Steve Weir: New Zealand's Master Gunner

by Staff Sergeant Tim Rowe

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Interviews

Bonifant, Brigadier Ian Sydney, 15 August 1992 (by Glyn Harper)
Hassett, Major-General R.D.P. Auckland, 10 June 2003
Murphy, Professor Walter.E. Wellington, 18 June 2003
Nolan, H.T.W (Terry) Auckland, 10 June 2003
Wilson, R.A. (Alan) Auckland, 10 June 2003
White,Hon Sir John Wellington, 12 June 2003

Archive Material

Archives New Zealand, Wellington (ANZ)

WAII Series 1 [Unit/Formation War Diaries and Records and Misc. Papers]
DA28/1/1-69 HQ 2 NZ Div Arty, Mar 1940-Sep 1945
DA29/1/1/1-69 4 NZ Field Regiment, Jan 1940-Nov 1945
DA30/1/1-71 5 NZ Field Regiment, Jan 1940-Nov 1945
DA31/1/1-61 6 NZ Field Regiment, Aug 1940-Aug 1946
DA32/1/1-71 7 NZ Anti-Tank Regiment, Jan 1940-Nov 1945
DA34/1/1-42 14 NZ Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, May 1941-Oct 1944
DA143/1/1-44 36 NZ Survey Battery, Mar 1941-Oct 1944
DA406/59 Biography of Brigadier C.E. Weir
DA442.24/5 Weir, Letter to 'Sandy' [Weir], dated 12 December 1941
DA442.24/8 Personal Letters 2nd Libyan Campaign
DA442.27/2 Weir, Letter to 'Sandy' [Weir], dated 9 June 1943
DA442/5 Artillery North Africa Campaign
DA491.2/18 Weir, Letter to Scoullar, dated 9 June 1948
DA497 Army Training Pamphlets
WAII Series 3 [Narratives and Correspondence of the War History Branch]
18-20 Crusader Correspondence Files A-Z
23 Tunisian Campaign General Correspondence
48 Campaign Narrative 2 NZ Div Vol. IX: The Tunisian Campaign Parts I-V
WAII Series 8 [Lt-Gen Sir B.C. Freyberg Personal Files 1939-45]
18 Crusader, Jul-Nov 1941
19 GOC's Printed Report, 1941-42
20 CinC's Alterations to Printed Report, 1941-42
24 Minqair Qaim and Ruweisat Ridge, Jun-Sep 1942
25 Battle of Alamein, The Blue Book Sep-Nov 1942
25a General Papers: Lightfoot and Supercharge, Sep and Nov 1942
26 General, Feb-Oct 1942
27 Turning the Agheila Position, Dec 1942
28 Nofilia to Tripoli, Dec 1942-Feb 1943
29 Rommel's Attack, Medenine, Feb-Mar 1943
30 Turning Mareth Line, Mar-Apr 1943
31 Akarit to Enfidaville, Apr-Jul 1943
32 General 1943, Apr-Jul 1943
32a General Historical
40 'Left Hook' 1942-43
44 GOC's Diary Part II: Sep 1941-Sep 1942
45 GOC's Diary Part III: Sep 1942-Sep 1943
WAII Series 11 [War History Branch Unregistered Papers]
4 Correspondence of W.E. Murphy
5 Correspondence Concerning the Libyan Campaign
6 Correspondence of Maj-Gen H. Kippenberger 1947-1955
7 R. Walker's Notes - Battle for Egypt, Syria, Minqair Qaim
23 Records of 90 Lt and 164 Lt Division, 15 and 21 Pz Division
25 German Army Documents, Africa 1942-1943
31 Original Notes Tunisia Campaign Part I
32 Bardia-Tunisia, Maj-Gen Stevens' draft narrative
36 Official History New Zealand in the War of 1939-45
77 Copies of letters from J.M. Sidey, General Freyberg's Aide-de-Camp to unidentified individuals

Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington (ATL)

Unit Diary: History of the 6 NZ Field Regiment Libyan Campaign: 13 November 1941 - 5 December 1941 [MS-Papers-6109-3]

