This post has been created to collect all New Zealand's military-themed postage stamps. I do not intend to go into great detail concerning each issue since I have already created posts for many of them. There are links to these more detailed posts on this page.
1900 -1908 Pictorials.
1900 1 1/2d Bore War.
This was New Zealand's very first military stamp. Every so often you need a stamp which is not in your collection. This was one of them. It took some searching but finally, I had the satisfaction of finding the one I was looking for. (See my post on this stamp 1900 The Second Boer War.)
1915 King George V
War Stamp.
During the First World War, in 1915, a halfpenny war tax was introduced on all mail other than newspapers and the halfpenny stamp was overprinted 'WAR STAMP' to explain why postal rates had increased.
½d - Olive Green.
War Tax.
1915 War Fund.
½d - Green.
Auckland Provincial Wounded Fund.
1920 Victory Issue.
While the subjects of this issue are not military, the theme is celebrating the end of World War I. Many of these stamps strongly proclaim the idea of "Victory." Personally, I can't see any victory in a war where people have lost their lives.
The Designs.
½d - "Peace" and Lion; 1d - "Peace" and Lion; 1½d - Maori Warrior; 2d on ½d - Surcharge;
3d - "Landseer" Lion; 6d - "Peace" and Progress; 1/- - King George V.
1926 King George V Admirals.
An add-on set to the 1915 King George V Definitives comprising 3 values and 2 officials.
1d - Field Marshall. 2/- Blue Admiral. 3/- Violet Admiral.
1d - Field Marshall. 2/- Blue Admiral.
The former Governor-General, Viscount Jellicoe, had been the commander of the British fleet at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, and so it was decided that the two and three shilling stamps would feature a portrait of King George V wearing the uniform of Admiral of the Fleet. General Sir Charles Fergusson, who had succeeded Viscount Jellicoe as Governor-General, was a distinguished soldier so the penny stamp was designed depicting King George V in the uniform of an Army Field Marshall.
1936 ANZAC - 21st Anniversary.
The first action New Zealand forces saw in World War I was the landing at a small cove which has become known as ANZAC Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula. This disastrous campaign left 2,721 New Zealanders dead and 4,752 wounded with nothing being achieved and New Zealand and Australian troops finally being pulled back off the beach they had bravely held.
1936 Red Soldier - 1d. 1936 Green Soldier - 1/2d.
The design, which was used on both values shows a New Zealand soldier in the uniform of 1915 against a background scene of Anzac Cove. 'ANZAC' is an acronym made up of the initials of the 'Australian and New Zealand Army Corps'.
HMS Prince of Whales Cover.
This cover is not included in this collection but we still thought it worthy of a link to the post that features it. The cover was sent to the British warship, HMS Prince of Whales, but didn't arrive before the ship was sunk off the coast of Malaya by Japanese aircraft. The cover was then returned to the sender. Also in this post, we have included an account of the attack and a Japanese postcard celebrating their victory.
War Loan - National Savings Stamps.
6d - National Savings Stamp.
These stamps were a method of voluntary saving during World War II. The money collected went towards the New Zealand war effort and could be redeemed later. It is interesting how this stamp was a loan to the Government while the 1915 War Stamp above was a tax.
1946 Peace Issue.
The 1946 Peace Issue marked the end of World War II. The designs were in contrast to the 1920 Victory Issue in that the theme was more a reflection of the desire for peace and paying tribute to the many people both home and abroad who contributed to the war effort.
The Designs.
½d - Lake Matheson; 1d - Parliament; 1½d - St Paul's Cathedral; 2d - Royal Family;
3d - Air Force; 4d - Army; 5d - Navy;
6d - Industry; 8d - St George (Chapel Window); 9d - Waiho Chapel; 1/- - National Monument.
1946 Health Issue.
With the fighting of World War II over, in 1946 many soldiers were returning to their families again, in some cases, after being away for a number of years. Some were greeted by children whom often they had never seen. This design shows a soldier helping a young child and we can see the setting is a peaceful one with trees and parkland, with boats on the harbour in the background.
1d + ½d - Soldier & Child (Green). 2d + 1d - Soldier & Child (Brown).
1965 ANZAC - 50th Anniversary.
The next issue of ANZAC stamps came in 1965, 50 years after the landings at Gallipoli. Both values showed the same view of ANZAC Cove with a red poppy, the symbol of ANZAC Day, being added to the higher value.
4d - ANZAC Cove. 5d - ANZAC Cove & Poppy.
1968 Armed Services.
This set of three values was issued to pay tribute to those New Zealanders who served in the three armed services, both during the two world wars and 'currently' to 1968. The designs showed a modern serviceman with another from an earlier period in the background. Each had some of the equipment they would have used. It is rather interesting looking back at these designs from 2014 when everything on all three stamps is now obsolete.
