The ‘making of a soldier’: Masculinity and soldierhood as portrayed in the New Zealand School Journal, 1907–1925

Abstract

This article discusses how early curriculum resources available to all school children in New Zealand attempted to shape children’s attitudes to the First World War. The study reviewed issues of the New Zealand School Journal between the years 1907 and 1925. It found evidence of overt and covert attempts to influence children’s attitudes towards the Great War. In particular, the School Journals perpetuated the masculine ideals essential for the making of a soldier and the creation of ‘war ready men’. They reinforced a patriotic ideal and duty to Empire as well as introducing a strong sense of nationhood through the creation of a new Anzac identity.

The Anzac Iliad: Early New Zealand School Journals and the development of the citizen-child in the new dominion

“…In the tradition of Victorian character ideology, cultivation of desirable traits in children was made possible through stories of courageous deeds or the biographies of praiseworthy figures (Patrick, 2009). Boys were expected to be brave and adventurous (see the article by Bingham, 2017, in this issue, for more on masculine ideals). But they were also expected to be obedient.…”

“…With the anniversary of the First World War taking centre stage in New Zealand currently, it is timely to reflect on the development of the widely held belief that participation in the war forged a new and iconic national identity. The year 2015 marked the centenary of the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) 1 on the Gallipoli Peninsula, where the myth of the rugged, stoic and heroic Anzac figure was born (see the article by Bingham, 2017, in this issue, for more on the masculinist ideal of the brave New Zealand soldier). The year 2016 saw the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme; 2017 – Passchendaele.…”

Political indoctrination through myth building: The New Zealand School Journal at the time of World War 1

“…Data relating to content, themes, type of text, year of publication, class level, and relationship to other items were synthesised and categorised. Once a strong theme was identified, researchers could access both original data and summary tables to develop their ideas (see, for example, Bingham, 2017;Perreau & Kingsbury, 2017). The database of word-searchable scanned copies of the School Journal (now up to the year 1985) remains available to other researchers at The University of Auckland through a restricted library portal.…”

“…It has been hard to separate the facts from the hype. The long-held view of the Gallipoli campaign forging a new New Zealand identity endures alongside that of the brave Anzac soldier who epitomised the best of New Zealand manhood (Bingham, 2017;Carlyon, 2011;Eldred-Grigg, 2010;King, 2007;Mutch & Cameron-Lewis, 2017;Phillips, 1996;Pugsley, 1990). The statistics, however, tell a darker story-that approximately one in 10 New Zealanders went to war and, of those, one in four died or was seriously injured (Phillips, 1996).…”