Winton man Iain Davidson is trying to solve ‘‘Who Am I?’’ puzzles set more than 100 years ago. Mike Houlahan reports.
During World War 1, photographic studios did a roaring trade turning out portraits of soldiers for use as keepsakes or postcards.
While many were written on, thousands were not, leaving Mr Davidson and other military history enthusiasts around the country with some detective work to do, trying to put names to the faces of men who had created these souvenirs of their time abroad.
There are clues. Many studios, for example, used the same backdrop for hundreds of photos, meaning the location where a snap was taken can be identified.
The soldier’s uniforms are also a mine of information: not just the obvious cap badges and insignia, but also harder-to-spot items such as wound stripes and medal ribbons.
Old newspapers — in particular the Otago Witness, which published many photographs of wounded and fallen soldiers — have also been a rich source for identities.
"I work slowly at it and every now and again I find someone," Mr Davidson said.
"It’s very satisfying when you are able to put a face to a name and you can tell someone’s story, because everyone has a good story to tell."
Mr Davidson has a sizeable collection of New Zealand military history portraits, sourced from other collectors, militaria dealers, fairs and online sellers, and through a British friend who seeks out photographs on Mr Davidson’s behalf.
"A photo of an unknown soldier can go for $15-$20, a known soldier maybe $35-$40, with officers and soldiers with decorations going for more."
Mr Davidson is appealing for help to identify eight mystery Otago Regiment soldiers.
All were in the 4th (Otago) Company, which was mostly made up of Dunedin men.
One was named "Dave" — there are no written clues to the names of the remainder — and all but one photograph were probably taken overseas.
Mr Davidson is not alone in trying to put names to New Zealand’s unknown soldiers.
Other historians have similar projects under way.
"The nationwide Onward project hopes to publish every known portrait of World War I New Zealand soldiers that served overseas," Mr Davidson said.
"We are separate identities, however; we help each other out."
Four Onward volumes have been published so far, collating and documenting the names and stories of 16,000 New Zealanders who served overseas.
A fifth volume is in production now but the task is far from completed.
About 100,000 men enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and 500 women served overseas with the New Zealand Army Nursing Service.
