From Ordnance Craft to Artificer Mastery
The crossed hammer and pincers, often referred to as the “hammer and tongs,” is one of the oldest and most enduring symbols of technical service in the New Zealand Army. Its history reflects more than a century of change in military organisation, moving from a craft-based system of trades to a professionalised and qualification-driven technical corps. In that evolution, the badge itself did not remain static. Rather, its meaning shifted from a simple indicator of trade to a recognised mark of technical mastery.
The origins of the badge in New Zealand can be traced to the arrival of British Army Ordnance Corps armourers at the turn of the twentieth century. In 1901, Armourer Sergeants Bertram Buckley and John Hunter were recruited to support the developing New Zealand military system, followed shortly after by Armourer Sergeant William Edward Luckman.[1] These men brought with them a long-established British tradition in which armourers, blacksmiths, and artificers formed the technical backbone of the Army.
Their work extended well beyond routine maintenance. In addition to sustaining weapons and equipment, they played a central role in training the first locally raised armourers and embedding the trade within the New Zealand forces as a recognised military function. By 1911, Luckman, whose secondment had been extended several times, was firmly established as Chief Armourer of the New Zealand Military Forces, overseeing inspection, maintenance, and repair activities across workshops in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. Although serving in New Zealand, these men remained members of the Army Ordnance Corps and were required to maintain their professional proficiency, ensuring that New Zealand practice remained aligned with British standards.
Although the badge was already in use within the wider British military system, it did not formally appear in New Zealand dress regulations until 1912, when it was codified as part of the official system of distinguishing trade badges.[2] This reflects a broader pattern in early New Zealand military development, where established practice was often formalised only after it had become embedded.
The formalisation of the badge in New Zealand dress regulations reveals how its role evolved, as shown below:
| Year | Regulation Context | Who Wore It | Badge Description | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | First formal appearance in NZ Dress Regulations | Armourers and senior NCOs | Hammer and Pincer | Incorporated within rank insignia |
| 1923 | Expanded trade badge system | Multiple technical trades across ranks | Hammer and Pincer | Above chevrons (NCOs), below rank badges (WOs) |
| 1927 | Badge of appointment system | Armourers, artificers, machinery trades | Hammer and Pincer | Standardised placement by rank |
| 1960 | RNZEME badge of appointment | Sergeants and Staff Sergeants RNZEME | Hammer and Pincer | Corps-level appointment badge |
As locally trained armourers developed under Luckman’s supervision, the need for a formal structure became increasingly apparent. This was addressed through General Order 118 of 1 May 1912, which established the New Zealand Ordnance Corps and provided a defined career pathway from apprentice to Armourer Sergeant Major.[3] At the same time, regimental armourers remained within their parent units, creating a dual system that balanced centralised expertise with unit-level support. The scope of the trade was already expanding, extending beyond small arms to include bicycle maintenance and even the maintenance of New Zealand’s first military aircraft, the Blériot monoplane Britannia.
Within this early system, the hammer-and-pincers badge served as a straightforward trade identifier. Dress regulations from 1912 and 1923 show that it was worn by armourers, machinery artificers, and smiths across multiple ranks, from privates through to warrant officers.[4] Its placement on the sleeve, above chevrons for non-commissioned officers and below rank badges for warrant officers, reinforced its role as a marker of function rather than status. In this context, the badge simply identified the soldier as a skilled tradesman, part of a wider system of craft specialisations that included farriers, wheelwrights, and saddlers.
Contemporary regulations demonstrate that the badge was not confined to a single trade, but applied across a wide range of technical roles:
| Trade Category | Specific Trades | Badge |
|---|---|---|
| Armourers | Armourer Sergeant, Armourer Staff Sergeant | Hammer and Pincer |
| Artificers | Sergeant Artificer, Staff Sergeant Artificer | Hammer and Pincer |
| Mechanical Trades | Fitters, Mechanists | Hammer and Pincer |
| Metal Trades | Smiths | Hammer and Pincer |
| Weapons Trades | Armament Staff Sergeant | Hammer and Pincer |
| Equine Trades | Farriers | Horseshoe |
| Leather Trades | Saddlers | Bit |
| Transport / Construction Trades | Wheelers | Wheel |
During the interwar period, the badge’s meaning began to evolve. As military equipment became more complex, the role of the artificer emerged as a distinct and increasingly important technical appointment. The hammer and pincers became more closely associated with these higher-level trades and senior technical roles, although this association remained informal. The badge continued to denote employment and function rather than qualification, and it was still worn broadly across the technical workforce.
