An emerging academic and archival researcher, Dr Monger is developing a database based on a 1916 book, The Treatment of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, using his expertise in propaganda to test complaints about the book’s evidence.

100 years on the genocide remains a controversial topic not officially recognised by the Turkish, British or New Zealand Governments. It was brought to public attention in 2015 when Vladimir Putin and then Kim Kardashian, who is of Armenian heritage, attended commemorative events.

A life-long interest in the First World War led Dr Monger to explore British propaganda and patriotism at PhD level, and then his latest work.

“The military history side of the First World War is pretty much done, and it goes over the same ground again and again – much like the battles themselves.

“There is still a lot that can be learned from how societies behave during war socially and

culturally. We think of the terrible effects on soldiers from war, but there were massive knock-on effects on people at home too – those things are just as important.

“Historians should be assisting people to put historical information into context. The events of Gallipoli and the Armenian Genocide are linked. Orders for the deportations of Armenians occurred the same day British warships arrived in the Dardanelles to begin the Gallipoli campaign.

“There’s this romantic view in this part of the world of a coming of age in a noble fight against a brave enemy, and you can’t take away from that, but the most important consequence of Gallipoli is the impetus it gave to the deportation and murder of between 600,000 and 1.5 million minority Armenians.”

Funding has been an issue but progress has also been slow because of the need for great care in designing a database relating to such sensitive material.

“The book has been dismissed as evidence by genocide deniers and others as fabricated British propaganda. I hope this work, informed by my expertise in propaganda, will finally set the record straight.”

Armenian genocide - investigating evidence

“There’s this romantic view in this part of the world of a coming of age in a noble fight against a brave enemy, and you can’t take away from that, but the most important consequence of Gallipoli is the impetus it gave to the deportation and murder of between 600,000 and 1.5 million minority Armenians.”.

48 University of Canterbury

By Phil Barclay

UC historian Dr David Monger is working to add to the already large body of knowledge

surrounding a pivotal First World War event – the Armenian genocide.

Research Report 2015 49