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Cenotaph Stories

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Cenotaph Stories

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Wwi

  • Man of Mystery: Who was John Henry Bennett?

    Matthew Nickless
    Collection Information Technician

    Nearly 100,000 New Zealanders served in World War I. Among those called to service were many conscientous objectors, men and women who were avowed pacifists. One of those was John Henry Bennett, but who was he?

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  • A Mariner’s Service: Spencer George Smith, 1915–1954

    Victoria Passau
    Online Cenotaph & Enquiry Services Manager

    Prompted by a son's search to better understand his father, this article traces the life of Spencer George Smith, a Merchant Navy engineer who served on wartime convoys. He survived a torpedo attack and sinking, returned to New Zealand after World War II, and died young in 1954, leaving a record shaped by service and family recollection.

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  • A vow kept: The Stewart whānau’s journey of remembrance

    Victoria Passau, Online Cenotaph & Enquiry Service Manager

    In 2009, Noelene Hughes travelled with her whānau from Australia to Gallipoli and Lemnos to fulfil a vow to visit the grave of her uncle, Private Pareiha Tuati (David Apanui Stewart). Their journey reconnects whakapapa, wartime diaries, and family memory, honouring the Stewart brothers and their enduring legacy across generations.

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  • Wikitoria Te Huruhuru Whatu: "My Māori Florence"

    Sophie Elborough (Collection Information Technician) and Anjuli Selvadurai (Wikimedian in Residence)

    Wikitoria Te Huruhuru Whatu (1912–2006) of Ngāti Toarangatira was the first Māori Red Cross WAAC member to serve overseas during World War II. Serving in the Middle East and Europe, she cared for wounded soldiers, especially the 28 Māori Battalion. After the war she continued community welfare work and was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal. In collaboration with Wikitoria’s whanau, and drawing on letters, diaries, and family memories, we share her story in honour of International Women’s Day 2026.

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  • Waitaki Boys' Hall of Memories

    Martin Edmond
    Guest contributor

    Written to accompany a photograph by Laurence Aberhart, Martin Edmond’s essay reflects on the Hall of Memories at Waitaki Boys’ High School as both a working school space and war memorial. The image, gifted by the Waitaki Old Boys to Auckland Museum, reinforces the Hall as a place where memory endures in the absence of those commemorated.

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  • Red Cross humanitarian support for New Zealand prisoners of war, 1939-1945

    By Judy Owen, Pou Maumahara Volunteer and former Red Cross Nurse, in collaboration with Victoria Passau, Online Cenotaph & Enquiry Services Manager

    This article is the first in a two-part series on Red Cross support for New Zealand prisoners of war during World War II. Part Two looks at medical care in the camps and the work of the New Zealand doctor Dr John Borrie.

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  • Red Cross medical support for Prisoners of War: Dr John Borrie

    By Judy Owen, Pou Maumahara Volunteer and former Red Cross Nurse, in collaboration with Victoria Passau, Online Cenotaph & Enquiry Services Manager

    This article is the second in a two-part series on Red Cross support for New Zealand prisoners of war during World War II. The first explored the power of connection through letters and parcels; this post turns to medical care and the work of New Zealand doctor and POW Dr John Borrie.

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  • John Bethune McCaw: Artist-Technician

    Victoria Passau
    Online Cenotaph & Enquiry Services Manager

    Leading Aircraftsman John Bethune McCaw (1924–2010) served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War II before pursuing a long career as Artist-Technician at Auckland Museum.

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  • Female Impersonation in WWI

    Sophie Elborough
    Collection Technician, Research Support

    Part I of our series on female impersonation traces the origins of female impersonation in military life, from ancient traditions to World War I. It highlights the success of the Digger Pierrots and Stanley Lawson, before examining how interwar conservatism reshaped perceptions of gender, sexuality, and performance.

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  • Female Impersonation in WWII and beyond

    Sophie Elborough & Victoria Passau
    Online Cenotaph Team

    Part II of our series on female impersonation in the military looks at its revival in World War II with the Kiwi Concert Party, its decline, and changing roles. It highlights queer resilience, Māori performance, and Carmen Rupe’s legacy.

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