Armed Constabulary in Cambridge

Lieutenant-Colonel William Moule raised two divisions of Armed Constabulary and commanded one himself (No. 4 division) with Headquarters in Cambridge. The other (No. 5 division) was commanded by Major von Tempsky at Alexandra (Pirongia).

In 1869 -1870 the force was increased to 200 because of the presence of Te Kooti and in April 1870 Lieutenant-Colonel Lyon took command of the New Zealand Armed Constabulary which took over from the Auckland Provincial Police. Their first job was to repair the telegraph communications between Cambridge and Te Awamutu, and Cambridge and Hamilton.

The murder of Timothy Sullivan on 24 April 1873 brought renewed tension, and again during the Te Kooti scare, families were brought into the barracks at night. New redoubts were built at Pukekura, Paekuku, Roto-o-Rangi, and the ford across the Punui River, but these were withdrawn in 1875 and 1876.

The activities wound down and the Armed Constabulary’s general duties were keeping communications open and making roads; the town constable keeping the peace, law and order; digging gardens, wheeling gravel, fencing paddocks, planting trees, and attending to guard duties. Approximately 22 men were stationed in Cambridge and from the ‘office’ in the corner of the lumber-room the town constable and watch house duties were administered.

By mid 1884 a full troop of N Z Constabulary Force was no longer required in Cambridge and all movable buildings and most of the personnel were transferred to Kihikihi. Constable William Brennan who had served in Cambridge since June 1876, carried on with policing duties.
By the middle of 1886 the whole Armed Constabulary force had been transferred to the regular police or to military forces, or had been discharged.
18 May 1886 a Police Force Bill and a Defence Bill were introduced to Parliament. Both were passed and the NZ Police Force came into being on 1 September 1886.

Researched and written by Eris Parker
Ref: National Archives Wellington

Cambridge Armed Constabulary Members

(The original Nominal Roll is held at National Archives Wellington)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M Mc N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

AINSWORTH Walter
1358

ANDERSON Cornelius
1386

ANDERSON Farquhar Campbell
1352

ANDERSON John
24

AVERY Alfred

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B

BELLERBY Joseph
1484

BILLING Thomas John
1347

BLAKER Reginald Campbell
1331

BRENNAN Patrick
1174

BRENNAN William
611

BURNS Francis
1038

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C

CALLANDER Michael
1649

CAMPBELL Alexander
1628

CARMINISCH Martin
1590

CHITTY Charles
94

CLARE William

CLAUSING Henry
134

CLUNE George
397

COLLINS Charles
308

COLLINS James

COLLINS William Godfrey
1156

COLTAN Edward
1231

COLTART Robert
1059

COLTMAN Robert
331

COOKE G
1190

COOPER George Edward
107

COUGHLAN John
1526

COUPER James Robertson
1322

CUDWORTH Walter
496

CURTIS William
1346

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D

DAVIDSON Hickey
1595

DAVY Edwin
2264

De LANEY G E McC

DIGNAN

DISMORE / DISMORR Nathanial

DIVER Frank

DIXON Robert
395

DONOVAN Denis
1463

DRAPER James
743

DREW James
140

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E – F

EAST Robert
1333

EDWARDS Benjamin

FARR Alfred Elias
1690

FEEHAN Malachi
1691

FINIGAN Patrick
1591

FITZPATRICK Thomas
1398

FLETCHER John
1338

FOLEY Michael
578

FOREMAN Henry
1650

FRANKLIN Walter
1421

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G

GARBETT Joseph
32

GARDNER Charles
1646

GARLAND Henry
277

GEAR George Rancroft
1532

GIBSON James
1406

GOLDSMITH James William P
408

GORTON Arthur
1420

GRAY Robert
1172

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H

HARDING John

HARRISON Thomas
1468

HASTIE George

HEANEY Alexander
9

HESKETH James
453

HORSCROFT Charles
307

HOZANA Daniel William

HUTCHINSON Allen
1535

HUTTON John
157

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J K

JOHNSON William
2428

JULIAN Charles
2083

JULIAN John
1651

KANE James
1639

KERR John
89

KING William

KNIGHT Alexander Gregory
1175

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L

LASH William
1047

LAWTON James
254

Le MASURIER Philip
1311

LEANING George Henry

LEES / LEIS Thomas
2258

LEONHARDT Charles Edward
1477

LLOYD George

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M

MACKAY William
1372

MANN Arthur Campbell
1164

MARSHALL William
91

MAYNE George Taylor
1466

MOLESWORTH Charles Edward
531

MOONEY Patrick
1535

MOORE Joshua
1374

MULLINS John
1381

MURPHY Patrick
1330

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Mac

MacINTOSH C D

McDONELL Edward
1534

McKEARNEY Peter

McKEARNEY William
1955

McKELVY Daniel
1371

McKINNON John

McPHEE John
921

McREYNOLDS John Marcus
1360

McSWEENEY Eugene
259

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N O

NEILL John Thomas
1449

NEWALL Stuart
306

NICKLE George

O’BRINE Andrew
1550

O’CONNOR John
1334

O’DONOGHUE John
1357

OLSON Otto
1547

O’NEIL Charles
464

O’NEILL William Henry
1825

O’TOOLE Patrick Joseph
1936

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P Q

PACEY William
1411

PEACOCK Henry Shaw
1592

POOLE William Geo.

POPE Frederick Sherwood Willis
1551

QUALTROUGH Richard
416

QUICKFALL Joseph
1353

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R

RAYNAR James ( Frederick )
1378

RETFORD Charles
1423

RICHDALE William
1957

RIST J W

ROBERTS John Mackintosh

ROSE Charles Edward Stuart

ROSMUSSON H
1335

ROYSTON Samuel
832

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S T

SALMON Henry

SHEEHAN Bartholomew
1052

SHORT John
421

SKELTON Thomas
73

SOFFE John
1538

SPURDLE Edwin James
1692

SQUIBB George
1577

STRANCHON Thomas Henry
144

STUART John Alexander

SUTHERLAND Donald
569

TAYLOR Frederick Thomas
1365

TIMMINS Patrick
1554

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W

WALKER Henry

WALNOR Thomas
586

WALSH John
1315

WARD Thomas
1638

WAREING James
1328

WATT Donald
1544

WATTS F
1320

WEBB James Thomas
87

WEBB John
1627

WELHAM T
1207

WHELAN Thomas
102

WHELAN Thomas
1414

WILLIAMSON David
1991

WOODWARD Henry
1648

WRIGHT Thomas
2052

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