My dark mood was caused not by the accounts of the war's many battles and their attendant casualties, but by the inclusion in the book of many items of ephemera: facsimiles of faded letters home from soldiers, leave tickets, soldiers' travel documents etc, as well as formal government letters to next of kin informing them of soldiers' deaths or serious injury.
These items help the reader to get a feel for the time and of the war's impact on a still early New Zealand society more than any list of casualties can convey.
The ratio of casualties to the general population of the country was shockingly high. Those responsible for this production have done their utmost to honour those who took part in the war and to keep their stories alive.
The large-format book is laid out with a separate topic on each set of facing pages, with the Gallipoli campaign, being of greater import, covering eight pages.
The layout allows the inclusion of an array of pictorial and written items relating to the war effort, including photos, drawings, many maps and detailed battle diagrams, postcards and political cartoons capturing the public mood.
The inside back and front covers feature political maps of the world in 1914 (front) and 1923, showing the shift in allegiance of the various players in the conflict.
All aspects of the war are covered (albeit briefly), with no shrinking from subjects such as the execution of soldiers for misdemeanours, the need to treat some troops for venereal diseases, and the treatment meted out to conscientious objectors and pacifists.
For those who wish to get a deeper understanding of the war, a bibliography pointing to further reading is included. This is accompanied by an explanation of all abbreviations used, and all ephemera enclosures are listed. A full index rounds off this section. At an RRP of $75 and presented in a protective slipcase, this is a comprehensive introduction to and memorial of the Great War and its New Zealand participants.
- René Nol is a Dunedin reader.
