Story: Rural mythologies
In 1941 the National Film Unit made a film of the departure of New Zealand soldiers to fight in the Second World War. Adolf Hitler had called the Kiwi soldiers ‘poor deluded country lads’; but the film made a virtue of this description. This extract expressed a pride that country lads had helped make the nation and were now fighting for it. Subsequently, the success of New Zealand soldiers was often explained in terms of their alleged rural upbringing.
About this item
Archives New Zealand – Te Rua Mahara o te Kawanatanga
Reference: Country lads. National Film Unit, 1941.
Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kawanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.