Great War Stories Alexander Aitken
Alexander Aitken was to become a distinguished professor of mathematics. A master of mental arithmetic, he specialised in performing difficult calculations. This skill would save his life on the Somme during the First World War. Badly wounded and trapped in no-man's-land, he noticed a regular pattern in the German shelling and worked out when it would hit the area he was lying in. The violin he carried at Gallipoli and on the Western Front is now a treasured artefact at Otago Boys' High School.
Short films telling personal stories about New Zealanders affected by Gallipoli and the First World War.
Primary Title
- Great War Stories
Episode Title
- Alexander Aitken
Date Broadcast
- Monday 12 February 2018
Duration
- 04:11
Series
- 3
Episode
- 3
Channel
- Internet
Broadcaster
- New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage
Programme Description
- Short films telling personal stories about New Zealanders affected by Gallipoli and the First World War.
Episode Description
- Alexander Aitken was to become a distinguished professor of mathematics. A master of mental arithmetic, he specialised in performing difficult calculations. This skill would save his life on the Somme during the First World War. Badly wounded and trapped in no-man's-land, he noticed a regular pattern in the German shelling and worked out when it would hit the area he was lying in. The violin he carried at Gallipoli and on the Western Front is now a treasured artefact at Otago Boys' High School.
Classification
- Unknown
Owning Collection
- Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Notes
- Research and scripts: AC Productions. Images, historic video and further sources: Archives New Zealand and National Library of New Zealand. Originally broadcast as a segment of TV3 News (now Newshub), MediaWorks Television.
Subjects
- World War, 1914-1918--Personal narratives, New Zealand
- World War, 1914-1918--Campaigns--Turkey--Gallipoli Peninsula
- Soldiers' writings, New Zealand
- Documentary television programs--New Zealand
Genres
- Biography
- History
- War
Contributors
- Hilary Barry (Narrator)
- Anna Cottrell (Director)
- Anna Cottrell (Producer)
- AC Productions (Production Unit)
- NZ On Air (Funder)
Subjects
- World War, 1914-1918--Personal narratives, New Zealand
- World War, 1914-1918--Campaigns--Turkey--Gallipoli Peninsula
- Soldiers' writings, New Zealand
- Documentary television programs--New Zealand