A simple little item that has been sitting unloved by me in a drawer. This is a 1938 cinderella, a postal item that was affixed to the envelope that usually contained a message that supported some sort of public program. This one is for the Territorial Force as evidenced by the message “Help Your Territorials – Home Defence Only”.
This item, produced in 1942, is the 1905 pattern 50 round ammunition bandolier, issued to the New Zealand Mounted Rifles regiments. Unique to New Zealand, it was intended to provide additional ammunition in case of extended reconnaissance patrols and was popular because of the ability to sling these over the necks of the horses.
NZMR hero 13/129 Corporal Sinclair Chapman Reid – North Auckland Mounted Rifles. Wearing the lightweight desert uniform. First known rank corporal rose to Lieutenant by wars end. During WWII held the rank of Major. Recipient of the Military Cross. Sinclair Reid had the distinction of being a combatant at both the attack on Chunuk Bair on the 8th August 1915 during the Gallipoli Campaign and the attack at Ayun Kara on the 14th November 1917 in Turkish Palestine. These actions were the most deadly engagements experienced by the NZMR during WWI.
Simple little item, a ten round package of .303 rifle ammunition, intended for the Enfield infantry rifle and similar vintage weapons. This pack of ten is dated 1941 and manufactured by CAC, the Colonial Ammunition Company of New Zealand. This was the first ammunition company established in Australasia.
Nice simple pickup last weekend at the local antique fair. This is a souvenir belt put together from a Prussian infantry belt and the tunic buttons from a wide range of Allied and German units. This example has a predominance of Canadian buttons so I am guessing that it was Canadian in origin. The rest are French, Australian, New Zealand, German and one single U.S. General Service button. You see these in all sorts of configurations, some on Allied belts, some with cap badges and other oddments. The legend is that these were put together from souvenirs taken from dead bodies but that sounds overly complex to me and likely nonsense. More likely most of the buttons were swapped at rear area camps between bored soldiers making up a souvenir. The U.S. button suggests a late war job, 1917-19. The Empire buttons make sense as often these units found themselves together in the line. The Canadian Regiments are from different divisions so that’s why I think this is a rear area put together. Still, a great belt, in fine condition and worth it just for the buttons and belt IMHO.
This booklet, dating from 1946, is a facsimile of the surrender documents signed on the USS Missouri, in Tokyo Bay, on the 2nd September 1945. These were produced by the National Archives in the US for distribution to institutions and individuals in education. I have the German ones here.
This is a set of commemorative stamps issued by New Zealand Post in 2014. The event was the 2014 Anzac Day anniversary, 100 years since the outbreak of WW1. The issue took the form of a set of period propaganda posters issued by the NZ Government during WW2.
Here’s a single shoulder title for New Zealand Infantry, dating from ww2. I received it in a big bunch of stuff for a guy who was in Hiroshima in 1945.
This is the second pattern cap badge for the New Zealand Army Service Corps. We never used to care about these guys unless they were late delivering our breakfast.
This is the cap badge for the New Zealand Cadet Corps. The cadet Corps is an affiliated organization, run by the NZDF with a focus on army training for youth. There are sibling groups for the air force and navy. I use lower case here deliberately because I found them to be annoying little shits.
These are a pair of collar badges for the New Zealand Armoured Corps. Just so we are clear here, the New Zealand Armoured “Corps” is not corps sized. It’s two guys with a BBQ and a LAV III for overwatch.
This is a WW1 era collar dog for the Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry, or 1st Canterbury Mounted Rifles.
The 1st (Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry) Regiment was officially raised on 17 March 1911. It was one of 12 regionally based mounted rifles regiments formed as part of the new Territorial Force (TF) organisation that came into existence on that day. This part-time Territorial Force and a tiny regular force of professional soldiers formed the basis of New Zealand’s army at the outbreak of the First World War.
Instead of mobilising the TF, however, the government decided to raise a separate force to send overseas to fight – the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF). In 1914 the new mounted regiments of the NZEF were given provincial names corresponding to the military district in which they were raised – Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury or Otago. This gave them some sense of regional identity.
The NZEF mounted regiments were instructed to affiliate each of the three squadrons under their command with a TF mounted rifles regiment from their military district, and to issue the regiment’s badge to the squadron. The idea was to foster linkages with the established TF regiments that were not being sent overseas. So the badge of the 1st (Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry), TF, was worn by the 1st (Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry) Squadron of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment, NZEF, throughout its service in the Gallipoli, Sinai and Palestine campaigns.
