Summer Leaning Journey 2017 | Week 2 | Day 4

A period of Change (1870 - 1950)

Day 4 - Another World War (1939 - 1945)

At the end of the 1930s, the world has been shaken once more by the start of another World War (WWII). World War Two started on the 1st of September, 1939 when an army from Germany invaded a country called Poland. Two days later, England and France declared war on Germany and WWII began.

Activity 1 | An Eventful Experience

WWII was made up of many battles and events. Follow this link to read more about the timeline of WWII.

Choose two key events and find out some more information about what happened on those days. On your blog, write a short summary of two events, including the names of people involved and where the event happened.

1. New Zealand declares war on Germany | 3 September 1939
Along with Britain, France and Australia declares war on Germany.
2. New Zealand declares war on Italy. | 11 June 1940
With Australia and South Africa declears war on Italy.

Activity 2 |  A Call to Arms

Over the course of WWII, approximately 140,000 New Zealanders were sent overseas to serve in the war. Many were sent to fight in huge battles, including the Battle of the Atlantic that lasted for 2064 days (over 5 years)! The Battle of the Atlantic came to an end in 1943, in large part due to the heroic efforts of people like Lloyd Trigg, a pilot from New Zealand. He was awarded a special medal from the New Zealand Government for his bravery. It is called a Victoria Cross (‘VC’ for short). A total of 22 New Zealanders have been awarded VCs.

Click on this link to find a list of VC winners. Choose one from the Second World War, and read about him. On your blog tell us about him. Who was he? What did he do to earn a Victoria Cross medal?

James Ward

James Ward was the first New Zealand airman to win a VC. James Ward won his award while he was returning from a raid on the German city of Münster on 7 July 1941.