The National Army Museum’s extensive military hardware collection includes scout vehicles, tanks, trucks and field guns. Explore the history of the following military equipment:
- M41 Walker Bulldog Tank
- Valentine Mark V Tank
- Ferret Scout Car
- 28th Maori Battalion Canteen Truck
- Breech Loading 5.5 Inch Medium Gun
- Ordnance, Quick Firing 25 Pound Mk II
M41 Walker Bulldog
M41A1 WALKER BULLDOG LIGHT TANK
Developed in the USA in 1950 as the Little Bulldog, the M41 Light Tank first saw action in the Korean War. The M41A1 Walker Bulldog first entered service with the New Zealand Army in 1960, where it replaced the World War II vintage Stuart and Valentine tanks. During the 1970′s and early 1980′s the Walker Bulldog was the New Zealand Army’s only tank and they were used in training exercises all over New Zealand. The Walker Bulldog was replaced in the mid 1980′s by the British Scorpion tracked reconnaissance vehicle.
| Crew: | Four |
| Engine: | Continental 6 Cylinder Petrol, Mark II powered by a British AEC 130 hp diesel engine |
| Weight: | 24 tonnes |
| Speed: | 72 km/hour |
| Armament: |
76mm high velocity Browning .50 inch machine gun Browning .30 inch machine gun |
This vehicle is currently being restored by volunteers.
Valentine Mark V tank
VALENTINE MARK V
The first Valentines in New Zealand were equipped with a 2 pounder (37mm) gun which could only fire armour piercing rounds. Because the New Zealand Army wanted a close support tank to fight with infantry, eighteen of New Zealand’s 255 Valentines were converted to carry a 3 inch howitzer which could fire high explosive shells.
Of the 255 Valentine tanks, 100 were Mark II, 74 were Mark III and 81 were Mark V. There were also 11 Valentine bridge layers in service.
New Zealand’s tank squadron, equipped with 19 Valentines, fought in the Pacific with the 3rd Division. When the 3rd Division was disbanded in 1944, the tanks were returned to New Zealand and served with the School of Armour and home based armoured units until the Valentine was withdrawn from service in 1960.
| Crew: | Three |
| Engine: | GM 6-71S 6 cylinder diesel producing 130 hp at 1850 rpm |
| Weight: | 17,237 kg |
| Armament: | 2 pounder anti-tank gun |
Ferret Scout Car
DAIMLER FERRET MKI SCOUT CAR 4X4
The Ferret was a standard light reconnaissance vehicle developed shortly after World War II and used by both armour and infantry. It was to prove very successful, with over 35 armies throughout the world using the Ferret in service.
New Zealanders used British MKI Ferrets in both the Malaya Emergency and Confrontation for forward observation tasks. The MKI Ferret was withdrawn from New Zealand service in 1978.
DAIMLER FERRET MKII SCOUT CAR 4X4
The Ferret MKII is similar to the MKI (same specifications) but has a manually operated turret fitted with a medium machine gun. The Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps operated six vehicles in the reconnaissance role from 1961 to 1982. The MKII Ferret also saw service with New Zealand in both the Malaya Emergency and Confrontation.
Both the MKI and MKII were capable of being transported by air.
| Crew: | Two |
| Engine: | Rolls Royce B60 4258cc, 6 cylinder
Petrol developing 96 BHP |
| Weight: | 7955 lb |
| Speed: | 58 mph (93 km per hour) |
| Armament: | 1 x .30 cal Browning machine gun |
28th Maori Battalion Canteen Truck
Te Rau Aroha
During World War II Te Rau Aroha was driven and looked after throughout the North African and Italian Campaigns by the legendary canteen keeper Charlie Bennet MBE. Charlie, a Pakeha serviceman, was affectionately known by the soldiers as “Charlie Y.M.” (The Y.M. coming from the initials YMCA). The truck was a gift to the 28th Maori Battalion from children of the Native Schools of New Zealand. When the Maori community decided to send their men to war with a special gift, an appeal for funds went around the schools. The target was 850 pounds, (about $1700 at the time). The response was magnificent. In just six months the schools grew vegetables for sale and ran concerts and stalls; children also dug into their moneyboxes. The final total was 1000 pounds ($2000 at the time), a lot of money in those days.
To the soldiers of the 28th (Maori) Battalion, Te Rau Aroha was more than a canteen. They had hastened to its assistance when it was in trouble on the desert; they had protected it, they had shown concern for its safety when it was overdue; they had sought it out in the night just to satisfy themselves that it was still there in the convoy. It had represented to them everything they held dear to home; and the inscription on the side, “presented to the Maori Battalion as a token of love by the Children of Native Schools of New Zealand” was written on the hearts of the brave men of the 28th (Maori) Battalion.
Breech Loading 5.5 Inch medium Gun
The BL 5.5 inch Medium Gun, known in New Zealand as the 5-5 gun, was first developed during the early part of World War Two, but was only of 4.5 inch calibre. By 1941 the barrel had been ‘enlarged’ and the 5.5 inch gun was introduced into the British Artillery, where it first saw action in North Africa. At that time the New Zealand Divisional Artillery did not have a Medium Battery as part of its organisation, so it did not officially use the 5-5 gun during the Second World War. However during the assault across the Sangro River in Italy some New Zealand Gunners were attached to a British Medium Artillery Regiment firing 5.5in guns in support of the New Zealand infantry.
In 1951 the New Zealand Government purchased 12 of the BL 5.5in guns to equip the newly created 4 Medium Regiment, which originally had two Batteries of six guns each. By 1953 this had been reduced to four guns per battery with two guns going to the School of Artillery in Waiouru, and two into storage. In the mid 1970′s the New Zealand Artillery began to look for a replacement Medium gun, but costs proved prohibitive and in the early 1980′s the New Zealand Army removed the Medium Artillery Battery from its organisation.
Ordnance, Quick Firing 25 Pound Mk II
The 25 Pounder – as it is more commonly known – began its life on the drawing boards of the British Royal Artillery in 1936, however it did not go into production until the start of the Second World War. The first New Zealand Artillery unit to receive the 25 Pounder was 5 Field Regiment, RNZA, who gladly exchanged their World War One vintage 18 Pounders in England in August of 1940. With the 25 Pounder being mass-produced in England and Canada it very soon became the standard field gun of all of the British and Commonwealth forces. By the end of the Second World War over 12,000 had been manufactured.
When the New Zealand Government decided to send troops to form part of the United Nations force in Korea, 16 Field Regiment, RNZA, was formed and equipped with the 25 Pounder. Between 1951 and 1954 the guns of 16 Field Regiment fired 797,000 rounds, this included nearly 10,000 rounds fired in support of 3 Royal Australian Regiment during the battle of Kap’yong.
In 1963 the Regular Force units of the New Zealand Artillery began to replace the 25 Pounder with the British L5 105mm Pack Howitzer. The 25 Pounder continued to be used in New Zealand by the Territorial Force Artillery and it was not until January 1977 that the last live rounds were fired. In September 1977 the 25 Pounder was formally withdrawn from operational service, but this did not mean its end. The ceremonial Saluting Battery at Point Jerningham, overlooking Wellington Harbour, still uses the 25 Pounder to mark official events. The venerable 25 Pounder is also New Zealand’s official funeral gun carriage. No longer active – but still in service.
View some of the military equipment restoration projects projects being undertaken by the Museum with the assitance of a dedicated group of volunteers.