These are a pair of current issue collar badges for the New Zealand Army Pay Corps.
This badge, for the 11th North Auckland Mounted Rifles, is the left facing collar badge. This badge is twice as rare as the right facing example since the right hand one served as both the cap badge and a collar dog. You can see these examples here.
This is a cap badge for the 4th Waikato Mounted Rifles.
The 4th (Waikato) Mounted Rifles was formed on March 17, 1911. They were mobilised during World War I and formed part of the Auckland Mounted Rifle Regiment, and served in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I and first saw action during the Battle of Gallipoli. As a part of the larger New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade (of the Anzac Mounted Division) they went on to serve in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign
This is a cap badge for the 6th Manawatu Mounted Rifles.
The 6th (Manawatu) Mounted Rifles was formed on March 17, 1911. They were mobilised during World War I as a squadron of the Wellington Mounted Rifle Regiment. They served in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I and first saw action during the Battle of Gallipoli. As a part of the larger New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade (of the Anzac Mounted Division) they went on to serve in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign
These are three identical patriotic tokens manufactured in New Zealand immediately after the outbreak of war in 1914. On the obverse is stamped “Patriotic New Zealand“. On the reverse is stamped “European War August 1914” and a quote from Nelson “England expects every man to do his duty“.
The New Zealand Regiment was formed in 1957. The infantry has always been the heart of the New Zealand Army and the New Zealnd Regiment was raised as an organisational formation to support the deployment of New Zealand soldiers in Malaya during the Emergency there. It was reformed and renamed in 1964 as NZ withdrew from Malaya and began the deployment into Vietnam.
This is a WW1 issue collar dog for the 3rd Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment. The 3rd (Auckland) Mounted Rifles was formed on March 17, 1911. They were mobilised during World War I as a squadron of the Auckland Mounted Rilfe Regiment. They served in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I and first saw action during the Battle of Gallipoli. As a part of the larger New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade (of the Anzac Mounted Division) they went on to serve in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign.
This ia a collar dog for the 16th Waikato Infantry Regiment, dating to WW1. Raised in 1915 and sent to Egypt and then Gallipoli, the 16th Waikato was slaughtered at Chunik Bair.
Yeah that’s right, pride. Meh, jingoism dates poorly
These are a pair of WW1 era New Zealand Forces tunic buttons. One of these is an infantry button and one is from an artillery uniform. They are both manufactured by Gaunt of London.
This cap badge is for the 4th Otago Rifles. The badge has the battle honour “South Africa 1901-1902” making it a pre WW1 2nd pattern badge.
The history of the 4th Battalion (Otago and Southland) Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment can be traced back to February 1860 when the Dunedin and Invercargill Militia Battalions were established. The militiamen of the day were not volunteer soldiers as all males between the age of 18 and 60 were liable for military service at that time. In 1861 the Tokomairiro and Clutha Battalions were formed. Local enthusiasm was not enough to gain Government recognition so volunteer soldiering was conducted on a quasi-official manner for some time. The first officially recognised volunteer unit in the Otago and Southland provinces was the Otago Rifle Volunteers, which was gazetted as a Company on 5th February 1862. In 1898 the 1st Battalion Otago Rifle Volunteers was established. The formation of this unit apparently stimulated further public interest as by 1892 the Battalion consisted of fifteen Rifle Companies.
During World War I the provinces produced the Otago Regiment with companies from the 4th Otago, 8th Southland, 10th North Otago and 20th South Otago battalions. The Otago Regiment served with distinction in Gallipoli and France taking particularly heavy losses in the battle of Passchendaele. New Zealand’s most decorated soldier ever, Sgt Dick Travis earned his VC and other medals serving with the Otago Regiment.
These are the current issue New Zealand Army Logistics Corps Cap badge and Collar Dog set. These are not as awful as the Education Officers ones, ha bloody ha.
This patch is an official New Zealand Army distinguishing patch from the 1990’s. This was used on the Singapore extended deployment.
This token is very similar to this one here. However in this case, instead of a New Zealand flag there is a profile of a Maori warrior. In this example the date 1899-1900 is on the reverse. On the obverse are the words “British Transvaal War”.
These are the current collar badges for the New Zealand Army Educational Corps. They are also nasty cheap plastic. I weep at how the NZDF has turned into Walmart.
Kiwi Medals 