Tudor Collins did several tours of the Pacific Islands on RNZN ships and the first images to come out are from trips on HMNZS Arbutus and HMNZS Bellona.
HMNZS Arbutus was a Corvette commissioned into the RNZN in late 1944 for WW2 service in the Pacific, after which she did a couple of, “showing the flag”, trips back into the Pacific during the late 1940’s.
HMNZS Bellona was a Dido class light cruiser whose service in the RNZN began in 1946.
Bellona made annual visits to the Pacific Islands through the late 1940’s and the early 1950’s and Tudor Collins went along to record the pomp and ceremony as well as the every day life of the Pacific Islands people.
Most of the images in the gallery below are from the Arbutus trips and some from the Bellona trips.
They come with virtually no documentation so if you recognise anyone in these photos, or the villages pictured, please leave a message on the blog or contact us through our web site.
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New Collection Items – Autumn 2023
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The scuttling of the Graf Spee video
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