A full bottle of 'Kriegie's Brew' beer from the New Zealand Ex-P.O.W. (Prisoner of War) Association's National Reunion, New Plymouth, 1971. 'Kriegie' was the self-appointed nickname for Allied POWs during the Second World War – the term was coined from the German word 'Kriegsgefangener' (war prisoner).
During the Second World War large numbers of New Zealanders became prisoners of war, or went 'into the bag' as they popularly called it. At one time more than 8000 people – one in 200 of New Zealand's population – were held in captivity. This compares with around 500 POWs in the First World War.
Community contributions