The military history of New Zealand during World War I began in August 1914. When Britain declared war on Germany at the start of the First World War, the New Zealand Government followed without hesitation, despite its geographic isolation and small population.

Sling Camp was a World War I camp occupied by New Zealand soldiers beside the then-military town of Bulford on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England.

After decades of simmering tensions, conflicting national interests and a complex network of rival alliances, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire,...

On 28 June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife Sophie were assassinated in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo. The fallout from this faraway event would ultimately claim the lives of 18,000 New Zealanders and lead to the wounding of 41,000.

On 14-15 March 1919, New Zealand troops based at Sling Camp in England rioted. As a way of keeping the soldiers occupied after the riot, a massive kiwi surveyed by Sergeant Major Victor Low was carved into the hillside above the camp. The chalk kiwi above Sling Camp. National Army Museum: 1992.2626.

The people of Le Quesnoy have always remembered the freedom given to them by New Zealanders in WWI. The Kiwis’ courage and ingenuity won their deep respect and led to a remarkable friendship, alive to this day.

Remembering the Contribution of WWI Kiwi Soldiers. The prized colours of the Wellington Infantry Regiment of World War One have been donated to the National Army Museum.

2013年11月11日 · World War 1 saw Kiwis fighting in campaigns like Gallipoli, and the Somme. Explore New Zealand’s role in this war, including battles, the home front, causalities, heroes, memorials, conscientious objectors and the ANZAC legend. SCIS no. 1808397.

This huge kiwi was carved in the chalk hillside above Sling camp, near Salisbury in England, while New Zealand troops were awaiting shipment back home. Delays in repatriation had sparked several riots in the camps, so the officers set the men to work carving this kiwi. The figure is now maintained by the British Ministry of Defence.

More than 100,000 New Zealanders served overseas in World War l. Over 18,000 died; at least 40,000 more were wounded. Campaigns involving Kiwis, from Gallipoli to the Western Front, were identity-forming, and the war's effects on society were deep. The World War l Collection is an evolving onscreen remembrance.