Lore

## **Lore of Caprera**

### **Founding of Caprera**

In 1905, the Legislative Council of New Zealand decided to deport some of its criminal population - brigands, arsonists and forgers mostly, to the island of Caprera between the Solomons and Cook (named by refugees from the De Rays Expedition).

It became clear that unlike Australia, New Zealand faced no labor shortage but its crime was rampant. Ever since the emancipation, they got the reformed bunch and New Zealand got those who were unreformable.

But by 1914, they needed all the help they could get. This island, Caprera wasn't just a blessing of extra men. It was strategically located to the east of German New Guinea with the Dutch in the west and Brits in the south.

They began building bases, then infrastructure to facilitate their operations with those bases. Men, white and Maori alike were drafted and deployed. Their fighting necessitated medical care. Their wives and children needed schooling. Before anybody knew it, that island - once with a tribal population of over 80% dwindled to 40% and a next generation of newborns took hold with its closing in 1919.

Not all was well, however. The Maori, disillusioned by their assimilation saw their young develop a drinking problem and with the emotional cost of war ever-apparent, so too did whites.

It was easier to engage in bootlegging at this time and with the threat of piracy growing in the north - that of the 18th amendment being passed in the United States, many Alcoholics sought safe haven in Australia. There was one caveat: the stock had to be dropped off mid-route to secure against later siezure. With this, Caprera blossomed a massive appetite for professional crime.

**Involvement in WWI**

Caprera, like the other nations of the Commonwealth, went right into WW1 and right into it enthusiastically. During the course of the war out of an overall population of just about 400,000 people, more than 42,000 Caprerans would serve in the armed forces. They would be integrated alongside other formations like the Australians and Zealandians, only towards the end of the war was there ever an “Independent” Capreran Unit.

Caprerans served all over the place from the Mesopotamian Campaign all the way to the Western Front. Notably they would be involved in the Gallipoli Campaign, The Somme, and finally seeing an independent brigade serve during the German Spring Offensive and subsequent fighting, culminating in hard fought action after hard fought action as a battle hardened spear of the 100 days Offensive.

Caprera’s last notable action was the retaking of Mons, Belgium after a short fight with German units in the town. As the clock struck the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The Capreran soldiers, after years of fighting, swore it was like a gift from angels to hear the guns fall silent and some even recall seeing and hearing a choir of angels, though of course this is myth.

The war would have ramifications domestically for Caprera with it being given independence just shortly after the Armistice and more so with a total of 26,000 Caprerans ending up as casualties, a notably high number in comparison to other countries of the Entente. This would cause social disruption alongside the largely unsuccessful reintegration of veterans into Capreran society leading to many joining violent crime to make ends meet or just put their skills to use