National Army Museum

Artefact of the Week: The Pope’s Piano Accordion

nicola — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:54:20 +0000

Piano Accordion given by Pope Pius XII

This week’s museum artefact is a piano accordion. Pope Pius XII gave two piano accordions to each Prisoner of War (POW) Camp in Italy in 1942. They were used to accompany sing-songs which were held to break the monotony of camp life.

This accordion is 1 of the 2 gifted by the late Pope Pius XII to POW Camp 107 near Udine in Italy. It was carried and used throughout his POW days by 9046 Clifford John Ewing, 20 Battalion.

Find out about our other museum artefacts and recent acquisitions.

Artefact of the Week: The Short Snorter

nicola — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:16:27 +0000

Museum Artefact: Short Snorter

This week’s museum artefact is the Short Snorter of Lieutenant R.H. Stevenson (27.09.1942).

Collecting signatures on a ‘short snorter’ note was a popular preoccupation during World War II. These notes became a record of members’ travels and associations overseas and a social status symbol, boasting the quantity and quality of signatures collected and thus, acquaintances made.

Short Snorter reverse side

A ‘short snorter’ is a note of currency that has been signed by numerous short snorter club members. Originally, it was understood that a person was only eligible for membership to the ‘club’ if he had flown across the Atlantic Ocean. These requirements later adapted to include those whom had flown 1000 miles over water by day. Many ‘short snorters’ hold an impressive narrative of names including former presidents, politicans and war hereos. Winston Churchill himself was said to be a member. The note belonging to Stevenson is an Australian shilling note packed with upwards of 52 names including, NZEF and United States personnel; we are in the process of deciphering individuals from their scrawled markings. Can you read any?

Find out about our other museum artefacts and recent acquisitions.

Artefact of the Week: Jewellery Box

nicola — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 01:53:50 +0000

Museum Artefact - Jewellery Box

This week’s museum artefact is an ornate jewellery box which was a souvenir of Mack Stevenson’s time serving as part of JayForce – the force that occupied Japan after the end of World War II. Stevenson also served during the Korean War and had a long history with the New Zealand Army after starting as a signalman in Divisional Signals in World War II. The jewellery box, with its intricate relief of a dragon, is a fine example of the sort of souvenirs soldiers brought home after their time in Japan.

Find out about our other museum artefacts and recent acquisitions.

Artefact of the Week: Lecardo Playing Cards

nicola — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:04:34 +0000

Lecardo Playing Cards

This week’s museum artefact is a pack of Lecardo playing cards dating from World War II which were popular when paper and card were rationed as part of the war effort. Many card games and board games were produced during this time to occupy serving troops and also those on the home front who needed a distraction from the stress and hardships of war. The pack cleverly combines normal playing cards with domino and letter markings, and could therefore be used for a wide variety of games.

Find out about our other museum artefacts and recent acquisitions.

Artefact of the Week: Scorpion Port

nicola — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 00:01:28 +0000

Scorpion Port

This week’s museum artefact is a bottle of ‘Scorpion’ Port. This bottle was commissioned by New Zealand Army unit the Queen Alexandra’s Mounted Rifles, but sadly it has something of an unfortunate history. Port holds a special place in army customs since it is the drink used to toast the Queen during formal military dinners, but this particular vintage failed to live up to expectations. regrettably the bottles’ cork disintegrated leaving the port with a ‘chewy’ taste that proved rather unpleasant, but which may have saved some headaches. Port mishaps aside, the Queen Alexandra’s Mounted Rifles has a very proud and long history after its origins in the 1860s. The unit served as part of the Wellington Mounted Rifles at Gallipoli and Palestine during World War I and was made an armoured unit in World War II, and remains one until this day.

Find out about our other museum artefacts and recent acquisitions.

Artefact of the Week: Kodak Camera in Water Bottle

nicola — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 22:46:15 +0000

Kodak camera hidden in fake water bottle

This water bottle is remarkable in that it was used to conceal Curly Weakley’s Kodak camera whilst in a Prisoner of War (POW) Camp in Italy during World War II.

Gunner Wilfred (Curly) Weakley had this 35mm Kodak Retina camera complete with brown leather case and carrying strap with him when he was taken prisoner at Sidi Rezegh during the relief of Tobruk in November 1941. He managed to hide the camera from the enemy during capture by strapping it to the inside of his leg.

Whilst prisoner at camp No. 57 at Udene near Trieste in Italy he made a fake water bottle to hide his camera. The bottle had a small compartment with cork stopper to hold water at the top, and a secret compartment underneath with removable bottom where the camera was concealed.

Find out about our other museum artefacts and recent acquisitions.

Artefact of the Week: Handmade Chess Set

nicola — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:59:02 +0000

Museum Artefact - Handmade Chess Set

This week’s museum artefact is a handmade chess set housed in a coconut shell and carved by Lancelot Hugh Herd while a Prisoner of War (POW) in Changi Prison, Singapore during World War II.

Lance Herd served as a Sapper (NZ Engineers) in World War I and was serving with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) in Singapore during World War II.

On 13 February 1942 he was ordered to evacuate the base to Batavia. On his way he stopped off at Banku Island not realising it was now occupied by the Japanese. He and his crew were taken prisoner and finally placed in Changi where he remained until after the war.

Find out about our other museum artefacts and recent acquisitions.

Artefact of the Week: Bosnia Sign

nicola — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:16:51 +0000

Museum Artefact - carved wooden Bosnia Sign of the New Zealand Peacekeepers.

This week’s museum artefact is a Bosnia Sign. This carved wooden sign marks New Zealand’s peace keeping efforts in the former Yugoslavia during the mid-1990s. Kiwi Company I was based at Santici Camp near the town of Vitez, approximately 20 kilometres north-west of Sarajevo. The contingent was given responsibility for a section of the Lasva Valley, and its principal task was to monitor compliance with the agreements reached between the Bosnian Croat and Bosnian Government authorities, and to improve the freedom of movement and general quality of life of people in its area of responsibility.

Find out about our other museum artefacts and recent acquisitions.

Artefact of the Week: Civilian Respirator

nicola — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:37:09 +0000

Respirator or gasmask given to civilians in Britain during World War II

This week’s museum artefact is a civilian respirator or gasmask. This one was issued to a civilian who was living in England during World War II. The mask is made from a light weight rubber and is attached to a canister that filtered out gas when the respirator was worn. These sorts of respirators were issued to all civilians in Britain during the conflict and this object serves to remind us of the strain placed on that island nation as it stood against the Nazi war machine. Not only was there the threat of invasion and the constant bombing from the Nazi air force, but there was also the terrifying possibility of chemical weapons being used on defenceless civilians.

Find out about our other museum artefacts and recent acquisitions.

Artefact of the Week: Coca Cola Bottle

nicola — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:06:49 +0000

Coca Cola Bottle

Coca Cola bottle dating back to World War II

This week’s museum artefact is an empty Coca Cola bottle recently donated and dates from World War II. During World War II the beverage company made a pledge to supply United States forces with its soft drink wherever it might be serving. During the conflict Coca Cola set up 64 bottling plants as the fighting moved through Europe and the Pacific, which resulted in over five billion bottles of Coca Cola being consumed by military personnel. This effort to supply troops around the globe with the drink was also a brilliant business move and helped the company grow massively post war and become the iconic brand it is today.

Find out about our other museum artefacts and recent acquisitions.