Wright's Hill Fortress on Waitangi Day

In Gun Pit One

On Waitangi Day, the 6th February, we walked up to the Wright's Hill Fortress, boy what a mission that was!!!!
We walked from Karori Road, up Campbell Street and then turned into the road that went up Wright's Hill.
It had been many, many years since I had been up here and the last time was in a car.

View from Wright's Hill

It wasn't that bad so far, but the 2 to 3 kms up the hill was really hard.
It was very sunny and getting quite hot, we were carrying jackets as it was really cold when we caught the train into Wellington early in the morning, so we were getting hot and hoping that we wouldn't get sunburnt.
It was a very steep walk.
There wasn't a footpath so we had to keep stopping while letting the many cars coming down the hill get by, we didn't want to fall off the side of the road down the hill into the bushes.
There was loads of cars going up and down the road.
We were very high up.

Taking a closer look

When we finally got up to the fortress, we had a bit of a rest before going in.
The electricity was down and the generator had stopped working so we were given a torch to go exploring.
It was so much fun going through all the tunnels in the pitch black by torchlight.
Salem was so excited.
We explored the engine room, gun pits, plotting rooms etc.....
We didn't stay as long as we would have liked to but plan to come back next time it is open and we will catch a taxi up!!!!!!

We were lucky enough to be offered a ride down the hill and then the lovely people took us right to the Railway Station.  Just in time for a train home and we were able to quickly by some icy cold drinks for the ride home.

Checking out the Tank

Open days are on:

Waitangi Day - 6th February

ANZAC Day - 25th April

Oueen's Birthday - June

Labour Day - October

Opening hours are from 10am - 4pm

www.whfrs.org.nz

WRIGHTS HILL FORTRESS

- ARTICLE -

Wellington's 9.2" coastal defence battery.

© Darcy Waters 1999

        In 1935 the top of Wrights Hill in Karori, Wellington was chosen as a site for a 9.2" coastal defence battery.  Although it was not as large as some overseas fortresses such as that on the Rock of Gibraltar, it was fairly extensive with 2,030 feet of tunnels linking magazines, gun pits, engine room, plotting rooms and more.

         In March 1942 the authority was given to construct the battery.  Engineering reports and cost estimates were submitted to Army HQ in July and  preliminary site work including roads was started in October. Downer and Company of Wellington got the contract for the underground work and started in November with the driving of the tunnels were completed late 1943.  On the 13th of April 1943 Downer and Company were  awarded the contract to do the concrete work for the pump chambers and gun pits.  The gun pits were completed in December 1943.

         The first gun was installed during June 1944, with the 2nd gun shortly thereafter.  Due to the improved situation in the Pacific theatre of the war the third gun was cancelled despite the gun pit and underground works for it having being constructed.  The only time the guns were fired was when they proofed them to ensure that they worked properly  The proofing consisted of 3 shots fired - each shot at a different elevation and bearing. The No.1 gun was proofed on the 28th of June 1946 and the No.2 gun was proofed on the 26th of March 1947.   The only damage caused by the proofing was some broken windows at the fortress and in the suburb of Karori below.

         About 1950 the Fortress Battery was put into care and maintenance with crews from Fort Dorset visiting weekly or biweekly to service and maintain the guns and equipment.  In August 1957 the Army decided to decommission many of the coastal defence installations including the Wrights Hill Fortress Battery.

         During the summer of 1960/61 the guns were cut up for scrap and the Battery was stripped of nearly all of its equipment.  The scrap dealer was from Sydney, Australia and they were also responsible for the scrapping of guns at Palmer Heads and  Fort Dorset as well as those emplaced in Auckland and Christchurch.  Ironically the scrap metal salvaged from the batteries was sold to the Japanese. 
 The Post Office took over parts of the former defence occupied area and used it as a receiving station.  The Post Office was later split up into Telecom and N.Z. Post.  Telecom still has a small presence on Wrights Hill.  

