Eremia Tapsell travelled to the Western Front and traced the footsteps of his relations, such as Robert Tapsell who died during the Battle of the Somme. Photo / Supplied
Eremia Tapsell travelled to the Western Front and traced the footsteps of his relations, such as Robert Tapsell who died during the Battle of the Somme. Photo / Supplied
Standing in the rain at a war grave in France, Eremia Tapsell came face to face with a family story that began centuries earlier – and ended, for some, on the Western Front.
With Anzac Day nearing, that moment has taken on deeper meaning, linking personal loss to a widerstory of service and sacrifice.
“It’s hugely important to keep those stories alive,” Eremia Tapsell said.
Born in the Bay of Plenty and having spent the first 18 years of his life in Maketū, Tapsell travelled to the Western Front and traced the footsteps of his ancestors.
Tapsell’s great-grandfather’s brother, Robert Tapsell, died during the Battle of the Somme and is buried in a Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery near Flers in France.
“You could imagine the things they went through 100 years ago, fighting in trenches in those sorts of conditions – seeing his gravestone, I felt a sense of loneliness for him.
“To be buried so far away from home, it felt pretty lonely.”
Tapsell also visited the New Zealand Liberation Museum (Te Arawhata) in the French town of Le Quesnoy where his grandfather’s first cousin, Winiata Tapsell, was featured.
Winiata was a member of the Māori Pioneer Battalion.
Eremia Tapsell (right) visiting the New Zealand Liberation Museum (Te Arawhata) in Le Quesnoy with his partner Sofie Fella (centre) and her German father Ludwig Fella (left). Photo / Supplied
“He [Winiata] was part of the attack that liberated this little French town and has the story of being one of the first to cross into the town as they breached the outer wall,” Tapsell said.
He said Winiata survived the battle and went on to fight in other parts of Europe.
“He’s featured in the museum and it makes me proud to be a Kiwi to see the people that sort of built New Zealand back then are so well remembered, and come from humble beginnings.”
Tapsell said reflecting on 1914, when New Zealanders embarked on long voyages overseas not knowing if they would return, helped put his family’s story into perspective.
Winiata Tapsell (largest centre frame) is featured at the New Zealand Liberation Museum (Te Arawhata) in the French town of Le Quesnoy. Photo / Supplied
“Our ancestors and our families went through a lot back then to help us with the freedom that we have now.”
As the country prepares to mark Anzac Day, Tapsell is reflecting on the generations of whānau whose stories are tied to service and sacrifice.
“It’s important for young people to know the stories of people in their family to give them a sense of pride and confidence to know they’re capable of doing amazing things.”
He said it was important to keep these stories, like Robert and Winiata Tapsell’s, alive to help the next generation and leave their mark.
“It was a formative part of our country’s history when we were called upon and we answered that call. It was quite a selfless act.”
Eremia Tapsell's grandfather’s first cousin, Winiata Tapsell, was a member of the Māori Pioneer Battalion. Photo / Supplied
New Zealand Memorial Museum Trust chair David McLean said Te Arawhata recognised all stories of New Zealanders who served.
“New Zealand soldiers did things a little differently than the other allied soldiers and using ladders to scale the walls of Le Quesnoy is one famous example of it.”
McLean said World War I was a time when New Zealand found its own national identity and Kiwi ingenuity played a “key role”.
“Winiata’s story is very much in the same vein and his part in the liberation is a key part of the exhibition at Te Arawhata.”
Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.
