World War One (battles and campaigns)

Battles and campaigns of World War One

Some of the main battles of the war that New Zealand soldiers were involved in:

• Battle of Chunuk Bair 1915: Two columns of the New Zealand Infantry Brigade carried out the attack that began on 6 August. Lieutenant-Colonel William Malone was one of the casualties of this attack.

• Gallipoli campaign 1915-1916: Troops from New Zealand, Australia, Britain, Ireland, France, India and Newfoundland landed on the beaches of Gallipoli (Türkiye) to fight the Ottoman Empire.

• Sinai and Palestine campaign 1915-1918: New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade and Imperial Camel Corps, which formed part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, fought to secure the Suez Canal, and Gaza, the gateway to Palestine.

• Battle of Jutland 1916: HMS New Zealand was one of the 250 ships from Britain and Germany to go into battle in the North Sea.

• Battle of the Somme 1916: This was New Zealand's first major involvement on the Western Front with brigades from the newly formed New Zealand Division.

• Battle of Arras (Arras tunnels) 1917: Several hundred men of the New Zealand Tunnelling Company expanded the tunnel systems under the city of Arras in France to help the Allies maintain pressure on the enemy.

• Battle of Messines 1917: The New Zealand Division moved to Flanders to take part in the successful capture of the Messines ridge.

• Battle of Passchendaele 1917: This was one of the bloodiest battles fought by New Zealand for the Belgian village of Passchendaele near Ypres.

• Battle of Ypres 1917: New Zealand was involved in the Third Battle of Ypres, that was fought over land near the town of Passchendaele.

• Battle of Le Quesnoy 1918: In this battle in northern France, New Zealand soldiers helped liberate the fortress town of Le Quesnoy, which had been in German hands since 1814.

Tips: To find information on individual battles or campaigns, try using a keyword from the list above, such as 'Jutland' or 'Arras' in the websites below or in other websites on the World War One.

General websites

Here are websites that have useful facts, images, stories, and other information about World War One battles and campaigns. They cover information on where the battles were fought, and what it was like for the soldiers and other people involved.

Imperial War Museum

Located in Britain, the Imperial War Museum is dedicated to military history and includes lots of information about the World Wars.

• Use the search box to enter the keywords ' World War One battles'.

• Under Stories, select Top 10 most important battles of the First World War and 10 Significant Battles Of The First World War.

• Or, go to the tab Objects and History to select Stories and Videos.

• Under the First World War select More First World War stories.

• Look under Topic to explore any of the battles, like the Battle of Somme or the Western Front.

Tips: Websites that have .org or .net in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About us link on the website if you can find one. That can tell you what their mission and values are.

Britannica School Secondary

Britannica School is part of EPIC, a collection of reliable databases covering lots of different topics. It is put together especially for New Zealand school students.

• Enter the search words 'World War One battles' to select World War 1 (1914-1918).

• This page has information about areas of conflict, such as the Egyptian frontiers and the Western Front.

• Or, enter the name of a battle, eg 'Somme', to find articles like First Battle of the Somme.

• Use the navigation tool on the left to move to a different level if you need to.

Tips: To get to the EPIC databases you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or, you can log on to AnyQuestions and one of the librarians can help you online. Some EPIC databases may also be available through your public library.

HISTORY

This site has a focus on American history, but also covers world and cultural history, and eras such as Ancient Greece and the Middle Ages.

• Go to the tab called World, then select World War 1 from the drop-down menu.

• Look for World War 1 Battles: Timeline.

• The Table of contents lists all the battles from World War One.

• Look down the page for a quick read of each of the battles.

• Each battle has a link that takes you to a page with more details on the battle.

Tips: You will not be able to use the 'Stream HISTORY' channel as this is a subscription-only channel.

Long, Long Trail

Although the website helps research on British soldiers of the Great War, it is also a great resource for New Zealand soldiers and campaigns, with a fairly detailed overview of the battles and general army life.

• Choose the tab Battles to find different fighting fronts, such as France and Flanders and The Western Desert.

• Then try the search words 'New Zealand' in the search box.

• Read the New Zealand Division to find a brief history of their formation and the battles they fought.

Tips: Websites that have .com or .co in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About page on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the company’s mission and values are.

New Zealand websites

Here are some reliable websites that cover the battles that the New Zealand soldiers fought during World War One.

WW100

WW100 is a New Zealand government website dedicated to remembering the First World War, one hundred years on. New Zealand's First World War Centenary commemorates the conflict from 2014 to 2019 (when our troops came home) through a range of events, activities and projects in all parts of the country.

• The tab NZ at War leads to Discover WW1.

• This page has facts and stories along with an interactive New Zealand at War timeline of New Zealand's involvement.

• They also have information on various actions New Zealand soldiers were involved in, such as the

  Arras tunnels.

Ngā Tapuwae New Zealand First World War Trails

This government website includes travel guides and plenty of primary source material. The trails have been designed for travellers to visit on the ground, or as an informative guide for those who would like to explore from home.

• Explore the trails, Gallipoli or Western Front.

• Each trail allows you to follow in the footsteps of the ANZACS, guiding you through the campaign with historical insights and stories.

Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Te Ara is an excellent starting point for all questions about Aotearoa New Zealand. If we look down to the bottom of the page, we can see that the website belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, so the information is well-researched and reliable.

• In the search bar enter the keywords 'First World War'

• Choose First World War to find stories on the battles fought by the New Zealand soldiers.

• The link Māori contingent in the First World War covers the Māori unit at Gallipoli.

NZ History

NZ History is another great website for information about Aotearoa New Zealand. It also belongs to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage.

• Go to the section on New Zealand at war.

• Select the First World War.

• Look down the page to find sections on Gallipoli and the Balkans, Western Front, the Middle East and more.

Tips: We like sites like these because they’re reliable. You can tell because of their web address – they have either .govt or .ac, meaning they are from government or educational organisations. They’re also New Zealand sites, so relevant for us.

National Army Museum | Te Mata Toa

This museum showcases the military history of Aotearoa New Zealand. You can visit the museum and its exhibitions at Waiouru.

• Use the tab Explore, then go to Recollect to explore the archive of photos on World War One battles.

• Then go to Voices of the past to find real war stories of New Zealand soldiers.

• Read Samuel Frickleton: “Magnificent Courage and Gallantry” at Messines, 1917 and Quiet Farmer Lies in a Foreign Field.

Tips: Stories can be told in different ways. It’s a good idea to look at multiple information sources about a topic to help you put together your own narrative.

Books

There have been many books written about World War One — check out your local public or school library to see what they have.

Some suggested titles are:

• Voices of Gallipoli by Maurice Shadbolt

• New Zealand's Western Front Campaign by I C McGibbon

• Campaigns of World War I by Nick Hunter

• Rendezvous with death: Anzac stories of the Great War 1914-1918 by John Ramsland

• Whitiki! Whiti! Whiti! E!: Māori in the First World War by Monty Soutar

• Lawrence of Arabia and the Middle East and Africa by Gary Jeffrey & illustrated by Nick Spender

SCIS no: 1915707