E - Gazette Mk II
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
E - Gazette Mk II New Zealand Antique & Historical Arms Association Inc. # 25 January 2013 EDITORIAL As we start another new year we welcome a new National Secretary, Katrina Evans, see below for Katrina’s contact details, and say thanks and farewell to John Debney who has filled the post for the past year. Don’t forget if you change your contact details please let Katrina and your Branch Secretary know. Have you checked your FA Licence expiry date yet? Allow 2 months for renewal. How safe are the keys to your guns? Can another family member access them without your knowledge? Thanks to all of you who commented favourably on the new format of the Christmas edition, only one member voted for this original format, so I will endeavour to produce the February and subsequent editions in the new format. This edition was started well before Christmas and was nearly complete by the time I had the feedback. If you have comments to make or news or articles to contribute, send them to [email protected] All views (and errors) expressed here are those of the Editor or contributor and not necessarily those of the NZAHAA Inc. Phil Cregeen, Editor [email protected] NEW NATIONAL SECRETARY Commencing in January we have a new National Secretary, Katrina Evans. Contact details as follows: The Secretary e-mail: [email protected] NZAHAA PO Box 4487 Cashel Street Christchurch 8140 FROM OUR READERS Dear Phil: THANKS for including me on your Gazette list!!! I will look forward to receiving future e-issues. Daniel at Dunlap Woodcrafters has been very helpful in developing a Hay Pattern Enfield stock. Please include in your next issue the information about Dunlap producing a Hay Pattern stock, just in case anyone in NZ wants to build their own replica Hay Pattern. http://www.dunlapwoodcrafts.com/MilitaryStocks.php All My Best,Brannen Brannen supplied the information on the Confederate P 53 Enfield in the last issue (ED) GUN REVIEW by Phil Cregeen © 2012 Greener Police Gun Mk III This gun is basically a fully stocked version of the once popular (me and all my mates had one in the 1960s) Greener GP 12 bore single barrel shot gun, however it has a number of significant differences. The most important being the chamber and cartridge which is stepped, being 12 bore at the base and 14 bore at the throat. The firing pin also includes two additional pins which allow it to fire only special cartridges with an annular recess around the primer. This is to prevent stolen guns being used with normal ammunition by criminals. The two piece stock is fitted with a sheet steel nose cap, barrel band with sling swivels and a steel butt plate with trap. In addition to the safety lever on the right side of the body it has a cocking indicator. The pistol grip forward of the action is a later addition, as it is the wrong way round for shooting, I suspect its purpose is for carry the gun close down the side of the body or for using the gun reversed as a club. This particular gun is marked SPF 42 which I surmise stands for Singapore Police Force. The Greener Police Gun was developed after WW I to provide an arm for police and prison guards and was initially produced as a 14 1/2 bore gun known as the Greener Mk I/14. Over 30,000 were supplied to Egypt by 1922. By the 1930s it was realised that stolen guns were being used by wrapping 16 bore cartridges in paper to fit the 14 bore chamber and so the stepped chamber Mk III was developed. I understand that the New Zealand prison service also used this gun, can anyone confirm this? See Q 5 at http://www.martinihenry.com/faq.htm or http://world.guns.ru/shotgun/brit/greener-police-gun- e.html for more information on the history of this gun. ARMISTICE IN CAMBRIDGE photos by Phil Cregeen In a few short years this event has grown into one of the best militaria attractions in the North Island. Sadly, with other fish to fry, I could only spend the Saturday morning here but that was well worthwhile. This year Armistice in Cambridge was held at the Mighty River Domain on Lake Karapiro on the weekend of 10 & 11 November and included a wide range of static and action displays. Military vehicles abounded with WW II trucks and jeeps, tracked vehicles ranging from a Soviet T34 tank, M3 Stuart Hybrid and Scorpion to Bren Carrier and M113A1 APC, not to forget several Chevy trucks of the LRDG. Re-enactment groups ranged from Roman Legionaries through Saxon and Medieval to NZ Armed Constabulary to Boer War, WW II and Vietnam era troops, who engaged in set piece battles all well kitted out with authentic gear. The Royal New Zealand Navy provided a demonstration of helicopter rescue and waterborne displays. Over head aerial displays were provided by a P 51 Mustang and Messerschmitt Bf 108 which include bombing a German U Boat. The highlight of Sunday for many would have been the flypast by the recently restored Mosquito, which made half a dozen passes. In the main hall were sales tables and displays, several provided by NZAHAA members. On Sunday a parade of Military vehicles was held in the town of Cambridge prior to the ceremony at the Cenotaph and the marking of the 11th hour to remember the fallen. Here are few photos of: Some of the Tracked Vehicles (I loved this restored Stuart and it was great to hear the engine running. Ed.) And trucks Long Range Desert Group Indoor Displays A COLLECTION WAR STORIES FROM THE ISLAND OF CELEBES Part I Contributed by Alan Jobson © 2012 Dutch East Indies Campaign, Celebes and Moluccas Today the Island of Celebes is known as Sulawesi Island and is one of the many Islands that make up the Country of Indonesia. I have been working at Sorowako on Sulawesi Island since November 2011 and have spoken to many of the locals about the Japanese occupation there in WW2. The Indonesians here do not have a long life span and I could not find anybody that was alive at the time of Japanese occupation in the area. The stories that have been passed around vary. But in saying that, one can research and peace together a lot of the events and attacks that did occur accurately. On the coast just a short drive away from where I am based, according to locals is a Japanese merchant ship that was sunk by the Americans. It rests just above tide level and still has the deck gun on it and I love Deck Guns. After swimming out to the wreck to view the deck gun I noticed that it is an American manufactured gun and possibly the ship could be an American boat sunk by the Japanese, but the locals are adamant that it was Japanese and sunk by American dive bombers. There is no known record of this boat other then the deck gun details. Possibly the gun was a Japanese capture and put to use for the Japanese Merchant Naval. As a group of us went down to look at the boat on several occasions we swam around the boat and searched through the cabins for any reference we could use for research. There is still old tiles on the kitchen and stove inside the cabins. A build up of river sand has buried much of the engine room and all the propeller. From the deck gun marking we know that it was pre WW1 manufacture. The locals are protective of the wreck and want to maintain the secrecy of its location to stop scavenging. Sunken merchant ship Gun on the focsle 3 in Gun Mk II 1902 3 in Gun Mount Mk IV dated 1907 Stamping of dates on the gun show 1939 and also 1942 service marks. If Japanese capture then it would have been after 1942. My personal belief is that this boat is American and sunk by a Japanese Bomber. While researching the mystery surrounding the true identity and the sinking of this boat I found out there was a Willies Jeep in the jungle nearby that had been there since the war. If this was true then maybe the Americans were based here in or around the area and the boat was sunk by a Japanese dive bomber. The story was told to me that a tree was growing up through the engine bay and out from the bonnet. I always wanted a 1942 Willie’s Jeep. After getting a rough map drawn up by a fellow expat whom had witnessed the jeep and knew the location in the jungle. I set off with another Kiwi expat on our search. The map was bang on and we uncovered the jeep in question. The tree had been cut down and jeep moved onto a local’s property nearby whom now claimed ownership. After discussions they agreed to let us take a closer look at it. It took about half an hour removing rubbish, timber and sheets of iron which had reburied the vehicle. It was in terrible state and was rusted out everywhere. There was a 1936 date on the spare Good Year tyre. We discovered that the jeep had been registered and driven on the road for some time after the war, so one could not confirm that it had been here since Japanese or American occupation.