A sad day and a sad tale....

[capt_starlight]

NZ authorities outraged by war museum theft

 

By New Zealand correspondent Peter Lewis

Irreplaceable medals awarded to some of New Zealand's most courageous

soldiers have been stolen in a break-in at the country's national army

museum.

New Zealand authorities have described the theft as a crime against the

nation with the stolen medals including the two Victoria Crosses (VC)

awarded to Charles Upham - the only combat soldier to receive the

Commonwealth gallantry honour twice - during World War II.

Medals belonging to seven other New Zealand VC winners and two George

Crosses were also stolen in the break-in at the Waiouru Army Museum

early Sunday morning (local time).

Defence Minister Phil Goff says New Zealanders will be appalled and

disgusted at the greed and self-interest of those behind the theft.

He says the items are national treasures, earned by men who served their

country with courage and selflessness and the Government will work with

Interpol to prevent the medals finding a market internationally.

[capt_starlight]

Now it is 9 VCs and 2 GCs (amongst a lot of other medals).........

 

Upham's Victoria Cross and others taken in Army Museum heist

 

Nine Victoria Crosses - including Charles Upham's - and two George Crosses are among irreplaceable military medals stolen in a break-in at the Waiouru Army Museum early on Sunday morning.

 

The Army says the other Victoria Crosses stolen include those given to Keith Elliot, Jack Hinton and Clive Hulme, and an unknown number of other medals.

 

Defence Minister Phil Goff has described the theft as a crime against the nation.

 

Mr Goff says New Zealanders will be appalled and disgusted at the greed and self interest of those who have stolen the medals.

 

He says the items are national treasures, earned by men who served their country with courage and selflessness.

 

Mr Goff says the medals will be almost impossible to sell within New Zealand, and the Government will work with Interpol to make it as hard as possible to market them internationally.

 

Break-in

 

The Chief of Army, Major General Lou Gardiner, says the museum was broken into just after midnight on Sunday.

 

He says the value of the medals is what they symbolise, and he is angry at the theft.

 

"This theft is not just from Defence and Army, it is from the nation. New Zealand's history and heritage is closely interwoven with its military history and heritage.

 

"These medals were awarded to their recipients for their extraordinary valour and have come to symbolise the huge sacrifices that all New Zealanders made in the many conflicts fought for the freedoms we have come to accept."

 

Major General Gardner says the theft of the medals is a theft from New Zealand and as such is a serious crime calling for the co-operation of all New Zealanders in their recovery."

 

He says the NZDF and NZ Army are working closely with police who are leading the investigations. Customs has also been notified and put on a border alert in case there is an attempt to get the medals out of the country.

 

The NZDF says security staff alerted by an alarm activation found displays had been broken into in the museum's Valour annex.

 

List of medals

 

It says the list of medals it fears have been taken are those of Samuel Frickleton VC; Leslie Andrew VC; Randolph Ridling (Albert Medal); Reginald Judson VC, DCM, MM; John Grant VC; Henry Laurent VC; Jack Hinton VC; Clive Hulme VC; Keith Elliot VC; Charles Upham VC and Bar; David Russell GC and Ken Hudson GC.

 

The Victoria Cross for New Zealand medal recently awarded to Corporal Willie Apiata is not among them.

 

Police have set up a hotline number and want anyone who was in the Waiouru area, or passing through, between midnight and 2am Sunday and who may have seen anything to contact them on 0800 349 0606.

[Paul in Qatar]

(I ought not to open threads like this. I hope they catch the people who did this. Grumble.)

[Jim Martin]

Colonel William Barber came to speak to my Reserve unit years ago. He passed his MOH around the entire lecture hall, allowing all of us who'd never even seen a MOH to get a close look at it.

 

On the back of his medal, it said, "Reproduction", because the original had been stolen by some prick.

 

I remember there was an article in the Washington Times back in the early '90s that the FBI was trying to track down a ring of medal thieves; they were advertising to elderly vets that they would clean up their old medals, and put them in display cases for them. The vets would give them their old medals (including MOH's and Navy Crosses/DSC's) and then never hear from the scumbags again. Big money to be made on the illegal collectors' market for these things.

 

[Edit]Col Barber found out that Chesty Puller's regiment was headed to Korea to fight. Barber decided to go to Puller to try to get a billet in his regiment; he entered the quonset hut where Chesty was sitting behind a desk re-assembling his .45 after cleaning. As Barber walked the length of the hut to approach Puller, Puller inserted a magazine into his .45 and sighted the pistol on Barber's center mass....

 

The only officer billet Chesty had open was Morale Officer. When the regiment arrived in Japan, there was a storm which washed most of the regiment's recreational equipment off the pier. Of course, Barber gave Puller his departmental status report, and Puller said, "Goddamnit who cares, we came here to fight, not play volleyball!"

[capt_starlight]

And I squired Ted Kenna around at one parade - complete with his VC. Lovely fellow - one of nature's gentleman. Discussed why he did it and his answer was "...someone had to..." (plus he confessed to be a little p@##-off that he could not getter a better shot from the prone position to support the attack going in from the flank so he stood up!)

 

He still has his VC - but it is to go to the AWM on his death I believe.

 

AWM has largest single collection of VCs in the world ?

[History Buff]

Recovered:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story....jectid=10492853

[capt_starlight]

Medal thieves to share reward

 

 

James Madden | February 19, 2008

 

THIEVES who stole dozens of precious war medals from a New Zealand museum last year may get part of the huge reward for their return.

 

The possible windfall for the criminals has sparked outrage across the Tasman, with the daughter of New Zealand World War II hero Captain Charles Upham saying she felt "quite sick" to learn the thieves could benefit.

 

The 96 medals, which included nine Victoria Crosses - including those of Upham, the only combat soldier to have won the Victoria Cross twice - were stolen in the early hours of December 2 from the Queen Elizabeth II Army Memorial Museum at Waiouru on New Zealand's north island.

 

Upham's medals were sold in 2006 for more than $1 million and were on loan to the museum. The 96 medals were recovered last week and yesterday it was revealed that the lawyer who tracked down the thieves may give them part of the $NZ300,000 ($261,000) reward offered by British medal collector Michael Ashcroft and former US marine Tom Sturgess.

 

Lawyer Chris Comeskey is claiming lawyer-client confidentiality, meaning he can never reveal the names of those responsible for the heist.

 

Mr Comeskey, a former policeman, used his underworld contacts to find the thieves within three days of the theft, while law officers searched fruitlessly for months.

 

He used coded signals, including placing a beer bottle on his balcony, to contact the thieves, who then signalled him with a Coke can placed in designated places. Since finding those responsible, Mr Comeskey has been negotiating with the burglars to have the medals returned.

 

Mr Comeskey has refused to say where the reward money will go, citing a confidentiality agreement, but it is widely assumed the thieves will get part of the cash.

 

The lawyer has said he will not receive any of the reward himself.

 

Among the medals stolen were two George Crosses, the highest award for civilian courage, and an Albert Medal, issued for lifesaving at land and at sea.

 

A Distinguished Conduct Medal and Military Medal, the second and third-highest awards for gallantry, were also taken.

 

After the theft last year, security was tightened at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, which has a collection of 61 VCs.

 

Additional reporting: AAP

 

From => http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story...5013404,00.html

 

(Edited for an unnecessary bit of site fluff)

Edited February 19, 2008 by capt_starlight