Impressive World War One Titles

The 100th anniversary of the commencement of World War One has seen a huge amount of publishing on and about the "Great War" especially in the UK where I saw huge window displays in bookshops when in London recently.

Here are two fine titles from our own Te Papa Press.

 Holding on to Home: Stories and Objects of the First World War

 By Kate Hunter and Kirstie Ross - 

 RRP: $49.99  hardback

‘In this book, New Zealand’s Great War experience surges with life once again. Examining the human stories behind the many treasures of 100 years ago, we can feel the heartbeat of that generation of Kiwis who found themselves in the midst of a war that redefined the world we live in today.’
 Sir Peter Jackson ONZ KNZM

 Historians Kate Hunter and Kirstie Ross have scoured museums and archives across the  country to  source personal wartime possessions. The result is Holding on to Home: Stories  and objects of the First World War, a powerful new history based on nearly 300 taonga from 28  different museums, archives and  personal collections across New Zealand

 Co-author Kirstie Ross, Te Papa’s Curator Modern New Zealand, says ‘Each of these objects  holds a  hidden story; the grains of sand from Egypt in a soldier’s jacket; the red, white and  blue beads strung  together by a woman who longed for peace. Even seemingly ordinary  objects can be imbued with 

 powerful meaning in a time of war. In Holding on to Home, we’ve brought these stories to life for  readers.

 As the Gallipoli centenary approaches, many people are taking the time to reflect on a war that  left few New Zealand families untouched. Associate Professor Kate Hunter explains, ‘The  metaphor of touch – of  holding – became very resonant for us as we wrote. What is  astonishing is the extraordinary tenderness with which New Zealanders held on to each other  during and after the war. More than any memorial, the  

lline of kisses at the bottom of letter after letter speaks to me of sacrifices made by families,  lovers and  friends during this conflict.”

The timely publication of Holding on to Home  provides not only a fresh perspective on the First World War, but also valuable insights into the lives of New Zealanders during a time of conflict,  what they treasured and why.

The book ranges from the home front to the battlefront, and from war to recovery, but its focus  never wavers from ordinary people and the things they held on to, setting it apart from other  histories of the war.

 Publisher Claire Murdoch says this is echoed in the book’s look and feel. ‘Anna Egan-Reid has  created  a beautiful design. The rounded edges of the book, its uncoated paper stock and  subtly unfinished look  outwardly mimics the shape of a soldier’s diary or a scrapbook of the  period. Readers can get right up  close to the objects featured, talismans really, from 100 years  ago. This is a really special book.’

Berry Boys: Portraits of First World War Soldiers and Families

By Michael Fitzgerald and Claire Regnault- Hardback - $54.99

This powerful new book offers an evocative snapshot of New Zealanders facing the First World War.

Detective work on the part of Te Papa curators and a heartfelt public response has resulted in this extraordinary new book about soldiers and their families, and the changing face of the First World War.

 Berry Boys: Portraits of First World War Soldiers and Families, showcases more than 100 remarkable portraits of First World War servicemen. 

The portraits come from the William Berry Collection; more than 3000 glass plate negatives found at a historic building on Wellington’s Cuba Street in the 1980s. 

Many of the soldiers who had their portraits taken at the Berry & Co photography studio then left immediately for war. Many are posing with friends and family. But who were they and what happened to them?

In 2011, Te Papa launched its “Berry Boys” identification project. A generous public response and careful research has since seen many of the soldiers named, their stories brought to light, and their descendants traced. In September 2013, TVNZ’s Sunday programme helped to spread the word, reducing the number of unidentified soldiers.

History curator and co-author Michael Fitzgerald says, ‘We have been overwhelmed by the public response from living descendants of the Berry soldiers. The information people have shared with us reflects the powerful emotional response these war stories evoke, even one hundred years later.’ 

Berry Boys: Portraits of First World War Soldiers and Families features beautifully reproduced photographs showing the servicemen and their families, alongside their intriguing stories, and information that could help readers identify those who remain a mystery. Fitzgerald’s co-author, History curator Claire Regnault, says ‘Known or unknown, every one of these Berry portraits tells a story.”

Fitzgerald undertook intensive research to tell each soldier’s story, reconstructing their lives from digitised army records, newspaper reports and family information.  Regnault says, ‘Some of these men died overseas, others lived long after the war and were no doubt changed by it.’

Although the Berry Boys represent only a fraction of the thousands of men who served, they offer a potent snapshot of wartime New Zealand.

The release of Berry Boys: Portraits of First World War Soldiers and Families coincides with the national screening of Production Shed’s new TVNZ documentary, Berry Boys, on Sunday 3 August 2014.