Rickshaw Military Research specialises in the research and transcription of New Zealand Military Service Records to allow families to learn of their families military experience in peace and war. Services offered by Rickshaw Military Research include;

• Interpretation of military records,
• Assistance with military research,
• Identification of medals, badges and insignia, and sourcing of replacements.
• Regiment and unit identification.

Often, descendants of New Zealand Servicemen have some inkling that their ancestors served in the military. Knowledge of a relative’s service will often be a source of pride with some evidence such as photos of the relative in uniform, medals, unit badges, diaries, and other souvenirs existing. However, for many, any connection to their relative’s military service is long-forgotten and a mystery. For some, the only link to a relative is an inscription on one of New Zealand’s many War Memorials.

For all those interested in discovering more about their ancestors military service, accessing the individual’s service record and understanding what is written in it can be a daunting exercise,first in gaining the service record and then interpreting the peculiar language used by the military and making sense of the many abbreviations used, reading a service record often leads to more questions than answers.

Rickshaw Military Research provides a service where we work with the family and after some preliminary questions, access the relevant military service record from the archives and produce a transcript of the relative’s service record into an easy to read format, including;

• Personal details of the individual.
• Brief description of activities prior and after service.
• Record of service, from enlistment to demobilisation, including;
  • Formations/Units served in.
  • Campaigns and battles that were participated in.
  • Locations visited.
• Record of Promotions.
• Record of Illness and Injuries.
• Records of medals and awards, including citations.
• Brief description of post-service activities.
• Illustrations will be provided where possible and could include;
  • Photos of the serviceman.
  • Medals.
  • Badges and patches worn.
  • Maps.
  • Equipment used, i.e. if a serviceman was a tank driver, an illustration of the type of tank driven.

Services offered

Pre 1921 Records

Service records prior to 1921 including the South Africa and First World War.

• Basic one-page summary of service: $100*
  • Basic service information from attestation to discharge edited to fit on a single A4 sheet.
• Full transcript of service : $250*
  • Transcript of service relating to target serviceman with additional information on units served in and campaigns participated in presented as a booklet or interactive Web App.

Post 1921 Records

Service records from 1921 including the Second World War, Korea, Malaya, Borneo, South Vietnam, CMT & National Service, Peacekeeping and Territorial and Regular service in New Zealand)

• Basic one-page summary of service: $150*
  • Basic service information from attestation to discharge edited to fit on a single A4 sheet.
• Full transcript of service : $300*
  • Transcript of service relating to target serviceman with additional information on units served in and campaigns participated in presented as a booklet or interactive Web App.

Other Research

Other research outside the scope of researching Personnel Records is charged at a rate of NZD$30 per hour.

*All prices are GST inclusive.

Interested in knowing more? Feel free to contact Rickshaw Military Research and let us know how we can assist.