A large and enthusiastic crowd gathered outside Parliament on the afternoon of 5 August 1914 to hear the Governor, Lord Liverpool, announce that Britain – and by extension the Dominion of New Zealand – was at war with Germany.
Prime Minister William Massey can be seen in the centre of the image with a white moustache. To the right of Massey is Lord Liverpool, holding a sheet of paper bearing the message from King George V.
Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference No: 1/2-048457-G
Photographer: Sydney Charles Smith
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image