Rare Photos of WWII U.S. Servicemen in New Zealand

Dec 22

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NEW ZEALAND MUSEUM NEEDS HELP IN IDENTIFYING U.S. SERVICEMEN DURING WWII, PLEASE TAKE A LOOK….

Treasured Lives

The Auckland War Memorial Museum in New Zealand has just digitized and published an amazing collection of photographs of United States servicemen who were stationed at Warkworth in northern New Zealand during World War II. The museum is asking for help from Americans to identify the service members.

Nearly 1,100 images can be viewed on the museum’s web site. They were taken by local photographer Tudor Collins. Some of the images appear to be servicemen from other countries, but many if not most of them are of U.S. soldiers, sailors and Marines. Collins, himself a petty officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy, had a knack for putting his visitors from America at ease. It shows in the photographs.

New Zealand was a major staging and training area for U.S. forces that later attacked Guadalcanal, Tarawa and other key Japanese-held locations during the Pacific war. It also served as an exotic locale where…

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About GP

Everett Smith served with the Headquarters Company, 187th Regiment, 11th A/B Division during WWII. This site is in tribute to my father, "Smitty." GP is a member of the 11th Airborne Association. Member # 4511 and extremely proud of that fact!

Posted on December 22, 2015, in Current News, Uncategorized, WWII and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 44 Comments.

  1. cbholganza | December 29, 2015 at 10:57 PM

    happy new year, GP! i always look forward to reading your blogs.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. intrepidmuses | December 24, 2015 at 1:43 PM

    Just a quick note to wish you a Merry Christmas full of joy and many blessings!

    Cheers,

    Caleb

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. doesitevenmatter3 | December 24, 2015 at 12:06 PM

    Merry Christmas, GP!
    Santa-HUGS!!! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Pride in Photos Photography | December 23, 2015 at 2:10 PM

    There is nothing like reiminicising over the photos of yesteryear!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Sammy D. | December 23, 2015 at 11:37 AM

    Thanks for this, GP. Dad and uncles were never in New Zealand but I’m passing this to my friends to see if anyone might be able to help. A joyous Christmas to you and your family.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. jncthedc | December 23, 2015 at 11:23 AM

    What an amazing resource. I really enjoyed viewing the “old” pictures. One of the problems I experienced is the detachment I felt as I view them (as if the reality and horror of war is missing from them.) I look at these young faces and realize that many never had the opportunity to live out their dreams. I appreciate them more than they will ever know.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Aviationtrails | December 23, 2015 at 2:46 AM

    This is great news. Let’s hope it connects some families with lost ones.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. Gallivanta | December 22, 2015 at 11:48 PM

    A wonderful re-blog GP.

    Like

    Reply
  9. Curt Mekemson | December 22, 2015 at 11:03 PM

    Good luck GP. Reminds me of looking at old family photos and trying to figure out who’s who. –Curt

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. ibdesignsusa | December 22, 2015 at 6:28 PM

    Hoping also for good results. Amazing pictures!

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  12. chattykerry | December 22, 2015 at 4:19 PM

    Once again, I have learned something new from your website. My heart was warmed by the news on CNN about the American officer in a German POW camp who refused to reveal which of his officers were Jewish, even with a Luger pointed at his head. He survived but didn’t even tell his family – what a hero! Merry Christmas from Texas.

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  13. wfdec | December 22, 2015 at 4:16 PM

    There were a lot of US guys here in Ballarat all those years ago.Have a look at this http://history.unimelb.edu.au/overhere/documents/MARINES_CATALOGUE_P6.pdf

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    • GP Cox | December 23, 2015 at 5:22 AM

      Ah yes, Australia had a lot, if not fighting, later on for R&R. My own father went to Brisbane when the fighting lessened on Luzon. The NZ museum is attempting to use cyberspace to locate the identities of some men in their collection. I was hoping I could help out, if only by a little bit.

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  14. Dina | December 22, 2015 at 2:45 PM

    We keep our fingers and wings crossed for good results, dear GP Cox!
    Love and big hugs coming your way from the four of us,
    Dina. Xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  15. Bruce Goodman | December 22, 2015 at 2:19 PM

    A most interesting post, thanks. I was brought up not far from an American Camp at Paekakariki (identified in the write-up as Paraparaumu – they’re a couple of miles apart from each other). I think there’s also more than a few unidentified American genes floating around the country since WWII!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  16. Heartafire | December 22, 2015 at 1:58 PM

    wonderful post Brad !

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    Reply
  17. beetleypete | December 22, 2015 at 1:52 PM

    I sincerely hope that this project gets results, GP. Given the amount of Internet access, and digitised family photos, I am sure that some will end up being identified.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  18. cindy knoke | December 22, 2015 at 1:44 PM

    Amazing photo collection!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  19. Jnana Hodson | December 22, 2015 at 1:44 PM

    We have to wonder just how many people remain who can actually identify this generation. The most likely scenario would be their children, who might have similar photos in their possession. It will be a challenge, no doubt.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

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