A Dip into Recollect on Armistice Day

It’s Armistice Day, so take a dip into the collection of images and documents you can see on Recollect – the library’s online site for digitised heritage ephemera from the district’s past. You can search for particular areas of interest for any event, but with 11 November in their sights, our team in archives spent a busy few days putting together a commemorative timeline for World War One.

The images and narrative are located on the timeline button on the home page. The narrative takes you through a potted history of WWI with a special emphasis on Hastings. The timeline begins with a 1905 image of the Hawke’s Bay Mounted Rifles – part of a brigade that would play a key role in the NZEF (New Zealand Expeditionary Force).

The images have a clarity and immediacy that is really evocative, but there are other interesting documents, including a letter home from a convalescing soldier (I love the elegant penmanship), a soldier’s pay book and a telegram of conscription. Whether you’re hoping to understand more about the experiences of a relative, or have a school project on the go, Recollect makes our history come alive. Why not take a look.

8 November 2023

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