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Two types of RML guns were used in NZ's coastal defences. The 7-inch gun, and the 64-pounder. Eleven of each were ordered, as well as two converted 64pdrs, from Britain in 1878, and were delivered the following year. The Russian scare of that time had quietly gone down, and the weapons were stored away by the government of the time. Then in 1885 another Russian Scare broke out, and this time the pressure did not go down. So the government of the time quickly mounted the RML guns (even though they were obsolete), and ordered some more modern breach loaders. While in Britain it seems that many coastal guns of this sort were mounted on wooden carriages, the ones in NZ were exclusively mounted on wrought iron carriages (there is one exception with the two converted 64pdrs which i believe were on wooden carriages). The guns were emplaced much the same as displayed below. When the breach loaders finally got here, some were incorporated with the RML gun emplacements. The RML guns were still considered to be part of the defence system till the early 1900s. Then most of them were dismounted and they were distributed around to be put on display in parks etc. Although some hostility existed against these as somehow glorifying war, and many were buried or scraped in the period up to WW2. Then during WW2 there existed a fear, especially in the North of NZ, that a Japanese plane may think these guns were real active guns, and bomb them. Often these guns were sited above newly built air-raid shelters, or just outside schools, so pressure built up from some people to have these old guns buried. And in most cases that�s what happened to the old guns. In the last 10yrs some of these have been resurrected, most still lie where they were buried . |
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