Here at the Central Auckland Research Centre, we have been enjoying reading the wonderful blog posts that have been submitted for our annual TransTasman Anzac Day Blog Challenge.

Its important to note that we commemorate Anzac Day - we don't celebrate it. 

Some of the blogs are about fallen or wounded soldiers as you might expect.

Out of a population of just over a million, 120,000 New Zealanders served in WWI - of which 18,500 died (2700 at Gallipoli) and 41,000 were wounded. 

Pauleen Cass' contribution to the Worldwide Genealogy blog tells us that out of a population of 4.9 million Australians, 416,809 enlisted for WWI - 58,961 of whom died and 166,811 were wounded.

A couple posts are to do with soldiers who died due to illness - the measles epidemic at the Trentham training camp as happened with Edward Tunnecliffe and so many others; and also the post-war Spanish influenza epidemic as with William Gowans.

Imagine enlisting thinking you were going off to train for war duties only to die before you left the country.

Or having survived the war and the horrible conditions, only to die at the end due to the influenza epidemic.

One returned serviceman Ernest Weeks died post-war under mysterious circumstances. Was it suicide? HIghly possible is the conclusion. Sadly loads of soldiers died this way. 

A couple of the posts dealt with mysteries that needed to be solved:- like who were Jack Russell and Leslie Leister?

Keith Ferguson died a POW in Borneo until just before the end of WWII, and while we don't have any specific information about what happened during his captivity, we know a little from other records about what life must have been like for him.

The post Postcards to the Front, gives a different perspective on the war. As well as leaving us wanting to know who Ena was, and how she came to be sending Frederick Charles Fisher postcards that he didn't seem to answer; it gives us insight into the types of relationships that may have been formed during the war if we use our imaginations. Did Ena wonder where Frederick was in years to come post-war?

Some bloggers like Sandy are concerned about the condition of our nation's family memorials. She writes in The plight of family memorials about her concerns that so many appear to be either neglected or vandalised. A concern she also shares with her article in Stuff Nation.

Some bloggers entered more than one post, or wrote about more than one person.

Most of them had wonderful photos and copies of documents to share with us.

I hope you enjoy reading our bloggers research, and I hope some of their research gives you ideas of where you might search for information for your own.

Blog Honour Roll:

Frederick Charles Fisher AIF & Ena Postcards to the Front, WWI
Family history across the seas
Pauleen Cass (@cassmob)

Keith Davey Ferguson, AMF, d Jul 1945, POW WWII
But mostly about cats
Neale Ferguson (@nealeferguson)

William James Gowans, AIF, wounded returned serviceman WWI, died influenza epidemic 1919
GeniAus
Jill Ball (@GeniAus)

Edward George Tunnecliffe, d Oct 1916, measles epidemic, Trentham
iwiKiwi - A Kiwi in search of her Irish, English and Scottish tribes
Maggie (@iwikiwichick)

Ernest William, veteran WWI, died post-war Aug 1919
From Helen V Smith's Keyboard
Helen Smith (@HVSresearch)

Francis Kitto, d Nov 1918; Ernest Eric Scott Kitto, veteran WWII, d 2000
TravelGenee
Fran (@TravelGenee)

Walter Kinghorn, d Oct 1917, Byaduk
Western Districts Families
Merron Riddiford (@mezzza68)

James Gavin d Jul 1916 Fromelles; James Paterson: d Apr 1917 Noreuil; Sydney Pentland: d Nov 1915 Gallipoli; Donald Black Pentland: d Oct 1917 Ypres; Jack Gavin: d Jun 1917 Messines.
Worldwide Genealogy - A Genealogical Collaboration
Pauleen Cass (@cassmob)

Jack Russell/Thomas Henry Adolphus Spencer, veteran WWI & WWII
Shauna Hicks History Enterprises
Shauna Hicks (@HicksShauna)

Malcolm Michael (Mack) Shepherd wounded Aug 1918, France
Family stories, photographs and memories
Diane Hewson (@DianeHewson)

The plight of family memorials
Magna Quies
Sarndra (@Magna_Quies)
See also Sandy's article in Stuff Nation on the subject

Lloyd Morris Geyer 
Melville Geyer 
Ernest Theodore Geyer 
http://shazlex.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/anzac-day-blog-challenge-2014.html
http://shazlex.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/anzac-day-blog-challenge-2014-first-of.html
http://shazlex.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/anzac-day-blog-challenge-2014-greeting.html
http://shazlex.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/anzac-day-blog-challenge-2014-he-was.html
Strong Foundations
Sharon

Frederick Charles Fisher, AIF, returned serviceman WWI; Leslie Gladstone Fisher, AIF returned serviceman WWI
Family history across the seas
Pauleen Cass (@cassmob)

George Henry Charles CARRETT III, AIF, returned serviceman WWI
Family Tree Frog
Alex Daw (@luvviealex)

Leslie Leister, KIA July 1916, Fromelles, France; RIP 
Anne's Family History
Anne Young

Restyn Walter (Pete) Randell, AIF/RAAF, returned serviceman WWII
Lone Tester HQ
Alona Tester (@LoneTester)

Contributions from the three earlier years:

• 2013 Trans-Tasman ANZAC Day Blog Challenge
• 2012 Trans-Tasman ANZAC Day Blog Challenge and 
• 2011 Trans-Tasman ANZAC Day Blog Challenge 

The Auckland Weekly News was filled not only with news and advertisements, but with an excellent assortment of photographs, and a service it offered during the war years was to publish a passport sized photograph of your wounded or killed family member. These photographs have all been indexed in to one easy-to-use volume, although its worth noting it does not included those photographs published in the Weekly News supplement.

In case you haven't heard the big NEWS, the New Zealand Herald has been digitized up to 31 December 1945 and is now accessible through Papers Past!  The Auckland Libraries homepage currently has a direct link to the database or alternatively, Papers Past can also be found under "P" in the A-Z listing of eResources in the Digital Library.

There has never been a better time to delve into your family history research and see what newsy items about your ancestors were published in the New Zealand Herald. Best of all, the contents can be downloaded, printed or saved in a pdf format for your records. If you would like some user friendly tips on getting the most out of searching on Papers Past, check out our research guides by clicking here.

While browsing through the pages you will also discover quirky, interesting articles and bits of gossip that will undoubtedly provide you with endless hours of distraction.

New Zealand Herald, 4 March 1939

New Zealand Herald, 22 March 1941

New Zealand Herald, 13 January 1927

Papers Past now has 83 titles and over 3 million pages of digitised content available. Besides the Herald and Auckland Star, the following list of historical newspapers on Papers Past also have Auckland content:

Happy searching!

Karen