New Zealand Volunteers to 1911

There is a huge area of study that I have only managed to touch on, as yet.
The New Zealand forces from the 1860s to 1911 wore a wide variety of uniforms.
Can anyone out there help with details of the volunteers of the 1860s and then the period 1900 to 1911, which seem to be the best periods for varied uniforms?

Hello Sean - the "Navy and Army Illustrated" ran a series of seven articles (complete with black and white photographs) on units of "Our Colonial Forces - New Zealand at the very end of the 19th century. These included the Blenheim Rifles, the Christchurch City Guards, the Greymouth Rifles (issue of 30/9/99); the Christchurch City Rifles and the Christ's College Rifles (issues of 4/11/99 and 18/11/99); the Ashburton Rifles, the Timaru City Rifles and the Canterbury Cyclist Corps (issue of 2/12/99). The war in South Africa then came to dominate the pages of the N&AI and the New Zealand series ended.

In spite of the use of the designation "Rifles", most of the units illustrated wore the scarlet tunic and blue trousers of the British line infantry home service uniform of the 1890s, complete with glengarry caps. Facings appear to have been dark blue (though none were "Royal") or white. A few units wore what appear to be grey uniforms with dark facings on collars and cuffs.

Hope that this is of some assistance.

Yes thank you.
I have quite a few illustrations based on the N&AIll photographs, and have managed to get most of the relevant dress regs for the NZ Army.
There is a period after the Boer War and before 1911 when numerous units were formed and adopted a variety of uniform types, predominantly scarlet and khaki but also, I believe, rifle green and grey. Its this period that has me wondering at the moment. I have put together some information on the Scottish units of this time in the CD Tratan & Emerald Green Vol3, which includes NZ and various other nations uniforms.
Having said all this it is also the uniforms of the early 1860s that interest me as they were also varied and colourful.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hello Sean - just a few minor additional details on New Zealand uniforms of the pre-1911 period:

R. J. Mathers, a volunteer who joined the Wellington City Rifles in 1907 recalls that they had two uniforms then: "khaki of course and a magnificent dress one as well. Blue trousers with a red stripe down the leg, red coat with brass buttons, white helmet with a big brass spike on the top and a big brass badge on the front. A white belt too". In 1911, with the introduction of conscription, the title was changed to the 5th (Wellington Rifles) Regiment and the following year full dress uniforms were made optional - to be provided by units and maintained from private rather than public funds. As in Australia, the new conscript force seems to have been a almost universally khaki one, although the New Zealand Dress Regulations of 1912 did provide for blue or green uniforms to be worn by officers "with no gold or silver lace or fancy braiding".

The early 1860s are a much more difficult period. There were no dress regulations of course and Volunteer and Militia units came into existance or were disbanded almost with record. Both the British regulars and the Armed Constabulary (locally recruited gendarmerie) fought the final stages of the Land Wars in plain dark blue undress uniforms, usually with round Kilmarnock caps. One photograph of a militiaman during this period shows a similar uniform, though with a peaked kepi-like cap and with Austrian knots on the sleeves of his tunic.

Thanks for the notes they are excellent additions.
Below is a speculative illustration of a volunteer from Wanganui in the early 1860s. I am unsure of the facing colour. It is taken from a photograph in the Alexander Turnball collection, NZ Nat Lib.

https://i.servimg.com/u/f42/12/22/09/10/60s_vo10.gif
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An interesting feature of the N&A photographs is how few infantry units appear to be wearing the blue Norfolk jacket prescribed in the 1895 regulations. At least three units are wearing Norfolk jackets, which are presumably blue; the rest appear to be wearing scarlet tunics or frocks, Australian-style khaki with coloured facings, and possibly grey (Greymouth Rifles). D.A. Corbett's 'The Regimental Badges of New Zealand' states that 'The Dress Regulations of 27 October 1897 permitted any volunteer corps to adopt whatever uniform they so desired'. Perhaps this was a reaction to the lack of take-up of the 1895 regs.

Another interesting feature is the absence of home service helmets from all but one picture, despite the fact that they appear in the earlier regulations, and that there is plenty of evidence for their widespread existence. Presumably they were more strictly confined to the parade ground than among UK volunteers.

The 1895 Dress Regs introduced a dark blue uniform for the entire Volunteer Force, with slight variations for the various corps. An interesting period with minor variations being adopted by some units to show their independence. The FS cap seems to have been preferred to the HS helmet, perhaps due to cost the latter was retained only for parade wear as you suggest.
Even though dark blue was the standard uniform, units still took on uniforms at variance to the official requirement. But they are not well documented, unfortunately.

No I think the Volunteer movement in New Zealand had strong social undertones until the introduction of a less picturesque but more organised Territorial Force after 1910. Varigated uniforms (paid for by the individual units) vied with patriotism as an incentive for recruitment and retention. One small Nelson unit went as far as to designate itself as Foot Guards and appear in scarlet and bearskins for full dress and white drill jackets for ordinary duties. Whitehall presumably did not know about this lese-majesty. More conventionally the Volunteer uniforms were c1900 divided between khaki or grey with coloured facings (usually worn with Australian style slouch hats) and the well established scarlet and blue of the British line. As you note, the home service helmet was seldom if ever worn and economy was probably the reason. Even in Britain this relatively expensive headdress was usually only worn by officers in territorial battalions after 1908, although all ranks among the regulars retained them until 1914.

