The Owaka World War One Roll of Honour lists the names of 45 men, but it does not tell the full story or the consequences of the conflict. The toll of young lives was a disaster for such a small community, and for years afterwards men were still dying from wounds, sickness, gas poisoning and suicide. Those who survived to resume their old lives were often scarred forever by their experiences. The authors have compiled a roll call of 424 Catlins soldiers, telling their stories for the first time; those who died and those who survived, side by side on these pages as they were in the trenches 100 years ago. Here is the Catlins story of the Great War and the devastating influenza epidemic that followed..

Contents
‘Holding the Line’ 
Foreword 
Preface 
Army Organisation 
New Zealand Timeline
Maps 
Part One – The Men
‘Those Bitter Days’
Part Two – The Influenza Epidemic
Appendix One: Men Not Located
Appendix Two : Statistics
Appendix Three: The Fate of the Owaka Rugby Club
Senior Teams, 1913 & 1914
Bibliography .
Acknowledgements 
Index