Counting redcoats

  • Date: Wednesday, 4 October, 2017
  • Time:

    12.15pm to 1.00pm

  • Cost:

    Free

  • Location:

    Te Ahumairangi (ground floor), National Library, corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets

  • Contact Details:

    For more information, email ATLOutreach@dia.govt.nz

Listen to this talk now

Who were the imperial soldiers serving in New Zealand in the 1860s?

At least 12,000 imperial soldiers served in New Zealand in the wars of the 1860s. Who were the faces behind the uniforms serving Queen and government in this pivotal moment in New Zealand’s history? Where did the soldiers come from? Where did they go to? Many men had served in the Crimea, India or Australia. Some women and children also travelled with the regiments. What did they bring to New Zealand? And how might the wars on these soils be understood within the broader history of the British Empire in the mid-nineteenth century?

These are some of the questions the Soldiers of Empire project seeks to address. In this talk Charlotte Macdonald and Rebecca Lenihan will discuss the development of a database of men serving in the imperial regiments in New Zealand, the nature of the ‘big data’ generated by the War Office, issues, limitations and possibilities to date, and goals for the database’s continuing development, along with some preliminary analysis. An initial release of the database is planned ahead of Rā Maumahara – the National Day of Commemoration on 28 October.

Soldiers of Empire

Watercolour of red-coated Imperial soldiers outside a barracks."Main guard, Albert Barracks". Auckland, 1860s. Thomas Matravers Album, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries.

About the speakers

Charlotte Macdonald is Professor of History at Victoria University of Wellington Te Whare Wānanga o te Ūpoko o Te Ika a Maui.

Rebecca Lenihan is a post-doctoral fellow at Victoria University, working with Charlotte Macdonald on the Soldiers of Empire project. She is the author of From Alba to Aotearoa: Profiling New Zealand’s Scots 1840-1920 (Otago University Press, 2015).

These public history talks are a collaboration between the National Library of New Zealand and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Thanks to this partnership we’re are able to record the talks and making them available online for anyone who misses out or who wants to listen again.