We read a story called king and country, then we wrote a letter back to his whaea about what it was like at war.

8 September 1916

France

Dear Whaea

I am finally in France after a long boat trip stopping in England where I  joined my battalion then we sailed to France where we were posted to fight behind the front line.There is a lot of gunfire and shelling happening at the moment and it is loud and scary. I was shocked by the smell of the dead bodies and the number of injured soldiers that we pass each day. This is a sad place with many friends buried where they were shot. There is so much confusion around us every day. We have been busy digging trenches I imagined we were in a waka back home paddling that helped me to block out all the bad stuff happening all around us. Yesterday I looked up and there was Rongo standing right there in front of me.  I hugged him for ages I did not want to let him go I was so excited to have found him, I told him I was here to take him home, he said we would go home together. We both miss you so much we are thinking about home all the time love your sons.

Rongo and Tipu.