4c - New Zealand Army.
Infantrymen and tank with WWII soldier in the background.
10c - New Zealand Air Force. 28c - Royal New Zealand Navy.
Fighter pilots with a Canberra bomber in the foreground and Kittyhawk in the background.
Sailors with HMNZS Waikato in the foreground and HMNZS Achilles in the background.
1984 New Zealand Army.
Military History.
Following the 1968 military issue depicting the three services, in the mid-1980s three stamp sets were issued, again featuring the three military forces of New Zealand. The first appeared in 1984 depicting the New Zealand Army. This issue was laid out as a brief history of wars where the New Zealand Army saw action.
24c - The Bore War, 40c - World War I,
South Africa, 1901. France, 1917.
58c - World War II, 70c - South-East Asian Wars,
North Africa, 1942. Korea, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam, 1950-1972.
1985 Royal New Zealand Navy.
Form the very beginning, the history of New Zealand has been linked to first The Royal Navy and then later to the Royal New Zealand Navy which is the subject of this issue. Four ships are shown through different periods of Naval history. You will notice that I have added a second date to the last vessel which was still in active service in 1985 but was later decommissioned in 2005.
25c - HMNZS Philomel 1914-1947. 45c - HMNZS Achilles 1936-1946.
Light Cruiser - Training Ship. Leander-class Light Cruiser.
60c - HMNZS Rotoiti 1949-1965. 75c - HMNZS Canterbury 1971-2005.
Loch-class anti-submarine frigate. Leander class frigate.
1987 50th Anniversary
New Zealand Air Force.
The final issue of this three-part series appeared two years later in 1987 to mark the 50th Anniversary of the New Zealand Air Force. Again the four stamps were issued, depicted aircraft from different periods of the Air Force history. The pride of this set were the 'modern' Skyhawk fighters shown on the 85c stamp. Since then, in 2001 the Labour Government scrapped the Skyhawk wing. The aircraft sat in storage until they were sold in 2012.
40c - an AVRO 626, 70c - two P40 Kittyhawks,
RNZAF Base Wigram, 1937. Typical Pacific Islands - 1944.
80c - Sunderland flying boat, 85c - Two A4 Skyhawks.
Pacific Island Lagoon, the 1950s. Background of Mt Ruapehu, 1987.
Other Military Stamps.
1990 Heritage Series - The Achievers.
$1.00 - Bernard Freyberg / War Hero and Governor-General.
'Tiny' Freyberg distinguished himself as a British soldier at Gallipoli landing by swimming ashore alone to light decoy fires. This, along with many other acts of bravery and his care for the welfare of his troops earned him numerous medals, including the DSO with three bars, the CMG and the Victoria Cross. In World War II he commanded the New Zealand Division in Greece, Africa and Italy, then went on to become a very popular Governor-General of New Zealand from 1946 to 1952.
1993 - Emerging Years Heritage Series - The 1940s
"Keeping the home fires burning."
The first half of the 1940s was dominated by World War II so it is not surprising that half this issue, of the Emerging Years Heritage Series on the 1940s, are stamps depicted aspects of this war.
45c - New Zealand at War.
140,000 New Zealanders - men and women - served overseas in the armed forces. Of these, 11,625 were killed, 15,749 wounded and 8,395 were held as prisoners of war.
$1.50 - The 'American Invasion'
The stationing of American troops in New Zealand in 1942 brought cultural ideas and items never seen before in this mainly British country. While this is a war stamp what effected New Zealand the most was the cultural change.
$1.80 - Victory.
15 August 1945, VJ Day and the war was over, New Zealanders celebrated in the streets. Many New Zealanders today can trace their ancestry back to that night.
1995 Famous New Zealanders.
All New Zealanders were invited to vote for the 'Famous Kiwi' they would most like to see on a special stamp issue under six categories (91,000 votes were received).
Charles Upham - Born 21 September 1908, Died 22 November 1994.
Won the Victoria Cross twice, in Crete 1941 & North Africa 1942.
1998 New Zealand Art - Peter McIntyre.
Four paintings by this celebrated artist were shown in this four-value issue. The first of these had a war theme showing wounded soldiers at the battle of Mt Cassino in Italy.
40c - Wounded at Cassino (1944)
1998 Memorial Statues - Joint Issue with Turkey.
This joint New Zealand and Turkish stamp issue feature two statues which commemorate the sacrifices made by both countries during the First World War Gallipoli campaign.
New Zealand Statue. Turkish Statue.
"Mother with Children." "With Great Respect to the Mehmetcik."
