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Cenotaph Stories

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Cenotaph Stories

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Wwii

  • Dick Owen and the Arctic Convoys

    Sophie Elborough (COLLECTION TECHNICIAN) & Judy Owen (Volunteer)
    Online Cenotaph

    Pou Maumahara volunteer Judy Owen shares a story written by her father Malcolm (Dick) Cunningham Owen about his experience in the Arctic Convoys during World War II.

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  • Echoes across the waves: The Wally Ware story

    Sophie Elborough (Collection Technician) and Victoria Passau (Online Cenotaph & Enquiry Services Manager)

    Wally Ware served in the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II, witnessing key moments aboard HMNZS Achilles and Gambia. His remarkable experiences, from naval battles to coded letters home, shaped his post-war life as a pioneering farmer and community leader.

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  • The Kokoda Legacy: New Zealanders among the ranks

    Matthew Nickless
    Collection Technician - Research Support

    New Zealand has always had a close military connection with Australia. This is the story of two New Zealanders who served with the Second Australian Imperial Force in one of Australia's most famous campaigns - the Kokoda Trail.

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  • A message home: Connecting whānau through Online Cenotaph

    Victoria Passau, Online Cenotaph & Enquiry Service Manager

    In 2024, sound history researcher Sarah Johnston shared a poignant story about a World War II sound disc that reconnected the family of Daniel Joseph Clifford, a young New Zealand airman, with the voice of their long-lost loved one.

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  • From Service to Sports: The journeys of New Zealand's Veteran Olympians

    Madeleine Williamson
    Collection Access Librarian

    From military service to the world stage, New Zealand's veteran Olympians exemplify resilience and dedication. Fifteen New Zealand military veterans have had the privilege of representing New Zealand at the Olympics. Let’s celebrate their stories as we reignite the Olympic flame.

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  • A Family Affair: Intergenerational Service in the Merchant Navy during WWII 

    Sophie Elborough
    COLLECTION TECHNICIAN - RESEARCH SUPPORT

    These are the stories of two families whose lives were inseparable from the Merchant Navy. As these siblings, children, and parents served alongside each other during World War II they demonstrated incredible perseverance and their experiences highlight a surprising sense of continuity despite global conflict.

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  • Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park – Officially One of The Few!

    Dilip Sarkar (MBE FRHistS)

    Historian Dilip Sarkar has spent his career researching the Battle of Britain. In this piece he shares with us the new stories he has uncovered about the service of Auckland’s Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park and his involvement in the defence of Britain.

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  • Stories from Singapore: the RNZAF in World War II

    Matthew Nickless
    Collection Technician - Research Support

    Despite the proximity of Singapore and the Pacific to New Zealand, most New Zealand forces were concentrated in North Africa in 1942. Matthew Nickless looks at two RNZAF servicemen who served close to home, and their experiences during the Fall of Singapore.

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  • 'ATA-Girls': The Fab Five of New Zealand Aviation

    Dr Gabrielle Fortune
    Historian

    They were called 'ATA-girls' (attagirls) female pilots who served with the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) during the Second World War. During the war 168 women served with the ATA, including five New Zealand Women who paid their own way to England for a chance to fly.

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  • A Kiwi in Canada

    Nelson Bennett
    Collection Technician - Research Support

    Lawrence Don Bennett was one of 7000 kiwis who shipped off to Canada to take part in the Air Training Scheme. The program was massive, and it affected so many New Zealand service people, but is often overlooked in the history of the Second World War.

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