I have researched this area fairly extensively for the past 30 years - in particular the Otago/Southland districts I agree wit the other correspondence who warns against placing to much faith in published regulations as they were largely ignored.

Although there was a central defense office in Wellington their influence was negated by the units themselves who elected their own officers and decided on their own uniforms. In Dunedin we had the Dunedin City Guards complete with bearskin caps modeled on the uniform of Coldstream's, the Dunedin Highland Rifles who based their uniform on the Black Watch with both red and blue tunics at various times, the North Dunedin Rifles spent from 1873 thru to 1894 in rifle green with busby's, and our Otago Hussars wore the appropriate hussar uniform.

Regulations were gazetted in 1866, 1879, 1873, 1882, 1888, 1892, 1894, 1898, 1901 and also later but were treated as interesting but who cares we have our uniform and we're sticking to it. The government didn't provide a uniform but paid a capitation allowance for efficient volunteers (important to note that their was no regular army as such, that the militia was only called out on a few occasions in the North Island to fight the Maoris and never even paraded in the South Island where it remained only a paper army). Volunteers used the capitation fee and fundraising to pay for their privately purchased uniforms.

It was only later circa 1904 that some (not all) battalion commanders tried to impose some unity into their units dress - then generally only in the areas of field service dress.

I have found units in the same own with red tunics with blue, red, green, yellow, white and black facings and with black and blue trousers, white, black and blue helmets. Some had black belts, some white and some buff. The only uniformity was in weopons which came from the government and there were a few changes in this as well.

All a bit confusing really.

Graham Scott

Thanks Graham,
Welcome to the forum.
Your comments are very helpful.
It seems I have a long way to go before I can get a hold on NZ volunteer uniforms.
Are you going to publish anything on the volunteers' uniforms yourself?
It would certainly be a pity not to as this area needs illumination, and there is next to nothing available in the public domain.
Unfortunately all I have to go on at the moment are the official dress regulations and a number of photographs.

I have gleaned some volunteer uniform detail from the site Pastpapers, set up by the National Library of NZ.

Oct 1855
Taranaki Rifle Volunteers
Proposed uniform invisible green with black facings and bronze ornaments

Jun 1860
Auckland Cavalry Guards
Blue with white facings

Royal Volunteer Cavalry
Blue tunic, buff breeches & boots

Sep 1860
South Clutha Coy
Tunic, trousers and cap of dark grey Sydney tweed with scarlet facings and black leather gaiters and ankle boots

Auckland Rifle Volunteer Band
Blue serge coats with black cotton velvet facings
Blue cloth caps, French shape, and peak with white cloth band

Dec 1862
Nelson Volunteers
Crossed rifle badge to be worn on the left arms below the elbow when in uniform

Mar 1864
Dunedin Naval Brigade
Dark blue Garibaldi with black facings and gilt uniform buttons
Dark blue trousers with a light blue stripe
Sword belt and cartouche black leather
Cloth cap dark blue with a crown and anchor in gold

Oct 1864
No.1 Coy Dunedin Rifle Volunteers Otago
Scarlet tunic coat with dark blue facings
Dark blue trousers with red stripe
Shako hat with black plume
Tunic and hat to be the same pattern as that worn by the London City Rifles
The undress will be the same as at present worn by members; viz of dark grey tunics and caps with dark trousers

Apr 1865
South District Rangers
Dark grey tunic with red facings

Dec 1865
Oamaru Rifle Rangers
Red coat with blue facings
Blue trousers with red piping
Round caps
Brown belts

Jun 1866
No4 Coy Auckland Rifle Volunteers
Blue cloth uniform with scarlet facings

No5 Coy Auckland Rifle Volunteers
Decision to adopt
Blue cloth suit, with felt hat with feather, to be trimmed with silver cord

Jan 1867
Port Chalmers Naval Company
Blue uniform with white facings and buttons

Feb 1867
Woodend Company
Blue with white facings

Apr 1867
Auckland Rifle Volunteers No4 Coy
Blue uniform with scarlet facings

May 1867
Auckland Rifle Volunteers No5 Coy
Blue uniform with scarlet facings
Blue trousers

Sep 1867
Wellington Artillery Volunteers, No.1 Coy
Blue cloth tunic with scarlet facings and cannon buttons
Trousers blue cloth with scarlet stripe 1 ¾ inches
Busbies
Cross belt and waist belt of white enamelled leather with the usual artillery ornaments

Nelson Artillery Corps
Blue cloth tunic with scarlet facings and Austrian knot on sleeve
White leather belt
Blue cap with scarlet band

Oct 1867
Oamaru Rifle Rangers
Jacket of scarlet flannel
Trousers of grey Sydney tweed with a scarlet cloth stripe 1 ¼ inches wide
Cap – black French peak with 1 ½ in scarlet band

Nov 1867
Veteran Coy, Wellington
Scarlet Garibaldi with light blue facings

Apr 1868
Rangitikei Royal Volunteer Corps
Dark blue cloth tunic with black facings
Blue cloth trousers with small scarlet cord
Blue cloth military cap
NCOs stripes of black velvet on scarlet ground

Aug 1868
Ross volunteers
Red Garibaldi with yellow facings
Blue trousers with red welt
Blue and red cap

Oct 1869
Nelson volunteers red facings