Tangiwai Railway Disaster, 24 December 1953 - Gay Williams

• The Air NZ Erebus disaster, 28 November 1979 - Gay Williams

• Why can't I locate my NZ ancestors place of burial - David Verran, Local Historian and Team Leader, Central Auckland Research Centre, Auckland Libraries

• Locating your ancestors through NZSG burial records and Ancestry online (NZ cemetery records 1800 – 2007), Diane Wilson and Gay Williams 

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.

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