When We Go to War - First Episode (excerpt)

Believe me Cissy when I say it's true that war changes everything. What matters to me now is so very different to what I passionately believed just a few months ago.

– Bea (Ester Stephens) in a letter to her sister Cissy

What really brought it home was learning of a relative of mine who had died at Gallipoli. My mother mentioned to my Grandfather that I was filming a World War I series and he casually said 'Oh, Cyril died at Gallipoli' ... my Grandfather sent all of his records, his sign-up sheet and even his pocket watch to me from Australia. Opening that package was a pretty big moment, it definitely made me feel more connected to the war than ever before. His name was Cyril Cawthorne. He disappeared into a cloud of smoke four months after he signed up and was never seen again.

– Actor Milo Cawthorne on his role as Harry Smith, in a 23 April 2015 Stuff profile

To prepare for the role, he studied New Zealand history and involvement in WWI. It was also important to him to get into the psyche of the young men who fought so he read letters, memoirs and stories, noting how soldier's perceptions changed from the beginning to the end of the war.

– Stuff article on Ido Drent playing Charles Smith, 24 April 2015