The tactics of Waterloo no longer stood up to infantry fire from modern high-velocity repeating rifles being shot with smokeless powder from concealment by skilled partisan marksmen nor to modern quick-firing artillery fire. In this country, from June 1911, compulsory territorial military training for all able-bodied men between 18 and 25 was in place. This supplanted the old Volunteer movement which had, since the ‘Russian Scare’ of the 1870s, largely provided military training of a fun nature for countrymen and the wealthier city-dwellers.
Coastal defence against the expected German raiders was a clear priority. The muzzle-loading ‘disappearing guns’ of huge calibre installed during the 1870s were replaced by batteries of modern four- and six-inch breech-loaders. Their gun crews needed towed targets to practice their skills. These tasks – as well as submarine mining, transporting ‘volunteers’ to camps, liaison duties, and limited search and rescue – were initially filled by little Scottish-built steamers Ellen Ballance at Port Chalmers and the sister ships Janie Seddon in Wellington, and Lady Roberts at Auckland, built as minelayers. All three of these steamers had problems which made them inefficient and not cost-effective.
By 1908 ‘oil launches’, as they were then still called, had reached a reasonable level of efficiency and safety. Their hulls could be cheaply built from local kauri timber, and manned without a steam ticket. The Defence Department commissioned three, one each for the coast artillery batteries at Auckland, Wellington and Lyttelton. All three had high quality British Thornycroft engines, in line with the Government’s policy of Empire Preference. They were named A for Auckland, W for Wellington and L for Lyttelton. A and L were eight- to nine-knot 30-footers with 12hp engines, designed and built by Bailey & Lowe in Auckland, while Ted Bailey of Bringins & Bailey in Wellington got the contract for the 40-footer W with a 24hp engine.
When New Zealand declared war on Germany and Austria on August 5, 1914, a huge wave of optimistic patriotism swept the country. For years publications such as the Illustrated London News, the Boys’ Own Paper, and novels like The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers (still a wonderful read today for its yachting content), as well as fiction content in the New Zealand Yachtsman magazine, had fuelled absolute faith in the nobleness and invincibility of the British Empire.
New Zealand now had a huge resource in many hundreds of fast, capable private launches manned by skilled seamen, many of whom had learnt their craft in the even larger fleet of gaff-rigged yachts in each port. Coastwise travel has always been a feature of the life of New Zealand yacht and launch owners during the summer. Aucklanders learned their navigation and boat handling in the Hauraki Gulf and the east coast formed headed by Capt. Whitney. It spoke up asking for accreditation as the Government’s organisation to train with weapons and set up local patrols and even “to fully man a destroyer”! Whitney was the founder of the Colonial Ammunition Co. His son owned the fabulous launch Grey Witch.
At the same time, within 24 hours of hostilities being declared, Auckland’s highly influential New Zealand Power Boat Association (NZPBA) had already placed its members’ boats at the disposal of the Defence Department as the ‘Motor Boat Patrol Service’ (MPPS). The NZPBA was led by its Commodore, Charles Palmer, an Auckland marine engine and accessory importer and patriot and had behind him the very loud voice of the charismatic editor of the New Zealand Yachtsman magazine, W.A. ‘Wilkie’ Wilkinson.
Within a week, the NZPBA, in conjunction with Auckland Yacht and Motor-Boat Association (AYMBA) had formulated and published a comprehensive list of all yachts and launches in a numbering system which needed to be the cornerstone of any system for controlling traffic in and around the Waitemata Harbour. Until then numbers had been randomly issued to yachts and launches for racing in each regatta or race. Under the new rigours of wartime yachtsmen accepted the system without question.
Whitney’s AYVNDF staggered on with drills and target shoots until 1917. Both swiftly knitted-up groups shared many common members who soon saw the idiocy of playing politics in time of war. In late November 1914 the Defence Department gave its approval to the NZPBA proposal and set up the Motor Boat Reserve (see Sidebar).