          The Karori Lions cleaned up the inside of the Fortress Battery, and they opened it up for public viewing for the first time on ANZAC day 25th April 1989.  The Wrights Hill Fortress Restoration Society Inc. took over the custodianship of the fortress in 1992. The incorporated society's aims are "To restore and preserve the Wrights Hill Fortress as a historical monument for the benefit of the community."

Down in the tunnels

Food Rationing in New Zealand in 1944

Even though we are following the rationing from wartime England, we have been finding it interesting to see what was rationed over here in New Zealand and the differing amounts compared to Britain.

The foods that were rationed here were :

BUTTER

TEA

SUGAR

EGGS

MEAT

These foods were rationed under the coupon system and as from the 1st August 1944, were available in the following quantities per person.

BUTTER -   8oz a week.  No ration was available for children under 6 months of age.

The British ration amount we are following is 2 oz a week.

TEA -    2 oz a week.  None for children under 10 years of age on 1st January in the ration year.

 This is the same amount as the British ration.  Luckily my boys are over 10 years of age as they couldn't do without their morning cuppa.

SUGAR -    12 oz a week.  With additional quantities in season for jam making, as announced from time to time.  No ration for children under 6 months of age.

The British ration amount for sugar that we are following is 8 oz, with no extra for jam making.

EGGS -    In districts with priority rationing is in force, a priority ration of 3 eggs a week for children 6 months and under 5 years, and 6 eggs a week for expectant and nursing mothers.

The allocation to general consumers varies according to the supply and is informally rationed through the grocers.

The British ration was 1 egg per person.  I'm not sure on quantities for expectant or nursing mothers.

An extra egg weekly was allowed for vegetarians.  Powdered egg was also part of the ration, enough for 4 "eggs" a week, I think.

We aren't really following this as we have our own chickens, 4 lovely bantams who give us lovely little eggs every day, which is more than enough for us.  They even laid all through winter with at least one egg every day.

When they do have a break in laying, we will follow the two egg each allowance but powdered egg is not available here and I don't think it sounds too appealing anyway.

MEAT -    The basic meat ration is 1/9 worth a week, with a half ration for children from 6 months to 5 years.  

Prices differed slightly between the islands.  In the North Island 1s 2d could buy you 1 lb of 1st grade rump steak.

We don't do the meat thing and the Grumpy Teenager eats meat at his dads.

      

Butter Rationing in New Zealand

Butter rationing was introduced by the New Zealand Government in October 1943. 
It was rationed down to 225 grams (8 ounces) per person which is around 16 tablespoons.  
This almost halved the average weekly consumption of butter which was around 415 grams per person, that is a whole lot of butter!!!!!

New Zealanders loved their butter and it was used daily and very liberally in practically every New Zealand kitchen at that time. 
So butter rationing meant that many everyday foods and baked goods were affected so other foods were used in butter's place.
Suet and dripping were the alternatives that were available, not olive oil or margarine as they were not in common use here in New Zealand.
Margarine, until in recent New Zealand history, needed a prescription from the doctor to be purchased.

Butter was rationed so that plenty could be shipped off overseas, to Britain and even to the USA, for the war effort.
Milk and cheese, however, was not rationed.

Rationing of butter ended in New Zealand in June 1950.

The following information was issued by the Department of Health, Wellington, New Zealand, in 1943.


Butter Rationing

Compensating Foods Suggested.

With the introduction of butter rationing, it is important that people should know the foods that can help to compensate for the loss of food value normally supplied by the quantities of butter to which they have become accustomed.

In the first place, butter is butterfat, and the two other foods which contain butterfat are milk and cheese.
The amount of milk normally required daily is :

Two glasses for Adults

Three to Four glasses for Children.

With less butter available it is necessary that all of this milk - and more, if possible - should be used.
The top creamy milk should be saved for the children's porridge and puddings.

More cheese should be used.
Grate it in salads, eat it in chunks with bread and a little of your butter, or cook it for the evening meal.

An important constituent of butter is Vitamin A, which enables the body to resist infection, and also helps to avoid the condition known as night-blindness.
Vitamin A is present, for example, in eggs and liver.
Cheese, eggs, and liver are all foods which can form part of the tea meal - the meal at which so much butter was eaten.

