Sorry to be off-topic, but Errol, do you know if it’s true that NZ miliatary service records from between the world wars were destroyed due to lack of space? My grandfather served in the Waikato Mounted Rifles in 1932-33, but I was told once his records would no longer exist. The lady who told me that said she worked in the service records office in Wellington so must have known her stuff. But I just wondered if they might have been microfiched or microfilmed or something first? Any ideas?

Dave, my Uncle’s file (then located in Wellington as I note above) had been “purged” [a military term? 😎 ] at some stage. I discovered I wasn’t finding things I thought I would find and on asking if there was another file was offered the explanation that because of lack of room all, or anyway many, files had been gone through and thinned out. Quite what the criteria for this had been I do not know. Nor when it happened – but it was said to have been years ago; I have this idea it was in the 70’s or similar but don’t bank on that assertion.