Tag Archives: Royal Navy

April 1913: This month last century

30 April 2013 – 5.34pm

100 years ago HMS New Zealand arrives in New Zealand (12 April 1913)

Model of the battlecruiser HMS New Zealand, 1955 - 1959, New Zealand. T. Devitt. Gift of the Wellington Marine Model Club, 1959. Te Papa

Model of the battlecruiser HMS New Zealand, 1955 – 1959, New Zealand. T. Devitt. Gift of the Wellington Marine Model Club, 1959. Te Papa.

In March 1909, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward announced that ‘the Dominion’ (New Zealand) was offering ‘the Motherland’ (Britain) the ‘free gift of … a first-class battleship’.

The Prime Minister thought that his offer to pay for a ship would allow New Zealanders to take ‘much greater pride and interest’ in the Empire’s defence. This proved to be enormously popular in New Zealand, and Parliament authorised the expenditure of up to £2 million on the ‘gift ship’.

The ship’s construction began in early 1910, and was completed in November 1912, having been given the name HMS New Zealand in 1911. 

HMS New Zealand in a terrific gale, 1910s. Maker unknown. Te Papa

HMS New Zealand in a terrific gale, 1910s. Maker unknown. Te Papa

Her ‘thank you’ visit to New Zealand, during April and May 1913, was a triumph. The medal below was made to commemorate the occasion. Huge crowds flocked to see her – at Wellington on 16 April alone, over 15,000 people went aboard. She called at most of New Zealand’s major ports, where her visits inspired impressive demonstrations of patriotic fervour.

Medal commemorating the visit of H.M.S. New Zealand, 1913. New Zealand. William Rose Bok, Te Papa

Medal commemorating the visit of H.M.S. New Zealand, 1913. New Zealand. William Rose Bock, Te Papa

HMS New Zealand participated in several major naval battles during WWI. In 1919, she made another, farewell visit to New Zealand. The presentation casket (below) was presented to the wife of the Governor General at a ball that was held in the Wellington Town Hall to commemorate the event.

Presentation casket, circa 1919, New Zealand. Maker unknown. Purchased 2012. Te Papa

Presentation casket, circa 1919, New Zealand. Maker unknown. Purchased 2012. Te Papa.

Read Leslie Adkin’s enthusiastic diary entry about his visit to HMS New Zealand on Collections Online

Follow HMS New Zealand’s journey on the Auckland War Memorial Museum’s website

Read about New Zealand’s imperial loyalties and contributions to imperial defence in the 1900s and 1910s on the Slice of Heaven exhibition mini-site.

See objects in Te Papa’s collections related to HMS New Zealand

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in Collections Online, Exhibitions, History, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

March 1909: This month last century

30 March 2011 – 9.53am

102 years ago: Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward announces that New Zealand will gift a ‘first-class battleship’ to the Royal Navy (22 March 1909).

Prime Minister Ward was positioning New Zealand as a loyal and active participant in the defence of the British Empire. This was a time of increasing naval rivalry among the world’s leading nations. There was great anxiety in Britain and the Empire about emerging threats to the Royal Navy’s supremacy.

HMS New Zealand, 1910s, New Zealand. Te Papa

HMS New Zealand, 1910s, New Zealand. Te Papa

The New Zealand government borrowed heavily to pay for the war ship (pictured above) which visited New Zealand in April and May 1913. Huge crowds turned out to greet the new battle cruiser, HMS New Zealand, described by one observer as a ‘grim and formiddble fighting machine’. Many gifts were presented to the ship’s crew, including a pair of silver kettle drums (or timpani), one of which is seen here.

Kettle Drum, 1913, Hawkes and Son (1860–1930), London. Te Papa

Kettle Drum, 1913, Hawkes and Son (1860–1930), London. Te Papa

HMS New Zealand was ready in time to serve in the ‘European War’ which began in August 1914. The ship participated in the Battle of Jutland, an important sea battle in the North Sea near Denmark. The 1916 battle is commemorated in the embroidered picture shown below.

