KEY POINTS:
A film installation tells the story of World War I through the eyes of three New Zealanders who served their country from bases in Egypt and France.
The three-screen installation, opened yesterday to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the World War I Armistice, reveals the lasting impact servicemen who returned had on New Zealand.
Using a collection of rare images, footage and letters, In Memory, interweaves the war-time experiences of a young soldier on the Western Front, a nurse posted in an under-resourced Army hospital and an engineer in charge of constructing railway lines.
The film, at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, traces the war from 1914 to the Armistice and also includes reflections from historians and notable New Zealanders.
The installation, by filmmaker Peter Kirby, is surrounded by the museum's collection of war memorabilia.
The museum has also produced a DVD adaptation of the film which will be distributed to RSA groups throughout New Zealand and a website will also screen it.
"This is a very special Armistice remembrance for the museum and for New Zealand," said Auckland Museum Trust Board chairperson David Hill.
"In addition to the symbolically important wreath-laying ceremony, we are revealing the lives, stories and gamut of emotions of New Zealanders who served during World War I.
"We are privileged to explore the complex ramifications of this conflict and its role in shaping our national identity."
Archives New Zealand in Wellington showed an exhibition featuring World War I memorabilia. An Impressive Silence includes a soldier's uniform and machine gun, German and English model replica planes and old newspapers and photographs.
The exhibition takes its name from the memoirs of Marshall Ferdinand Foch (Supreme Commander, Allied Forces, 1918) who said: "On November 11th at 11am firing ceased along the whole front of the Allied armies. An impressive silence followed upon 53 months of battle. the nations could now look forward to seeing a world once more restored to peace."
Meanwhile, New Zealand Post has joined forces with Australia and issued a set of stamps to remember those who died for their countries in World War I.
