Our Krupp Gun is the only surviving piece of South African (Boer) War artillery left in New Zealand.  It is one of only seven of these guns left in the world. Arriving in New Zealand three years before other captured weapons from the South Africa, it may be one of our first official international war trophies.

With help from researchers worldwide we have be able to piece together most of its history.

This is the story of Gun No. 4.

1880 Ongoing conflict between the British colonies of Natal and Cape Colony and the independent Boer South African Republic (or Transvaal) and it’s ally the Orange Free State, lead to the first Anglo-Boer War.

1881 The British are defeated by the Boers and sign an armistice, but it is only a temporary truce.

As part of their defence preparation the Orange Free State Artillery Corps or OVSAC (Oranje Vrijstaat Artillerie Corps) order a total of 14 Krupp L27 guns from the Krupp Iron Works, Essen, Germany.

1892 Krupp delivers the first batch of six guns to the South African republic of Orange Free State, of which ours is Gun No 4.

28 September 1899 New Zealand becomes the first overseas colony to offer assistance to the British when Prime Minister Richard Seddon commits a contingent of 200 Mounted Rifles for service in South Africa, should war be declared.

11 October 1899 War is officially declared between Great Britain and the South African Republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State.

14 October 1899 Gun No 4 enters battle with Guns No 5 and No 13 as part of a force of 7000 Boer commandos under the leadership of General Piet Cronje.  Part of the Boer force attacks the town of Mafeking in the British Cape Colony, while Cronje and Gun No.4 move on to lay siege to the diamond mining centre of Kimberley.

21 October 1899 As the First Contingent of New Zealanders set sail from Wellington for South Africa Prime Minister Seddon proclaims that they “would fight for one flag, one Queen, one tongue, and for one country – Britain”.

21-28 November 1899 British forces under Lord Methuen march north from Orange River Station near Cape Town to relieve the town of Kimberley.  Cronje moves his commandos and guns, including Gun No 4, to intercept the British at Graspen on the 25^th, followed by an action at Modder River Station on the 28^th.

11 December 1899 Cronje’s forces defeat the British at the Battle of Magersfontein Hill.  Gun No 4 plays a significant role in the battle, halting a flank attack that would have taken the pressure off the British.  Equally unexpected defeats at Stormberg and Colenso lead the British to label the period from 10 -15^th December ‘Black Week’.

In response to these defeats, the British launch a massive campaign to subdue the Boers and appoint the experienced Field Marshal Lord Roberts as commander-in-chief in South Africa with General Lord Kitchener his chief of staff.  Men from all over the British Empire rush to volunteer to defend ‘Queen and country’.  New Zealand commits another mounted contingent to the war.

12-15 February 1900 Lord Roberts assembles a force of 37,000 infantry and cavalry, including the New Zealand Mounted Rifles, to capture the two Boer capitals of Bloemfontein and Pretoria.  Part of this force under the command of Lt. General French, including the New Zealanders, head for Klip Drift, where after fighting off an ambush by Cronje’s commandos, they ride around the Boers and Gun No 4 at Magersfontein and liberate the town of Kimberley on 15^th February.

15 February 1900 Fearing entrapment between the British forces of Lt. General French to the north and Lord Methuen to the south, Cronje decides to leave his secure position on Magersfontein Hill and attempt to retreat to Bloemfontein.

18 February 1900 Cronje’s force of 5000 men, 400 wagons, 200 families and 5 artillery guns, including Gun No 4, are spotted by French, who gives chase.  The Boer forces go to ground on a series of hills above Paardeberg Drift and prepare to fight it out.

20 February 1900 Surrounded by British, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand forces and with no ammunition left for Gun No 4 or the other artillery and no hope of relief from other Boer forces in the area, the Boer gunners are ordered to remove the breechblocks of the guns and throw them into the nearby Modder River, rendering the guns unusable.

27 February 1900 British, Canadian and New Zealand forces capture Gun No.4 as the Boer forces under the command of General Piet Cronje are forced to surrender at Paardeberg Drift.

24 July 1901 A photograph taken on board the Steamship ‘Tagus’ shows Gun No.4 on its way to New Zealand along with a Nordent Maxim Pom Pom gun, making them the first official international war trophies to arrive in New Zealand.

31 May 1902 A peace treaty signed between the British and the Boers brings the Second Anglo-Boer War to an end.  Ten contingents of New Zealand troops have served in the war, 71 were killed in action or died of wounds, 25 were killed in accidents and 133 died of disease, mainly typhoid.

1902 Wanganui Mayor Alexander Hatrick informs the New Zealand Government of the city’s intention to build a memorial to commemorate the South African War.  The Mayor described the design of the memorial, which was to be crowned by a gun.  He suggested that Prime Minister Richard Seddon had promised Wanganui a gun on a previous visit to the city.  The Cabinet replies that they only have two captured guns stationed in front of Parliament Buildings (one of which is Gun No 4) but would reconsider the request when more trophies from South Africa were received.

1904 British Army records show two other Boer artillery guns are given to New Zealand, another OVSAC BL Krupp gun (Gun No 2) and a 75mm ZAR Quick Fire.

10 December 1906 The New Zealand Government gifts Gun No.4 to the people of Wanganui in recognition of the service of over 270 volunteers from our district in the South African (Boer) War. 

Gun No.4 with it’s limber at the dedication of the Boer War Memorial in Cooks Gardens.

1942 Home Guard members bury Gun No.4 after the attack on Pearl Harbour raises fears that Japanese war planes flying over New Zealand may attack armed cities.

1950s Whanganui Regional Museum and our local Wellington West Coast and Taranaki Regiment recover Gun No.4 after the war and place it on display outside the Army Headquarters in Maria Place.

1972 A visiting Army officer tries to remove Gun No.4 to Linton Army Camp but is prevented by the Museum director, who places it on display outside the Museum building instead.

15 January 2006 Martin Emerson and Geoff Lawson remove Gun No.4 from outside Whanganui Regional Museum to start its journey towards complete restoration.

Can you help to fill in the gaps?  Contact the Krupp Restoration Team @ kruppteam@wanganuilibrary.com

Check out the Project Page for the latest project progress report.