The Motor Boat Reserve rostered 20 of Auckland’s more powerful launches for special duties, initially to control shipping from entering or leaving the harbour during artillery firing practice from Fort Cautley at Narrow Neck and to patrol for German mine-layers. Subsequently they mounted dummy torpedo boat flotilla attacks at night on the coastal batteries to exercise the searchlight and gunnery defences. Prominent launches taking part were Adelaide III (Charles Palmer), Oban, renamed Anzac after Gallipoli (Alex Burt), Scripps III (Lane brothers), Waiohine (Cecil Leys), Emblem (A.A. Brook), Loew Victor (Chas Bailey Jr.), Seabird (Morran brothers), Kermath (C.E. Mackie), Sport (A.R. Brett), Arab (John Ayling) and Arizona (Lester brothers).
Charles Palmer, with the rank of major, and his men were taken on as Army officers. They were kitted out with Naval-type uniforms by 1916. However, the reality soon sank in that the Motor Boat Reserve had very little function except to channel the enthusiasm of the launchmen and keep their potentially valuable resources on tap.
Similar patrol offers were made to the Defence Department by the yacht clubs at Wellington, Lyttelton and Otago. On a much less formal basis than the Auckland model, prominent local launches carrying out patrols included Inishfree (A.C. Hanlon) and Norana (C.W. Sundstrum) of Dunedin, Naomi III (Downes Bros), Veronica (Johnson and Walker) and Waitohi (W. Smith) of Wellington.
Not surprisingly, no German torpedo boat flotilla attacks took place. In fact, it seems that the Defence Department doubted whether there was any real danger from enemy surface action after HMAS Sydney had dispatched the cruiser Emden at Cocos Island in November 1914 but they went along with Charles Palmer, Wilkie Wilkinson, Alex Burt and the other stout fellows of the Motor Boat Reserve to keep them occupied, uniformed and available in case there was an emergency.
Such an emergency cropped up in November 1917 when Count von Luckner led a daring escape from detention on Motuihe on the launch Pearl, later capturing the scow Moa in the Gulf. Wilkie Wilkinson, in the launch Pirate was active in the hunt which resulted in the recapture of the Germans at the Kermadecs.
In 1916 the Defence Department, with the assistance of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and the NZPBA, heavily supported a Royal Navy recruitment drive amongst New Zealand yachtsmen, boatbuilders, motor mechanics and launch owners, not already in the Army, who were encouraged to join the RNVR and use their skills to man the Motor Launch flotillas around the coast of Great Britain.
Led again by Charles Palmer, 80 local yachtsmen were chosen to go to England to train as officers and 100 mechanics to train as petty-officers on the US Elco-built 80ft MLs. Palmer finally got his own command, ML358, in which he led a peace-keeping flotilla up the Rhine to Cologne after the Armistice.
The Motor Boat Reserve had finally produced a worthwhile result for the war effort.
The Motor Boat Reserve
Just 17 weeks after war was declared, the Auckland Star reported, on 27th November 1914;
“Shortly after the commencement of the War the New Zealand Power Boat Association offered the services of motor boats and men to the Defence Authorities at Auckland, and their offer was accepted, much useful work being voluntarily done in patrolling, etc.
The work was much appreciated by the authorities, and this led to formal application being made for recognition. Last week the authorities approved of the formation of
a reserve as suggested.
Applications are invited from members of the New Zealand Power Boat Association who are experienced motor boat owners, and are willing to accept commissions, it being clearly understood that those so doing are required to provide launches suitable to requirements, and are thoroughly competent to handle them in an emergency. The work required to be done is similar to that already carried out by members of the Association, and except during a period of probable attack upon Auckland, will be very light.
Payment will be made by the Defence Department for both launch and owner, according to arrangements to be made. Owners will be given a commission, and their names will appear in the army list, and they will be amendable to the same regulations as Territorial officers. Those owners who have already given their services will be given preference, and only a certain number of applications will be accepted. Although no provision has yet been made for crews, this must be done, and owners are asked to give in the names of engineer and second in command. All applicants must state length of service with motor boats, address, nationality, and age of applicant, also full particulars of the launch, including hp, according to power boat formula, speed and sleeping and carrying accommodation.”
