Summary It was 1917 and Tom French was at the top of his game, literally. But that was before the Maori All Black lost his arm, amputated after shrapnel from the German guns ripped through it. Four days later, almost three thousand other young kiwis would be killed or wounded during the Battle of Passchendaele, a disastrous campaign flawed by inept leadership. But the greatest tragedy is not the loss of so many young lives; it is that so many New Zealanders today remain ignorant to the sacrifice made that day. A sacrifice, revered in Belgium, that should also be significant in New Zealand, but it isn't. There is a strong perception if you talk about the Great War, for us now, it starts and ends at Gallipoli. The reality is Gallipoli was just a side show. Yet there are those in our community who know nothing of Passchendaele and few young people who understand the price our country paid for its nationhood there. That is a legacy that needs to be put right. This, then, is the story of 'Our Bloodiest Day'. View more details
Genres : History War Documentary
Release date : Feb 28, 1958
Countries of origin : New Zealand Belgium
Language : English
Summary It was 1917 and Tom French was at the top of his game, literally. But that was before the Maori All Black lost his arm, amputated after shrapnel from the German guns ripped through it. Four days later, almost three thousand other young kiwis would be killed or wounded during the Battle of Passchendaele, a disastrous campaign flawed by inept leadership. But the greatest tragedy is not the loss of so many young lives; it is that so many New Zealanders today remain ignorant to the sacrifice made that day. A sacrifice, revered in Belgium, that should also be significant in New Zealand, but it isn't. There is a strong perception if you talk about the Great War, for us now, it starts and ends at Gallipoli. The reality is Gallipoli was just a side show. Yet there are those in our community who know nothing of Passchendaele and few young people who understand the price our country paid for its nationhood there. That is a legacy that needs to be put right. This, then, is the story of 'Our Bloodiest Day'. View more details
Genres : History War Documentary
Release date : Feb 28, 1958
Countries of origin : New Zealand Belgium
Language : English
