Author(s): Chrissie Ward

NZ & World War I | Secondhand

'Just as dawn was breaking our barrage opened up and we got the long-looked-for word to advance. We hopped over . . . and from then on it was just one horrible nightmare. There were the boys getting killed all round us . . . It was awful. Our Company went in with 146 men and came out with 40, the rest were either killed or wounded. . . . How I escaped I cannot understand, unless it is because I have so many praying for my safe return to New Zealand.' Ira Robinson was twenty-eight years old when he signed up to fight in World War One. Like thousands of other New Zealanders, he had no idea of the events that lay in store for him. After training in England, Ira found himself in Flanders, fighting in one of the war's bloodiest battles at Passchendaele. Incredibly, he survived. And so did some of the numerous letters he wrote to his family, especially to his sister Lizzie. Ira wrote of route marches, drill practice and sports days during training; of seasickness and entertainment during embarkation; of England's poverty and splendour; of his life as a tourist and as a soldier in camp; and of food, fighting and the futility of war. His acute observations make fascinating reading, and allow us a rare personal glimpse into the daily life of an ordinary New Zealand soldier. This book is attractively published in hardback, and includes numerous black and white photographs. The text is interspersed with sketches drawn by Ira Robinson. Chrissie Ward is the granddaughter of Ira Robinson. She has limited memories of her grandfather, as he died when she was only ten. When she returned from an extended time overseas, her mother shared with her Ira's letters, which form the basis of Dear Lizzie. Through these, Chrissie found she gained rewarding insight into her grandfather's personality, as well as an understanding of the life that he had lived.