Kiwis are being asked to take Anzac Day remembrances one step further this year – by enlisting in the ShadowBattalion.
A partnership between the RSA and ANZ, the ShadowBattalion website enables users to search for a World War I Anzac, learn more about their life and service record and then show support and remembrance through social media.
Drawing on the Online Ceontaph Data held by Auckland War Memorial Museum, ShadowBattalion aims to remember all 100,000 WWI Kiwi Anzac soldiers before 25 April.
It is the first fully digital remembrance initiative of its kind and has already seen Labour MP Jacinda Adern and John Hold, director of the Kiwi Landing Pad tech incubator, signing up to ‘remember' specific veterans.
David Moger, RSA chief executive, says the 100th anniversary of the Anzac landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula is the ideal time to make a personal connection with those who served our nation.
“By remembering one Anzac we stand for them all.
“We want people to make personal connections with Anzacs and create a groundswell of remembrance – ideally remembering every one of those who served our nation,” Moger says.
“Linking the honour roll with social media allows people to easily put up their hand and encourages others to virtually stand up and do the same.
Felicity Evans, ANZ general manager of human resources and former Royal NZ Navy Reserve, the initiative brings remembrance into the digital age and helps reach a younger audience.
The ShadowBattalion campaign ends on April 25.