Embroidered picture ’Victory for the Allies’, 1916, Maker unknown. Purchased 2007. Te Papa

Embroidered picture ’Victory for the Allies’, 1916, Maker unknown. Purchased 2007. Te Papa

The ship’s duty was done by the 1920s. It was decommissioned and scrapped in 1922. But the debt remained and the country was still paying off the loan at the end of WWII.

See more objects related to HMS New Zealand in Te Papa’s collections.

See a model of HMS New Zealand and read about its role in imperial relations, on the Slice of Heaven minisite.

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in Collections Online, Exhibitions, History, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Family at war – Slice of Heaven exhibition

15 October 2010 – 3.33pm

It’s just 2 weeks now since Slice of Heaven opened and the word from Te Papa’s hosts is that it’s “what New Zealanders have been waiting for!”  This is my first blog – ever.

I was one of the team working behind the scenes to bring the stories from 20th Century Aotearoa into the museum.  After 2 years of intense work, I’m excited to be able to record my own impressions of this amazing journey.

Today, I took a moment to stand on the bridge and watch visitors explore things below.  It’s a fantastic feeling to see everything come to life, observing people from different backgrounds, different generations, really engaged with the displays, absorbed in reading or watching, talking to each other about things familiar, a memory recalled, an experience shared – things that connect us all together.  

Revisiting World War II.
Revisiting World War II. Copyright Te Papa, 2010.

 I find myself returning to the World War II section, to the exquisite recreation of a scene depicting a New Zealand family in their living room in the winter of 1942, when American Forces arrived to protect us from the threat of Japanese invasion. 

Every detail is considered, from the wallpaper to the gas mask.  The mother holds a ration book in hand as her daughter appears to be ready to go out to a dance, and the young son in his pyjamas plays with a jigsaw puzzle.  Dad is due at Home Guard practice.  For me, imagining the lives of these lifelike mannequins is not the only thing pulling me back there, though.

On the wall of their room is a framed photograph of a handsome, smiling young man in his early twenties.  He wears a Royal Navy uniform confirming his recent commission.  He’s there to represent all New Zealand men and women who left home to serve overseas during the war. 

 

Bruce Donald, 1945

Bruce Donald, 1945 Courtesy the Donald Family archives.

His name is Bruce Reginald Donald.   I am so proud to be his daughter.

I can’t wait to hear Alison Parr talking about the experiences of New Zealanders on the home front during WWII.  Alison is a senior historian with the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and her wonderful book, Home, is based on interviews with many men and women who kept the home fires burning.  It’s a powerful read.

Alison Parr gives a floortalk in Slice of Heaven tomorrow, Saturday, 16 October at 12.15pm. Don’t miss it!

By Prue Donald | Posted in Exhibitions, Slice of Heaven: 20th Century Aotearoa | Also tagged , , , , | Comments (7)

HMS New Zealand: ‘A grim and formidable fighting machine’

20 March 2009 – 12.19pm

One hundred years ago, Britain’s Royal Navy was threatened by the modern fleet being built by Germany. In March 1909, the New Zealand Premier, Sir Joseph Ward, responded to the defence crisis by promising that New Zealand would underwrite a ship for the Royal Navy. He declared: ‘We distant sons desire to stand in any peril beside the lion mother of our race’.

Postcard showing HMS New Zealand

Postcard showing HMS New Zealand

But there was more to Ward’s gesture besides imperial zeal. It was also in New Zealand’s best interests to make a contribution to the Royal Navy, as the country was dependent on it to protect trade routes to Britain.

People around New Zealand devoted themselves to fund-raising for the ‘gift ship’ – HMS New Zealand. They also raised moneys for gifts to present to the ship’s crew. In 1913, interest was still intense and around 500,000 New Zealanders flocked to inspect the ship when it toured the country for 10 weeks.

Waterline model of HMS New Zealand

Waterline model of HMS New Zealand made by Captain T. M. Devitt, 1950s

HMS New Zealand was an awesome sight; one visitor described it as ‘a monstrous vessel … – a grim and formidable fighting machine.’ But this monstrous vessel had a monstrous price tag – the equivalent of $231 million. Go to Collections Online for more details about this ultra-expensive fighting machine, plus related objects and images held in our collections.

By Kirstie Ross | Posted in History | Also tagged | Comments (0)
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 281 other followers