Exhibition Now Open!
The First World War was over, but there was still more to be won
Following the end of the First World War in 1918, it was decided that a series of recreational events should be set up to help keep the soldiers occupied whilst they were awaiting their return home to New Zealand. One of these events was the Inter-Allied Peace Regatta which were a series of boat races held across England and France during the summer of 1919. The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) entered a team in the Rowing Eights competition, an eight person boat race where they competed against teams of soldiers from other allied countries such as Australia and England.
After the Peace Regatta ended, the boat was brought to New Zealand where it was given to the Union Boat Club in Whanganui. The Union Boat Club would go on to use the boat in various events at both a regional and national level throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including at the Commonwealth Games in 1930. The boat continued to be used by the club up until the 1960s when it was retired after 40 years of proud service.
This exhibition tells the story of the New Zealand Army Rowing Eight, believed to be the only surviving boat from the 1919 Peace Regatta.
Image credit: A rowing eight at the Thames riverside. Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association: New Zealand official negatives, World War 1914-1918. Ref: 1/2-014294-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.
