Featherston Military Camp officially opened on 24 January 1916. New Zealand’s largest training camp with over 250 buildings, it helped prepare at least 60,000 men for service in the First World War.

At the end of July 1915 the Defence Department had acquired land between Featherston and the Tauherenikau River to build a new training camp for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. The Public Works Department began building in August 1915, with 1000 workmen on the site by December. The barrack camp, housing 4500, and a tent camp across the road, opened on 24 January 1916, with men from Tauherenikau Camp marching into their new home.

Infantry usually trained six to eight weeks, while mounted riflemen and artillerymen did virtually all their training at the camp. Men drilled and worked at the training grounds close to camp, and route marched and rode further afield. There were associated camps at Canvas Camp, Tauherenikau and Papawai. At times there were almost 10,000 troops in the Wairarapa.

In addition to 90 barracks (called hutments in New Zealand) there were religious institutes, a canteen, soldiers’ club, hospital facilities, stables and shops. The camp was connected by a rail spur to the main Wellington-Masterton line.

When training finished at war’s end, the camp was used briefly as an internment camp, tuberculosis and venereal disease hospital and an ordnance store for equipment from the war. 243 soldiers died during the camp’s operation, with over 160 dying during the influenza epidemic in late 1918.

Photo Reference: Archives New Zealand (Ref: AEGA 18982, PC4/1593, R18288348)