New Zealand Defence Force Personnel Archives, Trentham Military Camp, Upper Hutt (NZDF PA)
Personal File: Major-General C.E. Weir [RF30006]

Kippenberger Military Archive and Research Library, Queen Elizabeth II Army Memorial Museum, Waiouru (KMARL)

Diary of Gunner Ralf. H. Nicholson, NZ Divisional Artillery
Diary of Major George Fenwick Townsend, 6th Field Regiment
Memoirs of the Crusader Campaign in North Africa, November - December 1941 �Lest We Forget� by William H. Ritchie: Command Post Assistant - 48 Battery, undated
Memoirs of Brian Cooper, 14 Lt AA Regiment, NZ, Div Arty, unpublished, undated
Memoirs of Lieutenant Colonel John P. Snadden, NZ Artillery (4 Field Regt) One Up the Spout: A Gunner's Story, unpublished, c.1987
Transcript of a recorded broadcast in NZ: 6 Field Regiment's Participation in North African War June 1942 to May 1943, 6 August 1943
Transcript of a recorded broadcast of Bombardier Gallagher (CPOA) 29 Battery HQ after the initial barrage at Alamein, Jan 1943

James Clavell Library, Royal Artillery Museum, Woolwich, London (RA Museum)

Papers of Major-General H.J. Parham, CB, CBE, DSO. RAHT Collection RAI/HAC/CFC Private Sources
Thornton, Lieutenant-General Sir Leonard, Marking Time, Unpublished Autobiographical Memoir ,c.1990 [courtesy of Lady Thornton]
Letter to Author by Jim Henderson, dated 4 June 2003
Letter to Author by Major-General R.D.P. Hassett, dated 21 August 2003

Secondary Sources

Official Histories of New Zealand in the Second World War

Borman, C.A., Divisional Signals, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 1954
Murphy, W.E., 2nd New Zealand Divisional Artillery, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 1966
Murphy, W.E., Point 175: The Battle of Sunday of the Dead, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 1954
Murphy, W.E., The Relief of Tobruk, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 1961
Scoullar, J.L., Battle For Egypt, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 1955
Stevens, Major-General W.G., Bardia to Enfidaville, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 1962
Walker, Ronald, Alam Halfa and Alamein, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 1967
Wards, I.McL., Takrouna, War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 1951