Turkish Statue - 40c
The Turkish statue, ‘With Great Respect to the Mehmetcik’ featured on this stamp and a 125,000TL Turkish stamp. Depicting a wounded ANZAC soldier being carried to a first-aid post by a Turkish soldier in 1915 the statue was designed by Professor Tankut Oktem. The statue has become a symbol of universal peace. It was erected in the Canakkale graveyard on the Gallipoli peninsula in 1995.
New Zealand Statue - $1.80
The New Zealand statue, ‘Mother with Children’ featured on this stamp and a 125,000TL Turkish stamp. The statue was created by Lyndon Smith in 1964, and it depicts a family group. The mother is holding the family together during the absence of her partner, who is away on active service. Comforting her young daughter, she is supported by her growing son. This statue, a permanent memorial to New Zealanders who have fallen in past conflicts, is the focal point of the Hall of Memories at the National War Memorial in Wellington.
Turkish Stamps.
2001 Aircraft.
A set of six values featuring aircraft that had made a difference to New Zealand. Among them was one showing a military aircraft.
$1.50 - de Havilland DH100 Vampire,
The Vampire was the RNZAF’s first operational jet aircraft.
2003 Military Uniforms.
This stamp issue illustrates 20 of the uniforms worn by New Zealand's army, air force and navy personnel in combat and peacekeeping operations - and in countries ranging from South Africa to those of Europe, Asia and the South Pacific. The stamps also include distinctive uniform details as well as the service medals relevant for each period.
Top Row:- Forest Ranger - 1860s; Napier Naval Artilery - 1890s; Amuri Mounted Rifles - 1900-1910; Mounted Rifles, South Africa - 1900-1910;
Staff Officer, France - 1918.
Row Two:- Petty Officer - 1914-1918; Infantry, France - 1916-1918; Engineer - 1939-1945; Matron, RNZN Hospital - 1940s; WAAC, Egypt - 1942.
Row Three:- Bomber Pilot, Europe - 1943; Fighter Pilot, Pacific - 1943; WAAF Driver - 1943; Gunner, Korea - 1950-1953; Petty Officer - 1950s.
Bottom Row:- SAS, Malaya - 1955-1957; Canberra Pilot - 1960; Infantry, Vietnam - 1960s; UN Peacekeeper, East Timor - 2000;
Peace Monitor, Bougainville - 2001.
2005 150 Years of New Zealand Stamps.
Two of the stamps already shown above appeared on more designs in a 15 stamp series to mark 150 years of New Zealand stamps.
1946 Peace Issue. 1965 ANZAC 50th Anniversary.
2005 Pacific Explorer World Stamp Expo.
The 2005 Pacific Explorer Expo was hosted in Sydney, Australia with the Pacific theme of the exhibition reflected in exhibits and participants. The miniature sheet issued for this event commemorated 150 years of pre-paid postage in New Zealand and the 90th anniversary of the ANZAC forces landing at Gallipoli. The ANZAC image was taken from a coin issue in that year.
2006 Hawks Bay Earthquake.
When the Hawks Bay Earthquake struck in 1931 a Royal Navy ship HMS Veronica happened to be in port. Undamaged by the quake the ship and her sailors provided much-needed assistance in the days following the quake. In 2006, when New Zealand remembered the 75th Anniversary of this event, NZ Post issued a set of 20 stamps showing photos following the quake. Two of these stamps remembered the effort and support made by HMS Veronica and her crew.
2007 HMAS Kanimbla L 51 visit to Dunedin.
This cover shows a nice view of the Australian warship against what appears to be the mountains of the South Island. Notice also that there is a Sydney NSW cancellation on a New Zealand postage stamp.
HMAS Kanimbla (L 51) (formerly USS Saginaw (LST-1188)) was the lead ship of the Kanimbla class Landing Platform Amphibious ships. Laid down in 1969 for the United States Navy (USN) as Newport class tank landing ship USS Saginaw, the ship was acquired by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in 1994 for conversion into an amphibious warfare transport ship.
Since entering RAN service in 1999, Kanimbla participated in numerous worldwide deployments, including the Iraq War, the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and in response to the 2006 Fijian coup d'état. During the ship's career, two helicopters were lost in crashes. After a fire broke out aboard Kanimbla in late 2010, she and sister ship Manoora were removed from active service because of extensive problems found aboard both ships. The intention was to repair Kanimbla and return her to service by 2012, but this was deemed uneconomical. The ship was decommissioned in 2011 and sold for breaking in 2013.
2008 - ANZAC I - Stories of Nationhood.
In 2008, New Zealand began what has become an annual issue of stamps to mark ANZAC Day, in memory of those who fought and died for their country overseas.
