Pacific / History

Season 2 | Episode 1: The Forgotten Soldiers of Niue

06:00 am on 10 April 2024

Listen

Series Classification: PG (Parental Guidance) | Watch the series here

This is the little known story of The Forgotten Soldiers of Niue: 150 men plucked from their island paradise and sent 17,000 kms away to the cold frontlines of France during World War I.

The Niuean soldiers never made it to the frontline, however. They instead died en route with the introduction of diseases they had never been exposed to.

Leki Jackson-Bourke takes us on a journey back to Niue and through history to discover why these men went to fight and die for a war they didn’t understand, and for a king they didn’t know. He discovers the incredible legacy this has left on Niue, as well as his own special connection to these men and this war.

A nurse tends to a wounded soldier (dramatic re-enactment). Photo: Tikilounge Productions / Tuki Laumea

NZ On Air Photo: NZ On Air