Army museum pavilion roof on soon

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 542, 28 June 1994, Page 20 (Supplement)

Army museum pavilion roof on soon

By Michele Monaghan The Kippenberger Pavilion is soon to be the newest addition to the Queen Elizabeth II Army Memorial Museum. The pavilion situated on the northern end of the museum will house a new kitchen and cafeteria as well as administration offices and the main entrance. The pavilion will be officially opened in February. The pavilion is named after Major General Sir Howard Kippenberger KBE CB DSO ED Legion of merit. Born in Canterbury in 1897, Sir Howard fought in two world wars surviving serious injuries in both. During WWH he commanded the 20th Infantry Battalion. He is said to have led the unit with distinction through campaigns in Greece, Crete and Libya. After being taken prisoner briefly in 1941 (he and some others didn't take long before organising an escape), he was moved on to command the 5th Infantry Brigade. It was during this command that he sustained serious injuries after walking in to an unmarked minefield at Cassino. Sir Howard went on to achieve many things including becoming editor-in-chief of the New

Zealand WWD official histories. He also wrote his own book titled 'Infantry Brigadier'. He died in 1957 at the age of 60. Sir Howard' s relations in the TJnited Kingdom, the Kippenberger and Weston families, have donated $250,000 towards the construction of the pavilion. $250,000 was also obtained through a grant from the Lotteries Commission. The Pavilion' s foundation stone was laid by Captain (ret' d) Charles Upham VC and B ar, at this year ' s Anzac Day commemorations. Mr Upham, now 85, served in Kippenberger' s battalion during the war and the two were very good friends. Army engineers from 25 Engineer Support Squadron, Linton Military Camp, will complete most of the construction. The original museum was also constructed by army engineers and was opened in 1978. Civilian contractors will be brought in to complete specialist tasks such as the humidifying system, central heating and some roofing amongst other things. Excavation work began in February in preparation for the unusual foundations designed to 'float' the pavilion on the swampy ground. The engineers had to dig down a further 600mm than expected as the ground was swampier than first thought. Despite this the officer in charge of construction, Lieutenant Donald Jones, said things are still running fairly much to schedule. Engineers have been working in cold, wet conditions, sometimes late into the night, to get the job done. When concrete was due to be poured, boxing had to be completed working under floodlights in frosty conditions to meet the time schedule. This week the exterior tilt slabs will be lifted into place by a 30-tonne Maclntosh crane. These slabs will give the pavilion the same finish as the existing museum. The roof is expected to go on mid-July. "That will be more user-friendly for my guys," said task supervisor Staff Sergeant Paddy Fee. "Then we won't have to wear three or four layers of clothing to comeonsite." The pavilion will free up space in the existing museum for more display areas. One new display will depict the role of New Zealanders as peace keepers providing the old with the new. Visitors to the museum can walk through many displays and read a lot Of firsthand history. They are able to gain insights in to war .. times experienced by New Zealanders including Sir Howard Kippenberger.