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Histories say little if anything of the Divisional Mortars, a unit formed from New Zealand Gunners in France during World War 1. There were three batteries. 'X', 'Y' and 'Z' each of four mortars, and the very powerful support they gave the Infantry was greatly appreciated. At cutting wire entanglements, the great bane of the Infantryman, they were far better than the field guns.
The mortar batteries were formed just before the New Zealand Division went into action at Armentieres (May 1916), and came to be regarded as indispensable in almost every action in which the Division took part.
Each battery consisted of four mortars. For the last few months of the war they became mobile as shown in Fig. 14.
An excellent example of a 6-inch mortar may be seen in the Army Memorial Museum, Waiouru - one which escaped the scrap merchants!
On the outbreak of World War 2 a number of 6-inch mortars were 'resurrected' and issued to the N.Z. National Military Reserve.
Figure 14
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Wally Ruffell
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