Information on No 4 Mk 1* in NZ Service

[Peter Laidler]

I was in NZ as an Armourer, conveniently based at the two BIG Ordnance depots of Sylvia Park and where the small arms were stored, at Ngaruawahia. According to the Ordnance census records, the NZ rifles came over during the war and were NZ stamped when issued out from Ordnance to the units*. So if it's NZ marked, it WAS issued. The NZ Govt were disposing of large amounts of No4's (and No1's) during the late 60's, during my time there. As I have said many times on the forum, there were still brand new crated/sealed boxes of new No4's, still with the serial numbers identified on the ends of the boxes where they'd been stored since the war. When the crates were opened (supervised by S/Sgt Denny Phillips and another who's name I forget for the moment), they were simply crates of totally rusted out, cracked, bulging rust fit for scrap and in some cases, not even recognisable as No4's

*NZ Sterlings were marked NZ before dispatch from Sterling by S/Sgt Annandale who went to inspect them prior to acceptance