When Shirley Jack was volunteering at the Port Chalmers Maritime Museum in 2020, she noticed there was little known about the men who served in World War 1 from the port community.
She began her research by finding out more about the those who were listed on a memorial in the Port Chalmers’ main street, George St.
Her list quickly grew and she began documenting it in a book.
It became a "legacy document" she believed was important for the community because it held information about its sons and daughters who went to war.
Her own uncle — Thomas Henry Jack — was in the book and she read his diary to find out more about his experience at war.
"Reading his diary, you just got a sense of pathos, almost an inevitability.
"That's my reading of it."
Miss Jack said the museum wanted to look at Anzac Day from the perspective of the 428 Port Chalmers residents who went to war.
She said memorials often remembered men who died at war and forgot those who came back carrying a load of trouble and experience.
"We’ve remembered everybody, not just those who fell."
"The Anzac Day Exhibition", curated by Miss Jack, will be open until the end of June.
