Theme 05

Illness, Injury and Death

Up to 18.4 million people were killed and 23.7 million injured in World War One.

In wartime, the term casualty refers to people killed or injured. World War One saw casualties like never before. Up to 18.4 million people were killed and 23.7 million injured. These are some of their stories along with experiences of some who cared for the thousands of wounded and sick.

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New Zealand Stationary Hospital, Wisques, France

Alexander Turnball Library 1/2-013470-G

Wounded in the War

Medical care struggled to keep up with the casualties inflicted by the new machinery of war

Ettie's War

Ettie Rout formed the New Zealand Volunteer Sisterhood to assist medical staff overseas care for sick and wounded soldiers

German Losses

The human toll of the War on the German Empire was high

Personnel from the 2nd Field Ambulance at work inside a Casualty Clearing Station in France, c1918

Alexander Turnbull Library 1/1-002082-G

Burying a Hero

Henry Nicholas was buried with full military honours.

Treasured Mementos

If possible, a dead soldier’s personal belongings were collected prior to his burial so that they could be given to his next of kin

Wounded New Zealanders being placed in an ambulance at a Casualty Clearing Station, Bertrancourt, France, 6 April 1918

Alexander Turnbull Library 1/2-013096-G

This online exhibition is representative of Canterbury and World War One: Lives Lost Lives Changed, a temporary exhibition which ran from 30 November 2017 to 11 November 2018 at Canterbury Museum.

On the Eve of War

At the turn of the twentieth century, Canterbury was one of the most prosperous provinces in New Zealand

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Going to War

Britain’s declaration of war caused great excitement in Canterbury. Thousands enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force

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The War Away

New Zealand soldiers and nurses endured the joys and sorrows of life at war and all had stories worth telling

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The War at Home

In many respects the war at home was the women’s war

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