Soldiers from the Pacific

During World War One over 1,000 men from Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Samoa and Norfolk Island volunteered to join the New Zealand Military Forces. Their service included Gallipoli, France, Egypt and Palestine. As time passes it becomes increasingly difficult to uncover and piece together details of their identities, where they came from and what their experiences were. Though official records are extremely useful they do not fully describe the man or put their service in the wider context of their lives. Despite the fact that 107 of these men died of disease or enemy action, 73 were wounded in action and three became prisoners of war, their story has been untold. They served New Zealand and this is their story.