Military Service
War Census poster that would have been displayed throughout New Zealand
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The introduction of conscription for military service in 1916 was a means to sustain New Zealand’s supply of reinforcements. New Zealand was arguably Britain’s most loyal colony in the early twentieth century and was eager to show her support in 1914 at the outbreak of war. 14,000 New Zealand men had volunteered by the end of the first week of the war. Loyalty to the British Empire was evident in Prime Minister William Massey’s address to public in August 1914, as the advance guard for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force departed from Wellington, “when the Empire calls it is for the citizens of the Dominion to respond, and when the Empire calls it is for citizens to obey”. Troops were being told that they would be “home by Christmas”, however it became obvious that this was not the case as the war dragged on and the casualty list climbed. By 1916, the war looked no closer to an end, and with 70% men eligible for military service yet to volunteer, New Zealand was struggling to meet their targets for troop contribution. Along with 78,000 men returning their National Registration forms in 1915 claiming that they were not willing to voluntarily enlist to serve in the war was a cause of concern for both the New Zealand Military and the New Zealand Government. The increasing casualty list impacted on the New Zealand public’s support for the war, and the introduction for conscription appeared to be a necessity for New Zealand’s war effort. The introduction of the Military Service Act 1916 was only opposed by four MPs, and only imposed conscription for military service on Pākehā, however it was extended to Māori in June 1917. By the end of the war, more than 30,000 men had been conscripted to join the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. A significant number as over 120,000 men had been enlisted for service, nearly 50% of the population of men eligible for military service, and almost 10% of the New Zealand population.
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