1918 Back from the Brink

Mint, used or cancelled sheetlet of ten stamps.

The individual stamps in this issue were:

Single $1.00 'Arthur Gordon' gummed stamp.

Arthur Gordon, the eldest of eight children from a Tapanui farming family, left New Zealand with the 20th Reinforcements in December 1916. He served on the Western Front in the Otago Regiment from June 1917 until suffering life-threatening injuries during the Allies’ Hundred Days Offensive, losing both legs to an enemy shell. Returning to New Zealand in 1920, Arthur spent much of his life as an advocate for injured and disabled soldiers.

Single $1.00 'Demobilisation' gummed stamp.

The difficulty of returning 56,000 soldiers to New Zealand meant many remained overseas months after the signing of the Armistice. It was also a difficult time for some of those who made it back, particularly the wounded and those affected mentally and emotionally by war. Influenza would also interrupt the demobilisation process, claiming a number of victims living in demobilisation camps at home and overseas.

Single $1.00 'Hundred days offensive' gummed stamp.

The failure of the German Spring Offensive by July 1918 gave the Allies an opportunity to counter-attack along the length of the Western Front, a strategy that saw rapid advances and liberation of enemy-occupied territory including areas shattered by the previous four years of war. Mobility replaced static trench warfare and by the end of three months the Allies were deep behind the old front lines.

Single $1.00 'Resettlement' gummed stamp.

The return to civilian life for soldiers was difficult for some. As the number of demobilised men swelled so too did the need for resources to help with their return to work and productivity. More than 12,000 veterans were assisted into homes in the growing towns and cities, while many others chose to work the land, the government supplying loans to those who preferred rural life.

Single $1.00 'Flu Pandemic' gummed stamp.

An influenza depot in Christchurch, shown here, was one of the many emergency measures taken by the Public Health Department as the pandemic gripped the country at the end of the First World War. Businesses and public places closed up and down the country but military camps and some communities, particularly Māori, suffered while the virus ran its course.

Single $1.00 'Great Air War' gummed stamp.

Powered flight was barely 10 years old by the time the First World War erupted. It quickly became the focus of rapid technological advances, as each side sought every battlefield advantage. The Sopwith Camel was a welcome sight to New Zealand troops on the Western Front, and many New Zealand pilots served with the Royal Flying Corps, later to become the Royal Air Force, during the war.

Single $2.20 'Armistice' gummed stamp.

The Armistice of Compiègne, signed by the Allies and Germany on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month was the agreement that brought the fighting to a close on the Western Front. Although not a surrender by Germany, the Armistice would pave the way for the peace treaty known as the Treaty of Versailles to be signed six months later. Auckland Town Hall is shown here during Peace Festival celebrations that accompanied the Treaty’s signing on 28 June 1919.

Single $2.20 'Return of the Pioneer Battalion' gummed stamp.

The reluctance of the High Command to allow 'native' troops to occupy Germany meant the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion, made up mainly of Māori and Pacific Islanders, could return home largely as a single unit in April 1919. Their return would serve as a delayed welcome-home celebration for the New Zealand public, with a pōwhiri at Auckland Domain and parade down Queen Street, before a tour down the country.

Single $2.70 'Le Quesnoy' gummed stamp.

In 1923 St Andrews Church, Cambridge, installed a series of windows commemorating the men of Cambridge killed during the First World War. The last panel of three, partly shown here, depicts New Zealand soldiers scaling the walls of Le Quesnoy on 4 November 1918, one week before the Armistice. Many commemorative windows, statues, and plaques were erected after the war in small towns across New Zealand, many of which had been particularly hard hit by war casualties.

Single $2.70 'Rehabilitation' gummed stamp.

As soldiers returned to New Zealand with long-term injuries and disabilities, the New Zealand Government responded by dedicating resources, including investing in hospitals and facilities, towards rehabilitation. The War Amputees' Association, established in 1918 at the New Zealand Military Hospital in Surrey, England, was one of a number of independent organisations who also recognised the needs of the injured and disabled.

This year’s booklet, 1918 Back from the Brink, is the fifth and final in the First World War series. The incredible achievements of Arthur Gordon, both while he was on the Western front and upon his return home are gone over in greater detail. From losing his legs to a shell while running messages, to trying to normalise life through work upon his return, it’s clear that Arthur was a courageous and incredible man. The booklet also covers the other stamp subjects in more detail, accompanying them with photographs and other images that capture the reality of a war destined to change the world forever.