Published Books

Army Board, Return to the Attack: The New Zealand Division in Action in Libya, Army Board, Wellington, 1944
Army Board, Battle For Egypt: The Second New Zealand Division at El Alamein, Army Board, Wellington, 1945
Army Board, The Diamond Track: From Egypt to Tunisia with the Second New Zealand Division 1942-1943, Wellington, 1945
Bailey J.B.A., Field Artillery and Firepower, The Military Press, Oxford, 1989
Barber, Laurie and Tonkin-Covell, John, Freyberg: Churchill's Salamander, Hutchinson, New Zealand, 1989
Batchelor, John, and Hogg, Ian, Artillery, Macdonald and Company, London, 1972
Bidwell, S. & Graham, D., Firepower: British Army Weapons and Theories of War 1904-1945, George Allen and Unwin, London, 1982
Bidwell, Shelford, Artillery Tactics 1939-1945, Almark Publishing Co. Ltd, Surrey, England, 1976
Bidwell, Shelford, Gunners at War: A Tactical Study of the Royal Artillery in the Twentieth Century, Arms and Armour Press, 1970
Bierman, John and Smith, Colin, Alamein: War Without Hate, Viking, London, 2002
Burns, John, Life Is A Twisted Path, Santa Maria dell'Anima, Rome, 2002
Burrows, J.T., Pathway Among Men, Whitcombe and Tombs, Christchurch, 1974
Clifton, Brigadier George, The Happy Hunted, Cassell & Co. Ltd, London, 1952
Crawford, J.A.B., 'Weir, Stephen Cyril Ettrick 1904-1969', in The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Volume 5, 1941 - 1960, Auckland University Press/Department of Internal Affairs, Auckland/Wellington, 2000
Haigh, J. Bryant and Polaschek, Alan. J., New Zealand and the Distinguished Service Order, John D. Wills, New Zealand, 1993
Harper, Glyn, 'Kippenberger and a Tale of Two Battles', in Kia Kaha: NZ in the Second World War, OUP, Auckland, 2000
Harper, Glyn, Kippenberger: An Inspired New Zealand Commander, Harper/Collins, Auckland, 1997
Hogg, Ian. V., Barrage: The Guns in Action, MacDonald & Co, London, 1970
Hogg, Ian. V., The Guns 1939-45, MacDonald & Co, London, 1969
Hogg, Ian. V., The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Artillery: An A-Z Guide to Artillery Techniques and Equipment Throughout the World, New Burlington Books, London, 1987
Humble, Richard, Crusader: Eighth Army's Forgotten Victory, November 1941 - January 1942,Leo Cooper, London, 1987
Jackson, W.G.F., The Battle For North Africa 1940-43, Mason/Charter Publications Inc, New York City, 1975
Kershaw, Andrew and Close, Ian (eds), The Desert War, Purnell & Sons Ltd, Paulton, Great Britain, 1975
Kippenberger, Major-General Sir Howard, Infantry Brigadier, Oxford University Press, London, 1949
Liddell Hart, B.H. (ed), The Rommel Papers, Collins, London, 1953
McAllester, J. & Tregellis-Smith, S., Largely a Gamble: Australians in Syria Jun- Jul 1941, Australian Army, Sydney, 1995
McFadzean, Jack, A Scottish Kiwi & A Soldier At War, Carrington Publications, New Zealand, 1998
McGibbon, Ian (ed), The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Military History, Oxford University Press, Auckland, 2000
McIntyre, W.David, New Zealand Prepares For War, University of Canterbury Press, Christchurch, 1988
Mead, Peter, Gunners at War 1939-1945, Ian Allen Ltd, London, 1982
Mentiplay, Cedric, A Fighting Quality: New Zealanders At War, A.H. & A.W. Reid, Wellington, 1979
Munro, R.D., 6th Field Regiment 2 NZEF 1940-46, R.D. Munro, Upper Hutt, 1992
Pemberton, Brigadier A.L., The Development of Artillery Tactics and Equipment, The War Office, London, 1950
Pitt, Barrie, The Crucible of War: Western Desert 1941, Jonathan Cape, London 1980
Pitt, Barrie, The Crucible of War: Year of Alamein 1942, Jonathan Cape, London, 1962
Phillips, C.E. Lucas, Alamein, Heinemann, London, 1962
Weir, Brigadier C.E., RNZA: 'With the 2 NZ Division, 1939-45', in Duncan, W.E. (ed), The Royal Artillery Commemoration Book 1939-45, G. Bell and Sons Ltd, London, 1950

Articles

Price, Brigadier James, 'The Original Stonk' in Royal Artillery Journal Vol. LXXX No.3 July 1953
Maj-Gen R.D.P. Hassett, CB, CBE and Brig J. Burns DSO, MBE, BSc, The Development of Artillery Techniques by 2 NZ Divisional Artillery of World War 2, 1995 http://riv.co.nz/rnza/tech1.htm
Maj-Gen R.D.P. Hassett, CB, CBE and Brig J. Burns DSO, MBE, BSc, The Mystery of the Origin of the Stonk, 1995 http://riv.co.nz/rnza/stonk.htm
Evening Post,'Steve Weir, A Legend In His Lifetime, Was Empire's Fiery Dragon', (by W.E. Murphy), 27 September 1969

Unpublished Theses

Harper, Glyn, 'Kip' Major-General Sir Howard Kippenberger: A Study of Command, PhD Thesis, UNE, Armidale, 1996
Wards, Ian, Operations PUGILIST & SUPERCHARGE II: A Study of Command, MA Thesis, Victoria University, Wellington, 1954

Return to top | History index | Home