Now the photo, I have inherited much of the family photograph collection including the one peeking out of the book. Sam was my Grandmothers very handsome little brother and like many young New Zealand men of the time went off to what they thought was the “big adventure” of World War One. Ten percent of New Zealand’s then population of 1 million fought in WW1 and of those 18 000 died and 40 000 were wounded. Unfortunately Sam wasn’t among those who survived , he got injured in battle, wrote home to his mother saying he was fine, it was only a slight injury, but shortly after writing he succumbed to gangrene and is buried in France.
