I have a question on 9th reinforcements of the 2 NZEF

[exkiwiforces]

I have busy scanning photos of Grandfather, he took in Wellington around the time of 9th Reinforcements of the 2nd NZEF were about to depart for the ME. On back of the photos has 1941, the goes he was a part of the 9th Reinforcement and suddenly he taken off the ship/ wharf side etc and sent to North to the Fortress Area, Bay Islands as Japs at the time seem unstoppable. So may question is did the 9th reinforcements departed Wellington in around December 1941?

Also I’ve scanned my uncle pics from the 3th NZ Div in SW Pacific and along with Coy ORBAT for embarkation back to NZ in 1944. I’m unsure about the photos he has taken as they have a number at the bottom of right hand side and I’m thinking they could be official photos? But in saying that he has written on the back of them with dates and with Solomon’s or New Caledonia so I’m little confuse atm with them as well.

Would have posted them up today, but I was having some major IT issues this afternoon along with my NZ Scots/ RNZAC photo (some of the missing ones have found their way into book called “The Territorials” and claiming to be from 4OSouth, I lent them to some muppet grunt who was the PR for 4OSouth at the time) was hoping to have them up before the 20th Nov.

[Dave Homewood]

The 9th Reinforcements were much later, they missed the North African campaign and started their fight in Italy. By then the flap was all over regarding home defence, even the Home Guard was stood down in December 1943.

From very early 1940 is was illegal for any service personnel to take photos. If they did, it could literally mean imprisonment. I was reading a couple of court cases in the 1940 newspapers the other day. A chap working for the PWD was actually the first charged under the Act of Parliament that banned photography by service personnel and anyone on or near Defence property. He was working at Woodbourne and took some photos because he'd not been aware of the new law, and he handed over his camera and admitted all so was given a light sentence of a 2 pound fine. The second case was an airman at Woodbourne who knew he was in the wrong and had driven to the West Coast to get his shots developed, but the chemist had recognised it had aeroplanes in the shots, and he called the police. I cannot recall what happened to him but it was harsh.

So basically soldiers were not allowed cameras, nor were airmen or sailors. But every unit had an official photographer. In the Army it was usually an official photographer per battalion. The Air Force units and stations had them too. So the photogs took loads of photos of all sorts of things and they sold prints to the troops who could then send them home to family. Some collected loads of these, others very few. They all have stamps on denoting the negative number.

Luckily for us some airmen, soldiers and sailors also disobeyed the law and took cameras everywhere. Many soldiers in Crete, Italy and the desert captured Leica cameras from the Germans, and they took awesome photos with them. No. 21 Squadron RNZAF formed their own camera club and built a dark room, their C.O. turning a blind eye, and pilot Neville Jackson running photography classes. So many of the pilots with that squadron ended up with terrific photo collections. Thank goodness for the rebels who defied the law.

It sounds like your uncle's will be official shots. The Unit Photographer will have had dates, places and details in his register, and they could be transferred to the print, I guess.

[tbf25o4]

Hi Dave,
I think you need to check your timings for the reinforcements as my father was in the 10th reinforcements and he certainly served in North Africa arriving just after Alamein and went with the Div
right up to Tripoli before returning to Maadi and then going to Italy

[tbf25o4]

OOps
sorry Dave revisited Dad's pay book and he was in the 8th reinforcements arriving at Maadi on 5 January 1943

[Dave Homewood]

Yes I believe the 8th Reins were the last to get into the fighting in North Africa.

[exkiwiforces]

Thanks guys, Dave all the reinforcements for the 2NZ Div had to transit though Maadi Camp in Egypt for further reinforcement training (The same thing happens now before you are sent forward) before heading onwards to the within various units 2nd NZ Div. I believe this was one of the many reasons for the request for 2nd NZ Div to partake in the European theatre (Op Overland etc) was turned down as the cost of moving the Maadi Camp wasn't cost effective in terms of manpower and equipment among other things.

I'm now wonder if my grandfather had made a mistake of writing the 9th Reinforcements down on the back of the Photos, where instead it should be the 6th Reinforcements? I know when Grandfather was stood down from home defence duties and he was sent to the Tasman region to work in Baigents Timber Mill in the Upper Moutere region where he work until he got his resettlement farm in Thorpe. My Grandfather always had his Box Brownie with him right up the till he couldn't get anymore film for it.


My Uncles photos now make sense as there is a 4 to 5 digit number on the bottom right hand side. Once I work how to load them on to WONZ as I feel that they be available for everyone to see.

[Dave Homewood]

Yes the troops heading to Italy did indeed pass through Maadi, however in 1944 the 2nd Div's main Headquarters moved to Bari in Italy and that took over from Maadi as the most important base for the 2NZEF. Maadi Camp remained open of course.

[exkiwiforces]

Sorry Dave, I wasn't sure if you knew as I was given a heap of photo's from Grandmother of the AFV Training School and the Artillery School at Maadi late 43- early 44 which I lost during a defence removal when a bloody train went over a flooded bridge and wagon that our container on it went into the river.