Soldier’s true account bypassed censorship

A letter from a Southland railway department clerk smuggled home to his family, is a feature of a new campaign about censorship in World War I.

The campaign was launched last week by WW100.

Private Leonard Hart describes in detail the terrible events of October 12, 1917, when New Zealand troops were asked to take the Bellvue Spur, near Passchendaele.

Historian Jock Phillips described the ‘‘distressing, but accurate’’ description of the battle as a ‘‘remarkable piece of writing’’.

Hart’s letter is now housed at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington.

The new campaign draws on the connections of modern ‘‘fake news’’ and the censorship restrictions in place during WWI.

During the war, newspaper headlines portrayed disastrous battles, like those at Gallipoli, as decisive victories.

Communication, including telegrams, pamphlets, books and news were censored, including more than 1 million letters or packages, which were opened and examined.

However, Hart’s letter slipped through.

‘‘The papers will all report another glorious success, and noone except those who actually took part will know any different,’’ he wrote.

Hart was a Southland railway clerk serving on the Western Front. His letter is considered to be one of the most vivid records in existence of the battle of Passchendaele.

Hart entrusted his 40-page letter to a fellow soldier, who was headed to England and was able to avoid military censors.

His description of the battle of Passchendaele is quite different from some reports which first appeared in New Zealand newspapers at the time.

‘‘For those five miles leading to our front line trench, there was nothing but utter desolation, not a blade of grass, or tree, here and there a heap of bricks marking where a village or farmhouse had once stood.

‘‘Dead horses and mules lay everywhere, yet no attempt had been made to bury any of them,’’ he said.

Historian and archivist Jared Davidson said: ‘‘It [censorship] was also used to conceal the war’s grim realities from those at home and as a tool to keep domestic dissent in check.’’

As well as to keep crucial information, like troop movements, from falling into enemy hands, he said.

WW100 programme director Sarah Davies said the campaign explored historical censorship in connection with what was happening today, especially regarding fake news.

Hart’s letter was a great example of the ways in which people attempted to bypass the

military censors and get news home to their loved ones about what was going on the front line.

‘‘It provides such a detailed account of the horrors the New Zealand forces faced in the battle of Passchendaele.

‘‘Had the censors got hold of it, much of the detail would have been stripped out and lost,’’ Davies said.

The censorship campaign is one of the several stories WW100 has produced as part of the First World War centenary programme. The stories will all remain accessible online until at least mid-next year.

‘‘While in New Zealand in 2018, we have nothing like First World War-era censorship, it’s still interesting to think about how other factors like social media, information overload and computer algorithms might impact on the free flow of information,’’ Davies said.

‘‘The papers will all report another glorious success, and no-one except those who actually took part will know any different.’’

Private Leonard Hart (back row, second from the right), pictured at Trentham Camp in 1915.