Unofficial history of the Australian & New Zealand Armed Services 

 Search  &  Help Recruits Military History Hall of Heroes Indigenous Slouch hat + ARMY Today Uniforms Badges

 Colours & Flags Weapons Food Equipment Assorted Medals Armour Navy Air Power 

Nurses - Medical Tributes Poetry - Music Posters & Signs Leaders The Enemy Humour Links Killing Anzac

Click to escape.

Category: Badges

Click to go up one level

Cap & collar badges of New Zealand's Units 

circa 1878/1911

Victorian British Royal Artillery Helmet Plate

Victorian period British Royal Artillery brass helmet plate. Measures 100mm high. Worn 1878 to 1902. Also worn in NZ by British Officers.

Artillery & Engineer Unit helmet plates, hat/cap badges  & collar dogs

  • The New Zealand Regiment of Volunteer Artillery was raised 3 December 1878 from existing volunteer Artillery Companies. They reformed January 26 1903 into the Regiment of New Zealand Field Artillery Volunteers and on May 1, 1911 they became a Territorial Regiment.
  • The New Zealand Garrison Artillery Volunteers were raised on 19 December 1902.
  • The Royal New Zealand Artillery was formed on 15 October 1902. At that time the Permanent Militia became the Permanent Force.
  • The New Zealand Engineer Volunteers were formed on 26 January 1903.
Helmet plates of the New Zealand Artillery Volunteers who formed 3 Dec 1878 from some of the colonial Artillery Companies.  (Note variation in the NZ plates) The helmet plate of the New Zealand Garrison Artillery Volunteers which was raised 19 December 1902
New Zealand Regular Forces QVC Helmet Plate Royal NZ Artillery K/C Helmet Plate 1902
  • New Zealand Regular Forces (Artillery
    • See below left
  • Royal New Zealand Artillery helmet plate
    • See below centre
Helmet plate of New Zealand Regular Forces (see below) Left: Royal New Zealand Artillery helmet plate. Right: Helmet plate of NZ Engineer Volunteers
Hauraki Engineer Volunteers helmet plate

Helmet plate of the Staff & Inspectors from the  Central School of Instruction established in Wellington in 1898. It closed for lack of support. Another School was established 1 April 1902 and was transferred to Trentham Camp in 1938 and later to Waiouru Military camp in 1952.

New Zealand "Queen Victoria Crown" (QVC) Regular Forces Artillery helmet plate badge, 85mm x 102mm

A Battery NZ Field Artillery

B, C, D, E, F, G & H Batteries

NZ Field Artillery Volunteers

  • Unknown "Volunteers" Artillery hat badge. Possibly NZ, possibly (probably) Australian.

Westport Garrison Artillery

Hat badge & collar dogs of No 2 Company Garrison Artillery

Belt buckle, NZ Regt Artillery Volunteers (QVC) NZ Engineer Volunteers belt buckle Belt buckle, NZ Regt Artillery Volunteers (KC)
NZ Engineer Vols hat badge Shoulder-belt plate: Engineer Volunteers Hat badge Royal NZ Engineers
No 1 NZ Engineers during the reign of Edward VII

Badges of other Corps & Departments of the pre 1911 New Zealand Army

  • This badge was brass and carried the letters "BC" and the Company number.
  • New Zealand Bearer Corps. 5 Companies of the Volunteer (stretcher) Bearer Corps were raised near the turn of the century.
    • No 1 Company was raised in Auckland, 4 May 1898
    • No 2 Company was raised in Dunedin on 20 May 1898.
    • No 3 Company was raised in Christchurch on 16 March 1899.
    • No 4 Company was raised in Wellington on 6 November 1899.
    • No 5 Company was raised in Nelson on 15 May 1901.
  • The Volunteer Bearer Corps became the  New Zealand Field Hospital & Bearer Corps on 31 January 1905. later, (7 May 1908) it was absorbed into the new New Zealand army Medical Corps.
  • Chaplains Department. 

Although New Zealand Chaplains accompanied the troops to the Boer War the Chaplains Department was not raised as a separate unit until 1911.

  • Cyclist Corps Volunteers.

There were Volunteer Cycle Corps in existence in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson & Wellington.

  • New Zealand Field Ambulance.
  • 4 May 1898 saw the formation of 5 Companies of Field Ambulance.
    • No 1 Company, Auckland
    • No 2 Company, Dunedin
    • No 3 Company, Christchurch
    • No 4 Company, Wellington
    • No 5 Company, Nelson
  • No 3 Company had it's own badge and was the only Company that did.

 

  • NZ Field Hospital.
  • 4 May 1898 saw the formation of 5 Companies of Field Ambulance.
    • No 1 Company, Auckland
    • No 2 Company, Dunedin
    • No 3 Company, Christchurch
    • No 4 Company, Wellington
    • No 5 Company, Nelson
  • No 3 Company had it's own badge and was the only Company that did.

  • New Zealand Submarine Mining Volunteers.
  • This Unit was formed in 1886 and was responsible for sub-marine mine defences of Auckland and Wellington.

photo. Shaun Aumua

  • New Zealand Torpedo Corps.
  • This unit was raised in 1886. 
  • It operated 4 second class torpedo boats. Their main job was removing obstructions from the major harbours of New Zealand.
  • 3rd Battalion Auckland Mounted Rifles
    • 1902-1911
NZ 1st Batt Wellington Regt Gilt Collar Badges NZ 1st Battalion Wellington Regt 1903 to 1911 pair of officers gilt collar badges.
  • This information is provided as a guide only. No commercial decision should be based on it.

    • Many images from Phillip James of New Zealand. 

    • Some details from Badges & Insignia of the New Zealand Army by Geoffrey P Oldham. I recommend any collector uses his publication ISBN 0-473-04378-5

    • I do not buy, sell, trade or provide valuations. Any advice I gave may be commercially worthless.

 

Statistics : Over 35 million page visitors since  11 Nov 2002  

 

Email  

 Search   Help     Guestbook   Get Updates   Last Post    The Ode      FAQ     Digger Forum

Click for news

Digger History:  an unofficial history of the Australian & New Zealand Armed Forces