New Zealand's military contribution to the First World War was a massive
effort for a small country. The figure most often quoted is that from
October 1914 through to October 1918, just over 100,000 New Zealanders
embarked for military service overseas. But that number does not include
the thousands who served under other imperial flags: with the Australian
Imperial Force, British army units, the Indian army, the Canadian
Expeditionary Force, the American Expeditionary Force, the South African
Overseas Expeditionary Force, the French Foreign Legion, and even the
Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps. Nor does it include the women who served
with other nations' medical organisations or by entertaining troops.
This meticulously researched book details a range of New Zealanders who
fought for the British Empire under other flags. They have not
previously been included in First World War statistics, and there may be
as many as 12,000 of them, 1400 of whom died. From heroes and ratbags to
singers and medical pioneers, in For King and Other Countries Glyn
Harper tells their stories.