Author(s): Matthew Wright

First World War

As the golden summer of 1914 gave way to a bitter autumn, men of the British Expeditionary Force reached Ypres. Both sides were exhausted by the fastest-moving war the world had seen. Within a few weeks the forces had settled into muddy trenches that defined the new face of combat. New Zealanders were caught in the maelstrom. Posted to France in 1916 after the failed effort to break into Turkey from Gallipoli, Kiwi soldiers of the New Zealand Division fought in the deadly battles of the Somme, Passchendaele, and the Second Battle of Ypres ÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂàwhere more New Zealanders were killed than at Gallipoli. These soldiersÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂàexperiences helped define twentieth century New Zealand. The poppy is the flower of the Western Front, a lasting symbol of New ZealandÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs war effort.