George Bollinger's Story.

How do you prove your loyalty to a country you're already fighting for?

George Bollinger enlisted only nine days after war broke out in August 1914. He was proud to serve his country, but others were not so excited about his involvement.

Fundraising badges were made for specific battles or organisations and worn by families and friends at home, but not everyone was supportive of all the soldiers.

Taranaki born and raised, Bollinger's father was German. This made him a target for anti-German groups in New Zealand. Bollinger worked hard and climbed up the ranks, eventually being promoted to regimental sergeant major, but those who accused him of being pro-German were not happy.

Members of the Women’s Anti-German League and a few anonymous members of parliament wrote hateful and prejudiced letters against him. Even more letters were published when Bollinger returned to New Zealand in 1916 to take up a training role at the Trentham army camp.

The army defended him against these rumours.The Minister of Defence described Bollinger  as having demonstrated ‘exceptional gallantry and faithful conduct … in the face of the enemy’. Bollinger, determined to prove his loyalty, offered to serve overseas again even though he didn’t have to.

He was wounded in action in June 1917 and died two days later. His brother Herman would later die of wounds in March 1918 while also fighting for New Zealand. Eight German cousins fighting against the allies were also killed on the Western Front.

His name was left off the Roll of Honour outside the church in his hometown.

Discover pieces of George's puzzle

BOLLINGER CAME HOME TO NEW ZEALAND AFTER THE DARDANELLES BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?

In early 1916 George returned to New Zealand for officer training, becoming a second lieutenant. He took a posting as an instructor at the Trentham camp.

The haters wouldn't let up. In Taranaki, the Bollinger family had rocks thrown at their home, partly spurring their move to Khandallah, Wellington. MPs and the Women's Anti-German League started accusing George of being pro-German. The army again stood by him.  To quieten the rumours, so his family claims, he once more offered his service overseas, although under no obligation to do so. In August 1916 he embarked and in November joined the 2nd Battalion of the Wellington Infantry Regiment in the field. On 8 June 1917 he was wounded in action during the Messines (Mesen) offensive, and died two days later.

Can you use CWGC to find where he is buried?

READ LETTERS WRITTEN ABOUT GEORGE

The reality of the war hit home in May of 1915 as the casualty lists from the campaign in the Dardanelles (which came to be known as Gallipoli) began appearing in the local newspapers, with ever increasing numbers of our troops reported killed, wounded or missing. In addition, by the middle of the month the news had spread around the world that a German U-boat had torpedoed the Cunard trans-Atlantic liner Lusitania, which quickly sank off the south coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 lives.

Search George's Archway file for letters written about him by concerned members of the public. Some of the letters are awful in what they say about George Bollinger. Read the letters and James Allen's response to understand more deeply what was going on.

HOW DID GEORGE'S OPINION OF THE WAR CHANGE ? 

There is much written about George Bollinger. Watch his Great War Story here and conduct more research on Google to gather all you can about him.  His diaries give us lots of insight into how his attitudes to the war changed and he obviously must have known and felt some of the things being said and written about him at home.  What does your research tell you about how his attitudes changed?

Solve the Unsolved Mystery

WITH SO MUCH ANTI-GERMAN FEELING IN NEW PLYMOUTH - WHAT MADE NEW PLYMOUTH BOYS HIGH SCHOOL STAND UP FOR GEORGE?

Reading the letters that were constantly written about George to the Minister of Defence, James Allen our team noticed that all replies were always copied to the MP for Taranaki Henry Okey.  The Okey name appears on the New Plymouth Boys High School Memorial Gates along with Bollinger's, Lepper's and V J B Hall's. The reality is that Okey's sons had been at school with George Bollinger.  

It would have been standard protocol for Okey to be cc'ed on any letter from the Minister of Defence relating to someone from his electorate, but one can't help wondering if Mr Okey had a special sympathy for George Bollinger's situation. His sons had signed up alongside George and he would have read their letters home and to the Taranakian.  Perhaps Mr Okey had special insight into George's character and that this in someway contributed to the consistent defence of George to all who wrote to complain about him.

Search Okey and Bollinger in Papers Past and in the Taranakians to see if you can find any evidence to support our theory.