A Journey To Where We Are Not Allowed To Say

Postcard of New Zealand troopship no.37 Maunganui in Wellington harbour. Photograph taken by John Dickie. 

The ship Maunganui is seen here in Wellington harbour with a line running from her bow and secured to the wharf at the right of the picture. At the stern she is supported by a pilot boat. In the background is a city building with a large sign "W.A.J. Dutch, Brassfounder" which is situated at 262 Wakefield Street.
The purple ink mark on the face of this postcard was made by the military censor, an action commonly performed during the First World War to prevent the enemy from identifying and infiltrating the allied forces and their movements.

"14/1/16. Dear Mother, 
This is the ship that is taking the boys to where we are not allowed to say. We have had a very smooth passage so far, & this is our 7th day out. We saw a shole of sharks. I am waiter in the Dining Room. It will take us 6 weeks to get to our destination. I will drop you a few lines every other few days. Hoping this finds you in the very best of health as it leaves me the same.
Your loving son, 
10/3726 Pvte A.P. Ross, B Coy, 9th Inf Reinforcement, Wellington."

The sender of this postcard is Private Alfred Palmer Ross of New Plymouth, Taranaki. He served in the Wellington Infantry Regiment and was reported wounded in the Auckland Weekly News in June 1917. He returned to New Zealand from the battlefields in Belgium and France in 1919, and died in 1966 aged 80.

Artist Barribal's New Zealand Soldier

Many postcards in circulation during the First World War were either real photographic cards or the popular embroidered silk cards. However another very large portion of the postcard market was from artwork produced by many well known artists. Some of their illustrations and paintings were used by postcard publishing houses and distributed and sold to an eager public ready to write messages to and from the war zone. The art was produced in a wide range of themes including but not limited to comic, romance and patriotic as shown in the example above.

This postcard of a New Zealand soldier is part of a set produced by artist William Henry Barribal (born 1879 - died 1956). The set features servicemen of the Empire and they are identified on the reverse side of the cards with "No.1049". Others in this set include servicemen from Australia, Canada, India and South Africa.  They were published by a very well known London fine art dealer Alfred Vivian Mansell. He established his publishing premises at 2 Chapel street and 22 Silk street in the heart of what was referred to as "The Postcard Mile" in London. Other large neighbouring publishing firms included those of J. Beagles & Co. Ltd, Gale & Polden Ltd, Rotary Photo Co. Ltd and arguably the biggest of them all, Raphael Tuck & Sons Ltd.

Artist William Barribal studied art at the Académie Julian in Paris. A famous New Zealand artist, Charles Frederick Goldie was also a student at this private art school. William married an art student who became his inspiration and model for glamour artwork of a woman who became known as the 'Barribal Girl'.

Debut Of The Tank

"All For Victory!". A french postcard published by Furia. 

It shows German soldiers fleeing from a British tank advancing over barbed wire obstacles. 

The front hatch of the tank reveals a photograph of a British soldier and his girlfriend. 

Underneath this Private Troon has handwritten 'Georgina'.

This postcard was sent to Georgina from Private James George Troon, 9/1994, New Zealand Medical Corps when he was based at the New Zealand Stationary Hospital in France in April 1918. He writes;

"Dear Georgina,
                         I was so pleased to receive your letter yesterday. My word you must be growing a big girl. I don't think I would know you now. What do you think of this picture? It is our big tank in action: see the Germans running away. They really did run when they saw our big monster the first time. Well I hope to be home soon and then I will come and see you and you can take me for a walk. 
I am your loving cousin, Jim."

Private Troon is likely referring to the New Zealand Division's first major battle on the Western Front. This was the Battle of Flers-Courcelette in France in September 1916. On the 15th of that month, tanks were used in battle for the very first time. Although very slow moving, a number of these early tanks successfully penetrated barbed wire and trench systems, offered protection from enemy rifle and machine gun fire and drove fear in to German soldiers confronting these metal monsters.

Taken From A German Soldier

A real photographic postcard of a group of German soldiers from Infantry Regiment 22. On the back of this card is the handwritten message;

"These are photos of Germans I got off a German I killed. The ones with the forage caps are officers".

It was not uncommon for soldiers from both sides to collect war trophies and personal souvenirs from the battle zone. Perhaps the most notorious of these souvenir collectors was Private John 'Barney' Hines, born in Liverpool England, and who served with the 45th battalion Australian Imperial Force on the Western Front. He was a fearless soldier and had a hunger for collecting souvenirs ranging from coins, watches and wedding rings to German medals, hats and weapons.

The German postcard entitled 'Der Siegeszug' (meaning 'The Triumphant') seen below was used by a New Zealand soldier writing from France on 26 August 1918 to his father back home;

"Dear Dad,
Here is a card that takes some puzzling out to 'compree'. I think that it has some thing to do with Peace myself but I don't know Fritz's language.
Among a number of souvenirs I found was a gold wristlet watch buried in a parapet with the strap sticking out which I pulled and got a surprise to find a watch on it. It is an English watch and might have been either a Jerrys or Tommies."

A Gift From A German Soldier

A real photographic postcard of a young German soldier holding a cigar, perhaps posing for this photograph outside the family home before setting off to war.

On the front of this postcard is a handwritten message made by a New Zealand soldier who came across this  helpless soul on the battlefield;

"This is the Hun I got most of these P.C.s  (post cards) from. He had a bad wound in the back & he gave me his P.C. for dressing him."

The names and fate of both soldiers is not known.