WAR LOSSES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24633, 14 June 1941, Page 10

WAR LOSSES

THE 1914-18 CONFLICT NEW ZEALAND CASUALTIES . - . -j » : r • vT - ' ' According to the British War Office's bulletin of statistics covering the whole of: the operations of the World War of 11)14-18, the first New Zealarid Expeditionary Force suffered 58,501 casualties (killed and wounded). It’s first major operation was,.the Gallipoli campaign. Of the 8566 of all rankswho were landed, on! the peninsula, 7447 became casualties. After the withdrawal, the bulk of the New Forces was transferred to France, The losses in killed and wounded in France and Belgium between 1916 and the Armistice totalled 48,848. In France, the New Zealanders’ first large-scale action was in : the first Battle of the Somme, where during the month of September, 1916, their casualties were 7408, The New Zealand Division in the second battle of the Somme fought for 23 days and its losses were 6745. At Messines its casualties were 3633, and at Passchendaele 5087, The N.Z.E.F. -casualties in Palestine were 1613. The civilian losses in this war so far have been heavier than those suffered by the Armed Forces, Up to the end of March, 29,856 civilians in Britain had been killed, and 40,987 wounded in air raids.; In April, according to recent cables, the civilian casualties in Britain included over 6000 women and children. Each of the major engagements in the war of 1914-18 meant a list of about 5000 casualties, and between the battles there was a steady wastage of men. Sir lan Hamilton, referring to the work of the New Zealanders in the Gallipoli campaign in a stirring tribute, drew attention to their losses, 7447 killed and wounded, / only 1119 of those who landed coming through unscathed. By the end of the first vear of the campaigil in France the Dominion’s casualties had totalled over 14,000, and by the end of the war they had risen to 18,501. •