Team,
Quick question, does anyone have or has seen an NZ marked No5??
Cheers
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Team,
Quick question, does anyone have or has seen an NZ marked No5??
Cheers
Never seen one myself & dont know of any.
eta, I had a No5 that was supposedly used by a NZ soldier in Malaysia, it had no NZ markings.
Thanks for that, after having a chat to some of the more knowledgeable Antique Arms Members after a local annual auction i was surprise at the numbers of NZ rifles that were actually not "NZ" marked. Hence why i was curious as to the No5's, so far there has been only one No5 sighted NZ marked.
A rifle in NZ without markings is not necessarily a former NZ rifle, lots of the NZ marked rifles are spread thoughout the world & a lot of rifles from around the world are here.
No, i realise that, but what surprised me after talkin over the weekend to the gentlemen attending the auction was the actual stamping of "NZ" on rifles issued to and used by the NZEF's was not always done and sometimes ommitted in large numbers.
The reason I was enquiring, is that ive the following "NZ" marked rifles: a Lovells Pattern Carbine, Snider Carbine, Martini Enfield, No1, No2, No3, No4, No8, No9, but anadotle evidence only re a No5 that has no markings?
There must have been some NZ marked No5's because as I remember it, at Ngaruawahia, we had No5 rifle number NZ-1, as was pointed out to me by Ron Skully. From this, I always assumed that they started the sequential NZ number again for different rifle types.
Don't forget that on active service, Ordnance/weapon stockpiles are pooled so while, say 300 might be taken to theatre, when you get to the Battalion, you'll have 300 rifles, but not necessarily the 300 you took there. Same as vehicles.
I know this was certyainly the case with L1A1's, ammunition stocks which were mixed NZ (CAC) Auistralian and pom RG ball. Plus a mixed fleet of Australian and Pom landrovers and Bedfords
I've seen hundreds of No5's in NZ and never found a NZ marked one. I'm not saying that they don't exist but they would be pretty rare.
Thank you Peter, you confirm what one of the blokes was adament about that he too had seen a NZ marked No5.
Peter excuse my ignorance in these matters, so there would have there been a pool of commonwealth assets to be drawn from to equip soldiers. So should had i been deployed i would have turned up with my "x" rifle or weapons system hand that over to someone in a stores unit and be given my new rifle possibly a No5?
so that rifle could have been designated a pool rifle and as such unmarked to a country for service but at the completion of my deployment returned to stores.
pleased to hear they may exsist, i only know that if i had seen one l would have tried to make it mine.
you and me both! they must be rare as rockng horse S**T,Quote:
Originally Posted by 5thBatt
You're almost there Tertle. You might have taken all your kit or just taken over from those you replaced but if something goes wrong, say, your rifle needs replacing then it'll go back to Ord and be replaced by the next one, that might be a pom L1A1 and so on. If your Australian Whites 3 ton truck is cast, you'll get a new Bedford and so on. As for ammo, you just got what came next, be it CAC, Australian of RG. So the huge stockpiles were mixed. I don't know how the Ord system worked of course but know it from the RAEME/REME side though
It should be quite easy to find the NZ marked No5 (or 5's from the Ord Depot). Just find out where the weapons from the RNZEME workshop at Ngaruawahia went. At least, I HOPE it's easy because I got them a Thompson SMG and also sent Jock Annandale a Mk5 Sten via 'diplomatic' channels. The huge Northern District Ordnance Depot there also had the hand written ledgers detailing the types and serial numbers of all the rifles sent to the UK in 1939 (or 1940) AND those sent with the NZ Army to fight in the desert and those No4's shipped to NZ from Canada in the war. A really attractive girl called Susan Munns (who loved at Taupiri) who worked there showed them to me. Where did they go too...........?
Oooooops...... I meant to say LIVED at Taupiri but she might have LOVED at Taupiri too!
I can see that this has brought back fond memories :) , was going to say something else but dont want to be too cheeky!
Ive got a bit of time off work at the moment, was actually considering heading to wellington for a couple of days and looking through the archieves up there. Ive always meant to have a look, good excuse for bit of research!
i will also make an approach to NZ Defence Forces and see what records they may have and where they are kept, one can only but ask.
And thanks for explaining the kit aspect too.
I just WISH that I'd taken a bit more notice of those handwritten ledgers detailing the rifles and kit sent to the UK and the Middle East. [I] don't know when the Ord Depot at Ngaruawahia opened but it must have been pre war because there were still hidden stocks of Boys .55" ammo in the ammo dump being unearthed. One day, when I've had a few, I'll mention the three hand grenades we threw into the Waikato!
The same Susan Munns showed me a box of old, brand new and unissued (were they paraffin.....?) bicycle lamps that had been found on the shelves of the depot. There were crated No4's too. Long tipped into the dump near the old Armourers 25 metre range over the road when Hopu Hopu closed - along with the ledgers I expect
well next time your in country give us a yell, im sure that an ale or three might get some good old stories going!Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
How much are you willing to pay for a No. 5, Mk. 1 Stamped with N/|\Z ? and how many do you want?
Just let me know. bikes, bayonets, horseshoes, and leather will cost you more...... now where did I put that useless N/|\Z stamp ...?
Interesting subject so thank you for the post. Who's support system would have maintained the arms. Did NZ even have higher shops than company or division in Malaysia? What we called,"Not my yob." I wouldn't think company or battalion would be adding the NZ stamp. But I'm just asking, we marked nothing on the arm metal or wood, all notes went on a form nothing on the arm itself. Shame, before the powers cut them up the M14 could have told some stories. OMG Korean .30 carbines?