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Soldier, Curator, Monuments Man

Who was Aotearoa New Zealand's only Monuments Man? Discover the incredible life of the Museum's longest serving director. 

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The Amp: Episode 1, Soldier, Curator, Monuments Man
EPISODE 1

Soldier, Curator, Monuments Man

Discover the story of Sir Gilbert Archey, longtime Museum director and the sole Monuments Man of Southeast Asia. Having overseen the construction of Auckland’s War Memorial Museum, Sir Gilbert was tasked by the Allied Forces to protect the art, monuments, and temples of South-East Asia amidst the chaos of the Second World War. Later in life becoming a prolific researcher and supporter of Māori and Pasifika art, Sir Gilbert carved out a legacy of knowledge and education, still benefitting Aotearoa New Zealand today.   

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Sir Gilbert Archey
ARTICLE

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Art and cultural heritage are often among the early casualties of war, suffering destruction and theft amidst the chaos of conflict. To combat this, in WWII the Allied forces mobilised the Monuments Men and Women to protect the art and cultural monuments of war-struck nations. Read on to learn the fascinating story of our very own Monuments Man, and former Auckland Museum director Sir Gilbert Archey.

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TRANSCRIPT

To discover more about the Monuments Men and Women check out the following links:

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This podcast was brought to you by Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum supported by the Stevenson Foundation. It was written and produced by Laura Skerritt and Steph Strock. Sound Design by Sara O'Brien, voice acting by Ian Proctor, Joseph Main and Adam Burrell. The executive producer was Teresa Cowie from Connect Content. Thanks to our host, Finn McCahon-Jones and our guests, Elizabeth Meers, Jacqueline Armitage, Pia Gahagan, Madison Pine and Nigel Borell.

 

MUSIC REPRODUCTION

  • Ticking and chiming of an OLD 40's wall clock by blackstorm88 -- https://freesound.org/s/622671/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 
  • soundtrack noise 1940s by Yuval -- https://freesound.org/s/197795/ License: Creative Commons 0
  • Writing with Fountain Pen Nib by black_trillium -- https://freesound.org/s/397282/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
  • Last Post.wav by Benboncan -- https://freesound.org/s/61811/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

 

Other SFX/Music used with appropriate permissions/license from Artlist, BBC, Internet Archive, Sounddogs, Soundsnap, or from the Auckland Museum SFX library.

IMAGE REPRODUCTION

You can view Sir Gilbert Archey's medal on Collections Online or view it in person in our Pou Maumahara Memorial Discovery Centre. 

Gilbert Archey. Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira.
Medal, commemorative (2015). Collection of Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum. 2022.32.1.