The full horror of World War I was being felt, as it was elsewhere in the Dominion of New Zealand 100 years ago during September and October 1916.
Although it was springtime, it may as well have been the depths of a bleak winter as news of those killed and wounded from the Battle of the Somme came daily via telegram and listed in newspapers in the Roll of Honour.
The Gallipoli campaign in 1915 has been credited as being the significant moment in our history which giving us a sense of our nation's identity, and as such tends to get most of the focus from World War I events. But in terms of sheer hell of warfare and overall casualties the Battle of the Somme far exceeded Gallipoli. The battle took place near the River Somme in France and began on July 1 and ended on November 18, 1916, and attempted to break through the German lines on the Western Front.
A letter posted from the front from signalman Frank Foster to his father in Havelock Rd told of his experiences at Somme after a month at the front, describing it as a "lively time".
Frank's brother Victor worked for the Hastings Standard as a reporter (now Hawke's Bay Today) and had been wounded at the Somme. Frank wrote that Victor was in a bomb attack by the Germans and out of the 250 in his company only 37 survived after the British brigade on their left withdrew and "Fritz" (name for the Germans) took the opportunity and came in behind Victor's company.