More medals vanish from Waiouru Army Museum

BY HANK SCHOUTEN

Two more sets of medals are missing from Waiouru Army Museum, with the army admitting its systems for keeping tabs on its collection are flawed.

The latest medals loss follows the theft of rifles and other items by a former curator last year, and the haul of Victoria Crosses and other medals stolen in a smash and grab three years ago.

The missing World War I medals include a set given to the museum by a United States donor in 1984 and another set given in 1979.

An angry relative told The Dominion Post the loss of his granddad's medals was covered up for years. The family only found out about it last November.

The family had given the medals to the museum to keep them safe, he said. "This is pretty poor for a national museum."

The army disclosed the loss of medals and other items from its 500,000-item collection after an Official Information Act request sparked by revelations that a curator had been sacked for stealing museum pieces.

Army spokesman Kristian Dunne said the two sets of five or six medals were "lost, stolen or misplaced" and had been missing for some time. He refused to itemise the medals until families were officially informed. The museum did not have photos of the medal sets.

The army planned to write to families offering to replace the missing pieces. New medals could cost about $1000 each.

Other items revealed to be missing included a cigarette case loaned by the Royal New Zealand Engineers, a jungle hat, a Pioneer Battalion badge and a New Plymouth Soldiers' Club lapel badge.

Some of the missing items were taken from exhibitions. Police had been alerted.

The Dominion Post revealed last month that former curator Joe Evans had been sacked for stealing from the museum collection. The thefts highlighted inadequacies in museum security and procedures.

Evans, 46, admitted stealing an 1890s Enfield sniper rifle valued at $10,000 and two bayonets, which were found when police searched his Waiouru home. After police offered Evans an amnesty, the museum got back another 17 weapons and other items it did not know were missing.

Evans, a former army ammunition technician who had worked at the museum since the mid-1990s, had made replicas of some items and substituted them for the real thing.

He was "a key staff member who abused his position and made the ultimate betrayal a curator could make in manipulating museum weapon records and inventories to benefit his personal collection", Major Dunne said.

"As a result of his dishonesty a full inventory check was instigated."

Major Dunne said that when the museum opened in 1978 it was manned by military staff who had little or no experience in running a museum. There had been two previous instances "20 to 30 years ago" when museum staff had taken items.

An electronic inventory system was introduced in 1994 but it could take years before all the collection was archived. An inventory of weapons, medals, uniforms and ammunition had been completed but vehicle parts, equipment, textiles and archives were yet to be logged.

"The public can be assured that every conceivable means is being taken by the museum to ensure the collection is being well looked after."

Military historian Glyn Harper said though the medals may not have a great monetary value "they have significant and deep meaning to the families to which these belong. They represent a piece of family history".

Lost, missing or stolen from the Waiouru Army Museum:

Two sets of World War I medals donated in 1979 and 1984.

Cigarette case – went missing from exhibition. Owner advised, no further action taken.

Jungle hat – removed from exhibition. Police notified with no result.

Pioneer Battalion Badge – went missing 2007. Reported to police with no result.

New Plymouth Soldiers' Club lapel badge. Reported missing to donor in 2005.

Previously lost:

Returned after police granted amnesty to sacked former curator Joe Evans who pleaded guilty to stealing a sniper rifle and two bayonets:

SMLE No 1 Mk III rifle (Lithgow 1927).

SMLE No 1 Mk III rifle (BSA 1908).

Lee Enfield No 5 Mk I carbine (Fazakerly 1944).

Lee Enfield Mk I rifle (BSA 1901).

Fabricated Lee Enfield Mk I NZMR pattern carbine.

Two German Kar 98 K rifles 7.92mm.

Lee Enfield No 4 Mk I (T) rifle (M47C 1943) – sniper rifle.

Colt AR-15 rifle 5.56mm – Vietnam vintage semi-automatic.

Lee Enfield No 4 Mk I rifle (Long Branch 1942).

Lee Enfield No 4 Mk I rifle (Fazakerly 1943).

Chrome Plated British P1907 bayonet.

British L1A2 bayonet.

Fairbairn Sykes commando dagger.

SMLE No 1 Mk I rifle (Enfield 1918).

Lee Enfield No 4 Mk I rifle (Long Branch 1942).

British P1853 cavalry trooper's sword with scabbard.

British P1896 infantry officer's sword with scabbard.

Inert USA BLU61A/B bomblet.

USA M9 bayonet with scabbard.

SMLE short magazine Lee Enfield.

Another big haul:

The 96 medals, including nine Victoria Crosses taken in a smash and grab raid in December 2007. They were returned after a reward was posted.

- © Fairfax NZ News