New Zealand, World War I Military Defaulters, 1919-1921

This collection contains an index of men who were eligible for compulsory military service during World War I and, for moral or political reasons, failed to meet their legal obligations under New Zealand's Military Service Act of 1916. With the passing of the Expeditionary Forces Amendment Act of 1918, they were deemed Military Defaulters. You can expect to find their names and places of residence in this index.

The original list of defaulters was compiled and published in The New Zealand Gazette on May 14, 1919, after the conclusion of the war, and contained the names of 2,045 men, including 160 objectors who were in prison. Five additional lists were printed in the Gazette in 1919 and one in 1921, containing 41 additional names and 87 names that were deleted from the defaulters list. Defaulters were deprived of their civil rights: they could not vote, hold office, or be employed by any public authority for ten years after (until 1927).

Information in this index:

• Name
• Number
• Occupation
• Place of residence