The green and yellow vegetables - leafy vegetables, carrots, kumeras (NZ sweet potato) - can all help in providing Vitamin A.  So can tomatoes.

To replace the Vitamin A, then, use milk, cheese, eggs, liver, green and yellow vegetables and tomatoes.

For baking purposes dripping clarified at home may be used, and if the butter for spreading runs out, salted beef dripping in which an onion has been cooked, is suggested as a substitute.

To sum up, the following foods will help to make up the deficiency caused by butter restrictions :

1.  milk and cheese

2.  eggs and liver

3.  green and yellow vegetables and tomatoes

4.  salted beef dripping for spreading on bread

5.  clarified dripping for baking.

Victory Tea - Party War Cake

One of the goodies we will be making for the 1940s Experiment Victory Tea - Party is War Cake.

This recipe was published in the New Zealand Woman's Weekly in 1941.

It is very moist and will keep well, great to send to soldiers.

War Cake

Boil together for 3 minutes the following ingredients:

1 breakfast cup brown sugar

1 breakfast cup currants or nuts

1 breakfast cup cold water

2 breakfast cups sultanas

1 teaspoon mixed spice

pinch of salt

3oz butter.

When the mixture is cold, mix in 

1 teaspoon of baking soda mixed in a little warm milk

1 teaspoon baking powder (or 2 teaspoons of cream tartar)

2 breakfast cups plain flour.

Cook in a moderate oven for two hours.

The fruit cakes would be made by women to send off to their loved ones giving them a taste of home.  They would be put into a tin then soldered shut and sewn in calico to be sent off to the soldiers with other items.  Another popular item, believe it or not, was Andrew's Liver Salts which were used by the soldiers to make scones in place of baking powder.

New Zealand's Food Rationing in WWII

In 1944 The Economic Information Service for the Economic Stabilization Commission of New Zealand issued the "Housewives' Guide".  It contained information on food prices and food rationing.

The food rationing was slightly different here in New Zealand compared to Britian.

Food was rationed under the coupon system and the quantities available to each person is as follows......

BUTTER - 8 oz a week.  There was no ration for children under 6 months of age.

TEA - 2 oz a week, none for children under 10 years of age on the 1st January of the ration year.

SUGAR - 12 oz a week, with additional quantities in season for jam making, as announced from time to time.  No ration for children under 6 months of age.

EGGS - In districts where priority rationing is in force, a priority ration of 3 eggs a week for children 6 months and under 5 years, and 6 eggs a week for expectant and nursing mothers.  The allocation to general consumers varies according to the supply and is informally rationed through the grocers.

MEAT - The basic meat ration is 1/9 worth a week, with a half ration for children from 6 months to 5 years.

To compensate for seasonal and regional increases in meat prices, in terms of the price orders, the values of the adults' "H" and the children's "J" meat coupons alter throughout the year.

Milk, cooking oil and margarine was not rationed.  I also can't find any information saying that cheese was rationed.

The Japanese Threat to New Zealand in WWII

Jigsaw Puzzle  1944, J W Ltd, New Zealand

The Japanese Threat to New Zealand in WWII

During World War II, the New Zealand government used imagery such as rising-sun graphics to highlight the Japanese threat. Propaganda was part and parcel of wartime life.

Some commercial companies, like the one that produced this jigsaw box, did the same. The image of the Japanese soldier on the box is a sinister stereotype. Before the war, the lid of the same puzzle showed palm trees and an Asian boat.

New Zealand's Response to Pearl Harbor

Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and its capture of Singapore in February 1942 shocked New Zealanders. They worried about being attacked and about loved ones fighting overseas. The Japanese had bombed Darwin in Australia many times – would New Zealand be next?

The New Zealand Chiefs of Staff considered invasion unlikely because of the country's isolation. Hit-and-run raids were more probable.

The fear of the Japanese affected communities in different ways. People practised air raid drills, and some schools built shelters and trenches. The general school policy, however, was more relaxed – pupils were to go home if an alarm sounded.

