Wally Ruffell

21 Dec 1917 - 22 Apr 2003

Wally Ruffell made the world a more interesting place. He loved artillery - the ordnance, the people, the procedures. His efforts to uncover its history and his generosity in sharing his findings with the world have made for a better educated gunner community. When he started out in the NZA, the world was a different place: Officers and Men did not associate; the gun crew were generally uneducated and had no idea of the origins of their craft; the pay was poor and the working conditions were miserable. Although Wally could not influence gunners' pay, he had a remarkable effect on the other aspects of their lives. As a stalwart of the New Zealand Permanent Force Old Comrades' Association, Wally helped create the environment for NZ artillerymen of all description, from Gunner to Lieutenant General, to meet in fellowship and to celebrate their common love for the gun, eschewing differences of rank, position, age and accomplishment. He wrote prolificly about the equipments and procedures of artillery, and his work has been published internationally in written and electronic form.

Wally was a professional gunner. He once said that joining the NZ Artillery was no easy thing to do, there was such a long routine to getting in. At school he had been a Cadet and, on leaving, he became a Territorial with the 6th Hauraki Regiment. In 1937, he joined the Territorial Force Special Reserve and was given three months training in basic and coast artillery. Only after this could he apply for the NZ Regular Force which he did, of course, and after another four months at the Army Schools, Trentham, he became a Gunner On Probation in 1938. Some time after this he was involved in a serious accident, and by the time he got overseas the War was well under way. He was wounded in action with the 6th Field Regiment in Faenza but recovered and rejoined the Regiment in time to win the War.

Wally went to Japan in 1946 as part of the post-war occupation, and it was when he returned to NZ that his interest in the origins of artillery became a passion. Wally retired from the Army in 1964 having held a number of positions including AIG, WO1(SMIG) and RSM 1 Field Regiment. He had been awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1956 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 1959. He spent many years working at the Naval Supply Depot in Devonport, where he worked alongside several other retired soldiers, and the image below shows Wally escorting LtGen Sir Leonard Thornton at the Depot in 1975 before the General retired.

Wally's interest in military history was rewarded by a Life Membership of the NZ Military Historical Society and a special Outstanding Service Award from the NZ Permanent Force Old Comrades Association. Wally is gone, but his works live on.

CM Rivers 23 April 2003