Report to Government

New Zealand

The New Zealand Government has established a First World War Centenary Panel—the equivalent of Australia’s Anzac Centenary Advisory Board. As the name of the panel suggests, New Zealand’s program at home and abroad will focus on the commemoration of the centenary of the First World War. The emphasis within this centenary program will be on unearthing and telling New Zealand’s stories of the war and the ceremonial focus will be on Anzac Day 2015 and other key dates of significance to New Zealanders during the First World War (such as the anniversaries of the Battles of the Somme, Passchendaele, Messines, the liberation of Le Quesnoy, and the Sinai/Palestine campaign). The anniversaries of events from subsequent conflicts that fall during the 2014–18 period will be commemorated through separate programs. Key components of New Zealand’s First World War centenary program include:

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  the completion of a Memorial Park at the National War Memorial in Wellington. The Memorial Park will become a useable public space for commemorations and allow for the establishment of national memorials within the park. The Australian Government, in 2015, will become the first to install a memorial
  
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  the establishment of an Education/Interpretation Centre related to New Zealand’s war history within the National War Memorial precinct. This facility will include the development of an exhibition and interpretation space and provide education facilities that cater for the rising number of school visits to the National War Memorial
  
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  the development of Heritage Trails in Gallipoli and on the Western Front to improve interpretation related to battlefield sites of significance to New Zealand and to encourage more New Zealand visitors to these sites. Emphasis will be placed on making key sites of significance more accessible to New Zealanders. The trail will include a mix of digital and physical resources, as well as support to local museums and institutions to enhance their New Zealand content, in order to facilitate a better understanding of New Zealand’s role in the First World War, rather than the creation of large infrastructure projects
  
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  the development of an enhanced online database for family history research, linked with access to personnel records of those who served during the First World War, through the Auckland War memorial Museum’s Cenotaph project. The enhancement of the database includes exploring the purchase of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force database developed by Professor Peter Dennis of the Australian Defence Force Academy
  
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  the publication of a multi-volume history that provides the first comprehensive account of New Zealand’s role in the First World War. The Centenary History of New Zealand and the First World War will consist of a series of at least eight thematic books written by well-known and highly respected historians that explore the New Zealand experience of the war from a wide range of perspectives.
  

Over NZ$17 million in lottery funding has been earmarked for community events and projects of national significance. Another key focus of New Zealand’s program will be the First World War centenary website, which has been designed as a living resource for the commemorations as well as a tool for engagement with the community. There will also be a significant ‘real-time’ history project through online and social media. A rich level of activity during the centenary will be community-driven and led.

The New Zealand Government has been working closely with the Australian Government as both countries prepare for the centenary. Many ceremonial events in Australia, New Zealand and further afield are of significance to both countries and preparations for these are being undertaken in the spirit of Anzac cooperation.

France

In September 2011, the Remembrance, Heritage and Archives Section of Veterans’ Affairs within the French Defence Ministry wrote a report to the President of the French Republic on proposals to commemorate the First World War. Entitled ‘Commemorating World War I (2014–2020): Proposals for an International Centenary’, the report discusses how the French State should organise their Centenary commemorative schedule between 2014–18 and into 2019–20.

The report outlines an approach where the French Government shares governance arrangements with commemoration partners, particularly local authorities. It is proposed that various levels of government will host a raft of commemorative initiatives spanning the Centenary, including some symbolic events to be hosted by the French State, but also many other decentralised events under the control of local authorities.

The report outlines five major initiatives that will structure the foundations of the Centenary. These are:

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  a high-level international event that will promote France’s cultural influence in other countries
  
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  a major cultural event in which all national cultural and scientific players will play a significant role on commemorating the First World War
  
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  an educational event aimed at educating local populations on the history of the First World War, with educational support
  
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  a high-level memorial event to celebrate national cohesion
  
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  an opportunity for economic and tourist development.
  

The schedule of commemorative programs and events is proposed to be divided into four cycles:

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  A state-led commemorative ‘curtain raiser’ and six programmed events until the end of 2014. These include a European opening at Sarajevo on 28 June 2014 with European Heads of State and Government; a French national holiday on 14 July 2014 to honour all the nations that participated in the First World War; the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Jean Jaures on 31 July 2014; a decentralised commemoration of the general entry into war in August 2014; the commemoration of the First Battle of the Marne in September 2014; and the entry into the Pantheon of Maurice Genevoix on 11 November 2014.
  
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  Beginning in 2015, the second commemorative cycle will focus on decentralised and locally hosted initiatives. The French Government plans to support local authorities in producing major events, such as the anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.
  
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  At the end of 2018, the third commemorative cycle commences, as the French Government will take overall governance responsibility for the Centenary of the Armistice.
  
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  The commemorative climax in 2019–20 will be the epilogue of the Centenary with the commemoration of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
  

Planning will be overseen by a dedicated inter-ministerial structure that will be under French Government authority. A public committee will also be created to oversee conception and implementation of the centenary commemoration program. It is understood that funding will be shared between the French Government, local authorities and significant private sector funding.

There will be possibilities for joint activities, including the possibility of Australia being a Nation of Honour at the 14 July Parade on the Avenue des Champs Elysees in 2016.

The Museum of the Great War in Meaux was inaugurated by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy on 11 November 2011. The museum showcases more than 50,000 artefacts and a main exhibition covering the First Battle of the Marne, virtual trenches and full-sized reconstructions of period train stations in Paris and Berlin.