The scenes depicted in this first issue are:-
Top Row: 50c - Auckland Infantry Battalion Landing at ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli / 1915; 50c - John Frank Manila Luamanu at Dawn Parade / 25th April; $1.00 - Trench Warfare on the Western Front, France / 1916 - 1918:
Bottom Row: $1.50 - Chalk Kiwi on Beacon Hill, Salisbury Plain, England / 1919; $2.00 - Members of the 28th Maori Battalion perform a Haka, Egypt / 1941; $2.50 - New Zealand Soldiers in Vietnam / 1965 - 1971.
2008 - 90th Anniversary of World War I.
When King George V declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914 he began what was known at the time as the Great War, and is now referred to as World War One. With a population of only 1.1million New Zealand response was amazing with 120,000 enlisting for service. By the end of the conflict it had become very clear that the cost would be very high for such a small nation, 18,500 New Zealand soldiers lost their lives and over 50,000 were wounded.
Victory Parade down Queen St in Auckland, New Zealand.
The armistice signed between the Allies and Germany at Compiègne, France on 11 November 1918, which took effect at 11 o’clock in the morning. In 2008, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Many people around New Zealand observed a two-minute silence as their thoughts went to the 8million who lost their lives during this war. Service was also held around the country at this time.
To mark this event, on 20th October, NZ Post issued this miniature sheet with three of the stamps from the 2008 - ANZAC I - Stories of Nationhood issue, against a background depicting a parade and celebrations in Auckland.
2009 - ANZAC II - Comrades in Arms.
The second ANZAC issue showed scenes from each of the major wars New Zealand has been involved in. The theme of Comrades in Arms as shown in pictures of men facing and hardships and dangers of war together.
The first stamp shows a typical ANZAC Day scene where soldiers carry the coffin of the Unknown Warrior so those who died, but whose bodies were never recovered or identified.
The scenes depicted in this second issue are:-
Top Row: 50c - Funeral for the Unknown Warrior of New Zealand / 11th November 2004; 50c - The New Zealand Pioneer Battalion / Te Hoko Whitu a Tu / World War I; $1.00 - 75 (NZ) Squadron RAF / World War II.
Bottom Row: $1.50 - HMNZS Achilles / World War II; $2.00 - Kayforce / Korean War; $2.50 - 2RAR/NZ (ANZAC) Battalion / Vietnam War.
2010 - ANZAC III - Remembrance.
The theme of Remembrance was chosen for the 2010 ANZAC Issue. The six values showed aspects of how we remember those who gave their lives to defend New Zealand. Notice hope the sepia for the last two issues was dropped in favour of blue/grey. The red poppy has still been retained.
The scenes depicted in this third issue are:-
Top Row:- 50c - ANZAC Dawn Service Soldier in Silhouette; 50c - Gallipoli Veterans Marching / Anzac Day 1958; $1.00 - Posthumous VC Ceremony for Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa Ngarimu / Ruatoria 1943.
Bottom Row:- $1.80 - Nurses Placing Wreath in Cairo Cemetery / Anzac Day 1940; $2.30 - ANZAC War Memorial / Port Said Egypt 1932; $2.80 - Veteran Rei Rautahi and Chris Jenkins / Sangro War Cemetery Italy 2004.
Sub Collection - New Zealand Military in Antarctica.
Below is a small collection of stamps depicting military activities in Antarctica. Some of these stamps will have been repeated elsewhere in my Military Collection.
The first explores and visitors to Antarctica were often military men like Sir James Clark Ross who arrived with the Royal Navy ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. He discovered McMurdo Sound, now the site of New Zealand's Scott Base. The Ross Sea and Ross Dependency were named after him and the nearby volcano after one of his ships.
1967 - HMS Erebus & Mt Erebus. 1957 - HMS Erebus & Mt Erebus.
New Zealand Military in Antarctica.
After Scott Base was established in 1957 the New Zealand military has supported operations there. Air Force aircraft and Naval vessels have both regularly visited Scott Base as can be seen in the selection of stamps below.
1972 - RNZAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules - 2000
1972 - HMNZS Endeavour - 2007
2012 - 75 Years of the RNZAF.
The stamp above shows a C-130 Hercules on the ice in Antarctica after a flight to provide supplies and personal transport to New Zealand's Scott Base. This airfield was built on the Ross Ice Shelf. As it slowly moved towards the ocean it has to be rebuilt from time to time and all the airfield equipment and buildings, built on sledges, are dragged to the new location.
2013 ANZAC New Zealanders Serving Abroad.
(For more of this issue see Military ANZAC - Part Two.
ANZAC class frigate Te Kaha patrolling Antarctic waters.
2019 ANZAC: Dawn Service.
$2.40 Scott Base
There is no dawn at Scott Base in Antarctica — the sun sets the day before for the ‘polar night’ and will not rise again until August — but Kiwis wintering over will still remember.
Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
Information for this post came from.
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