Armstrong Gun

There’s a large 12-pounder Armstrong gun in the NZ Wars exhibition at Te Awamutu Museum, and a fascinating story of how it got there! 

Sir William Armstrong designed these heavy guns we still call “Armstrong” guns, with three important innovations that swung the balance of power on sea and on land in the favour of the British.  The first innovation was its breech-loading system that kept operators in a safer zone behind the gun during re-loading and firing, in contrast to previous practice of loading ammunition down the muzzle at the front.  The second was the rifling of the inside of the barrel – a series of 38 grooves spiralling along the inside of the barrel, that gripped the shell and launched it in a spin, improving the accuracy of its path.  The third was the tight grip of the lead-coated shell in the barrel which guaranteed high compression in the firing chamber behind it and maximum forward thrust (similar to the piston of a car).

This particular gun was made by the Elswich Ordnance Company and the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich and came to New Zealand around 1863.  We know it was “state-of-the-art” because this style of weapon was first made in 1855, and because the cost was considered exorbitant for the day (in 1863 the Colony of Victoria sold 6 Armstrong 12-pounders for use in the NZ Wars for the sum of £3,592 1s 8d).

History

With rich evidence of fighting around Te Awamutu during that period, we were surprised to find this gun had not been part of any local battles of the time.  In fact the smaller 6-pounders were deployed in this area.  It’s possible this was one of two 12-pounders used almost 100km further north at the battle of Rangiriri. 

In 1938 this particular gun was owned by the Auckland City Council and stood in Albert Park.  The late Rudall Hayward, a prominent British film-maker who produced the historical romance “Rewi’s Last Stand” (shot on location near Te Awamutu) arranged to borrow it, believing it to be a 6-pounder.  The gun was brought down to Aotearoa Pa at Arohena, near Te Awamutu, and used to film scenes replicating the battle of Orakau. 

When the filming was completed, Te Awamutu Historical Society, who had taken an active role in the film project, asked the Auckland City Council if they would consider giving the gun to the Society (believing it was the same as the gun used at the actual battle of Orakau).  In a resolution on 19^th May 1938 the Council graciously decided to gift the gun to Te Awamutu Historical Society.

Unfortunately the Society had no premises so Te Awamutu Borough Council agreed that it could be placed on a public space called Anzac Green where many of the town’s older residents recall climbing on it as children.

In 1975, as preparations were made for a relocation of the town’s museum, local resident Mr Jack Ross (of the Ross Engineering workshop on Kihikihi Road) and his son-in-law Mr Ray Officer started a renovation of the gun that would require more than 200 hours of hard work.  Replacements for missing parts on the traversing and elevation gears were fabricated on a lathe.  A considerable amount of work was put in just to free up rust frozen parts including the breech-block.  A new trail was made from a heavy block of wood and one of the dished, wooden-spoked wheels was rebuilt.

The gun was then placed in the new museum where it has been a favourite exhibit ever since.