Tauranga Girls' College students are getting insights into Tauranga's efforts during the World War I thanks to a new exhibition on display at the school.
The 'Tauranga to the Trenches' exhibition compiled by the Tauranga City Heritage Collection is being staged at the College. The display, housed in two converted shipping containers, features the stories of those who left to fight in the war.
All Year 9 and 10 classes at the school, along with the senior History classes, are having interactive lessons associated with the exhibition.
Tauranga Girls' College Year 13 student Esther Liddle said history lessons sparked her interest in the world wars.
However, there was little information about Tauranga's efforts during the war so it was interesting to hear the tales of those from this area, she said.
"I didn't know quite so many people from here had been involved and gone to WWI, and it gave the Bay of Plenty a sense of pride being involved with it."
Miss Liddle said the exhibition also looked at one main figure and followed his story through the war.
"Private Reginald Watkins, he was involved with the Salvation Army Church here but became a stretcher bearer in the war and died while helping somebody else. He was also the only person in his family to serve in that war and his family were very proud of him."
Miss Liddle said photographs and other memorabilia featured in the exhibition made the experience much more real. Tauranga Girls' College Social Studies head of department Murray Armstrong said it was great the exhibition had been hosted at the school. "Some of the girls in the younger years had no idea when WWI was if you asked them. They are learning that there was such a major event that affected us here and New Zealand in general and who made such a contribution to the war effort."
Mr Armstrong said there were about 370 people who served in World War I from Tauranga. "One-hundred-and-seven of those people never came back. Tauranga was just a village then, and the exhibition features that - what Tauranga was like 100 years ago. The kids find that very interesting, the number of people at girls' college was the number of people in Tauranga at that time and imagine 107 disappearing."
The exhibition will be hosted at the school for the rest of the week.