The arrival of American forces in June 1942 injected welcome relief and excitement into the country. 

The above information is from http://www.tepapa.govt.nz

Sensible Slimming

I came across this slimming diet "Sensible Slimming in Practice", which was devised by the New Zealand Department of Health and was published in the New Zealand Home Journal 10 September 1948.
This was aimed at housewives and I really don't see that there would be many, if any over-weight women with wartime rationing.  High energy foods such as sugar and butter were rationed so you wouldn't over eat these foods.  There weren't all the labour saving kitchen appliances that we have now so cooking was physically more demanding so you would burn more calories just preparing your families meals.
But in 1948 New Zealand's Department of Health did start promoting healthier eating and food hygiene.

New Zealand's International Relations in WWII

Salem and I visited our National Museum, Te Papa, on the weekend.  We love going there to see our favourite exhibits.  The exhibits of New Zealand's 20th Century History are great.
They have an exhibit about New Zealand's role in WWII and how it affected New Zealanders  and our relationships with Britian and with the United States.
The following is information from Te Papa.

In 1900, New Zealand’s strongest ties were with Britain. The colony supported the ‘mother country’ through two world wars.

The United States became an ally when it offered protection from Japan in World War II. The 1951 Anzus defence treaty sealed this new relationship.

But the Vietnam War and New Zealand’s 1980s anti-nuclear stance strained ties with ‘Uncle Sam’ (the US). New Zealand increasingly turned its armed forces towards international peacekeeping and regional security.
World War II marked a new friendship with the US. New Zealand stood faithfully at Britain’s side throughout the war – but the Americans were the ones to defend the Pacific after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. Find out about these war years and their effect on New Zealanders’ lives, including on the home front.

‘THE UNITED STATES SERVICEMAN IS A FINE CHAP, A GENUINE FRIEND, AND ABOVE ALL AN INTENSELY LOYAL SOLDIER.’

EDITORIAL, THE EVENING POST, SEPTEMBER 1942

World War II was sparked when Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. Two days later, Britain declared war on Germany, followed promptly by its faithful dominion New Zealand. Life here was about to change dramatically.

Emergency regulations & conscription 

New Zealand’s Emergency Regulations Act 1939 was passed shortly after the declaration of war. The act gave the government wide powers. In May 1940, an amendment placed people and property in the hands of the government, enabling the introduction of conscription (compulsory military service). From March 1941, New Zealanders had to dim lights in buildings, streets, and vehicles. The severest restrictions were in coastal towns, which were considered most vulnerable to enemy attack. People used heavy curtains, paper, wood, or paint to black out their windows.

Peter fraser

Peter Fraser

Peter Fraser (1884–1950) was New Zealand’s Prime Minister for most of World War II. He skilfully used radio broadcasts and newspapers to build support for the war effort. The government also promoted the war through posters aimed at different sectors of the community.

Fraser was the leader to introduce conscription (compulsory military service), which, ironically, he’d been imprisoned for opposing during World War I.

Japan enters the war – US enters New Zealand

In December 1941, Japan attacked American forces at Pearl Harbor in Hawai‘i. The war was suddenly on New Zealand’s doorstep, but the country’s soldiers were fighting in North Africa.

Britain had its hands full in Europe, so US troops were sent to New Zealand to operate in the South Pacific. Their arrival brought jazz and pizzazz to wartime New Zealand. The country had a new ‘buddy in arms’.

Contributing on the home front

Practically all New Zealanders contributed to the war effort, including those not in the armed forces. Older men were active in the Home Guard. Many people volunteered for organisations supporting the war, including the Women’s Land Service. Others were made to work in essential industries (‘manpowering’). Still others maintained households and families, knitted and baked for soldiers overseas, and lent savings.

Between 1942 and 1944, half New Zealand’s national income went to fund the war.


To find out more check out http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/WhatsOn/exhibitions/SliceofHeaven/Exhibition/InternationalRelations/Pages/WorldWarII.aspx