Day 4: Another World War (1939-1945)
At the end of the 1930s, the world has been shaken
once more by the start of another World War (WWII).
World War Two started on the 1st of September, 1939
when an army from Germany invaded a country called
Poland. Two days later, England and France declared war
on Germany and WWII began.
Activity 1: An Eventful Experience
WWII was made up of many battles and events.
Choose two key events and find out some more
information about what happened on those days.
On your blog, write a short summary of two events, including
the names of people involved and where the event happened.
On the 3rd of September
Britain, France, New Zealand and Australia proclaimed
a battle on Germany.
Activity 2: A Call to Arms
Over the course of WWII, approximately 140,000
New Zealanders were sent overseas to serve in the war.
Many were sent to fight in huge battles, including the
Battle of the Atlantic that lasted for 2064 days
(over 5 years)! The Battle of the Atlantic came to
an end in 1943, in large part due to the heroic
New Zealand. He was awarded a special medal
from the New Zealand Government for his bravery.
22 New Zealanders have been awarded VCs.
one from the Second World War, and read about him.
On your blog tell us about him. Who was he?
What did he do to earn a Victoria Cross medal?
Charles Upham is probably New Zealand’s most
famous soldier because his actions during the
Second World War led to him becoming one of
only three people and the only fighting soldier
to have won the Victoria Cross twice. Upham
earned his first VC in Crete in May 1941, and
his Bar at Ruweisat Ridge, Egypt, in July 1942.
Upham become the only New Zealand combat
officer sent to the infamous Colditz camp in 1944.
Bonus Activity: Women at Work
Both men and women served in World War II.
Many women choose to enlist as nurses and be
stationed overseas caring for wounded soldiers
. My nana was one of those nurses. She (Dorothy)
spent much of World War II working on a large Red
Cross ship that was stationed off the coast of Cairo, Egypt.
For this activity, you are going to imagine that you are
just like Dorothy and that you are working as a nurse
on a large medical ship.
One day you are walking along the deck of the ship
when you hear a loud bang. You start to run as you
see smoke coming from the far end of the ship.
You run towards the room where your patients
are waiting to receive treatment from the doctor.
Just as you arrive at the door to their room you
hear another loud bang and you…
Complete the story provided above. To earn full points
you must write, at least, 8-10 sentences. What happens next?
I started looking at all the patients to see if they are ok and safe.
Another nurse came running to me, if I knew what was happening,
I can tell she was panicking, I had to be strong. When she smile,
I told her I will be back. I went back outside to see what we
can do to help out the patients. I can hear people running
around and the boat is just about to sink. I called out to the
nurse to get everyone ready to be transported out.
I found lifeboats. I went back to the others and started moving
as many as we can. All of us made it out of the sinking boat that
was targeted by an enemy ship.
Hey there Silia, thanks for writing the end of the story. You've done a great job, I really like the way you've conveyed the fear the nurse would have been experiencing. It must have been so scary being apart of the war, especially if you were a nurse who is only trying to help people.
ReplyDeleteDo you often write stories? What is your favourite kind of writing?
Thanks, Billy