New Zealand's First World War memorials are part of the fabric of our lives. Virtually every township has one, usually in the main street. Excluding the many honours boards and plaques in schools and churches, there are well over 500 public memorials to the soldiers of the Great War, 1914 - 1918.
Inglewood First World War memorial Inglewood First World War memorial The design of and details on memorials were the result of much debate and thought. Memorials aroused deep emotions and had to be acceptable to a wide range of people. The local war memorial says much about the beliefs and values of New Zealanders in the years after the Great War. They are a clue to what that terrible event meant to the people of this country.
Over 100,000 young New Zealanders served overseas and some 18,000 lost their lives during the war. Sacrifice like this meant grief on a large scale. There were grieving parents, lovers, siblings and friends who wanted to have a memorial where they could lay their wreaths at Anzac Day and contemplate their loss. Returned men wished to honour their mates. And people wanted to recall with pride the way 'our boys' had given identity to a nation.
The powerful emotions of sorrow and pride produced much creativity. No two memorials are exactly the same and there is a rich variety of imagery in the memorials.
