I am a New Zealander who has been living in Europe for almost 30 years. Since 2011 I have visited the Western Front many times, most often the Somme, and especially the areas where the New Zealand Division fought in both 1916 and 1918. Four of my great-uncles died in WW1, three of them fought in the September/October 1916 Somme Offensive. One (Alt Cowie) was killed in action near L'Abbaye d'Eaucourt on the 2nd October 1916. Two died of sickness in 1917 and 1918. The 4th uncle was killed in action near Hebuturne in 1918. A 5th uncle also fought in the 1916 Somme campaign. He was twice wounded, the second time seriously in Belgium in 1917 and died some years after the war , according to his military record, as a result of his wounds. I have extensively read and researched and followed in my uncles' tracks as closely as possible, see the videos, "Following Alf". I have also researched friends great-uncles and great-grandfathers who fought and died on the Somme and have taken these friends to their relatives graves and occasionally to the fields where they fell. The plan is to record here too some details of these men. As a result of this research and many days walking the Somme battlefields I have built up a good store of knowledge of the NZ Division's exploits there, both in 1916 and 1918.
Cran Harris 2019