The centenary of World War I will be marked in the Whakatāne District by a Lottery World War One Commemorations, Environment and Heritage Committee-funded project to digitise public and private photographic and archival collections about “The Great War”.

The $75,000 grant will allow the Whakatāne Museum Research Centre to make digital copies of all of the items in its collection relating to the First World War. The project will also make digitisation available to capture material held in private collections throughout the District and allow access to the digital material via an online database.

Whakatāne District Council Museum and Arts Team Leader Hamish Pettengell says the project will ensure that the District’s World War I collections are safeguarded for the benefit of future generations.

“The First World War was one of the most significant events of the 20th Century. Between 1914 and 1918, some 100,000 troops or about a tenth of our population, served overseas. More than 18,000 died and over 40,000 were wounded. Most were young men and their loss had a massive impact on New Zealand society,” he says. “That conflict affected New Zealand deeply and was instrumental in forging not just our Anzac ties with Australia, but also our sense of nationhood. How appropriate then that we can preserve our memories of The Great War and make them available for centuries to come to anyone with an interest in that pivotal event.”

The project is set to commence on 1 July this year and the digitised database will go live on Anzac Day 2014. Mr Pettengell says the material will also inform a commemorative WWI exhibition scheduled for 2014.