A major work by a distinguished historian, Garrison World examines the lives of soldiers and families constituting the British military presence in New Zealand and other territories during the nineteenth century.
The British Empire’s expansion relied on a vast, mobile army (‘redcoats’), supported by a dominant navy (‘bluejackets’). Despite New Zealand’s treaty based beginnings with tangata whenua, significant British forces soon arrived. Initially summoned to contain sporadic violence from disputes between iwi and the new colonial government, these military regiments and naval vessels soon established a lasting presence.
Spanning the decades 1840–1870, the book bridges the gap between narratives of the New Zealand Wars and those detailing settlement and colonial life. It is rich with individual stories like that of Spencer Perceval
Nicholl, a 22-year-old ensign who, before leaving for New Zealand in 1863, spent time in London socialising and ‘shopping for war’.
His musings
while buying a pistol – ‘I wonder if I will ever kill anyone with it?’ – starkly contrasts with his experience just months later, taking cover outside Gate Pa/Pukehinahina at Tauranga, in the midst of the largest mortar bombardment New Zealand has ever seen.
Deftly employing these personal accounts, Professor Macdonald locates New Zealand’s conflicts within a much larger global set of events, with new
insights into the connections between the Indian ‘Mutiny’/Rebellion of 1857 , the New Zealand Wars and Jamaica’s Morant Bay Massacre in 1865. Garrison World is a significant contribution to the historical narrative of the
nineteenth century, combining original research with compelling visual storytelling
Format: Hardback
Imprint: Bridget Williams NZ
Publication date: 01/11/2025