The formation of the New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (NZEME) during the Second World War marked a further stage in this evolution. Technical trades were consolidated into a single corps, and training systems became more structured. Within the post-war Royal New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RNZEME), the hammer and pincers took on an additional layer of meaning, reflecting not only trade identity but also a shared professional culture. This was captured in later descriptions of the corps as a body of “warrior craftsmen,” linking modern technicians to a long lineage of armourers and artisans.[5]
By 1960, the badge had been formally defined within New Zealand Army dress regulations as a badge of appointment for RNZEME Sergeants and Staff Sergeants, worn irrespective of trade or qualification.[6] Its function at this stage was clearly aligned with the corps’ identity and rank rather than with technical distinction.
At the same time, the Army considered a broader initiative to introduce trade badges across all corps. As part of this proposal, it was suggested that all RNZEME trades, across all ranks, be authorised to wear the hammer and pincers as a universal trade badge. This would have effectively returned the badge to its earlier role as a general identifier of technical function. The proposal was not adopted, largely due to cost, and the Army retained its existing approach, favouring a simplified system based on corps and rank rather than trade differentiation.
From the late 1960s, however, a different dynamic emerged within RNZEME itself. The Artificer Course had become the recognised benchmark of professional excellence within the corps, mirroring developments in both British REME and the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, where artificer status represented the highest level of technical competence short of commissioning. Selection for the course was rigorous, involving formal boards and demanding assessments of both technical and personal qualities. An artificer was defined as a higher technician who, in addition to proven trade skills, possessed the ability to lead, train, advise, and coordinate at a high level.[7]
Formally, the badge remained a corps badge worn by all RNZEME Sergeants and Staff Sergeants. In reality, it was increasingly associated with those who had attained artificer status, particularly within the corps’ culture and internal recognition systems. By the early 1970s, this divergence prompted RNZEME to propose a formal change, seeking to restrict the badge to those who had successfully completed the Artificer Course. The intention was to align official entitlement with professional reality, recognising the badge as a symbol of technical mastery rather than simply a corps identifier. The proposal was not approved.[8] The Army maintained its long-standing position that the hammer and pincers were primarily a corps insignia, and that introducing qualification-based badges risked creating a broader system of trade distinctions across the Army.
Despite this, the underlying trend could not be entirely contained. By the mid-1980s, the hammer and pincers had been formally adopted within RNZEME as an artificer qualification badge.[9] This brought policy into line with the practice that had already developed within the corps. From that point, the badge clearly signified not merely affiliation with RNZEME, but the attainment of advanced technical proficiency and leadership within the maintenance system.
The evolution of the badge can be summarised as a transition from a broad trade identifier to a symbol of technical mastery:
| Period | System Type | Meaning of Badge |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-1912 | Informal / British system | Trade craft identifier |
| 1912–1930s | Formal trade structure | Broad technical trade badge |
| 1940s–1950s | Corps consolidation (RNZEME) | Corps identity + technical role |
| 1960s–1980s | Professionalisation | Increasing association with artificers |
| Post-1980s | Qualification system | Artificer qualification badge |
| Modern RNZALR | Integrated logistics system | Symbol of advanced technical mastery |
This evolution was not unique to New Zealand. Across the Commonwealth, the hammer and pincers followed a similar trajectory, originating as a general tradesman’s badge before becoming associated with artificers and eventually formalised as a qualification insignia. In each case, the badge reflected broader changes in military organisation, particularly the transition from craft-based systems to a professional technical corps.
The legacy of this development continues within the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment (RNZALR). Following the integration of RNZEME into RNZALR in 1996, the traditions and professional standards of the technical trades were retained within a unified logistic structure. Today, upon successful completion of the RNZALR Artificer Course, qualified maintainers are entitled to wear the hammer and pincers as the RNZALR Artificer Badge, formally recognising their advanced technical training and professional competence.
The history of the hammer and pincers badge is not simply the story of a piece of insignia. It is a reflection of how the New Zealand Army has understood, organised, and recognised technical expertise over time. From its origins as a practical trade identifier, through its gradual association with the artificer, to its formal adoption as a qualification badge, the symbol charts a clear transition from craft to profession.
What makes the badge distinctive is not that its meaning changed, but that it accumulated meaning. It has remained rooted in the craftsman’s identity, even as the system around it shifted towards structured training, formal selection, and professional recognition. In this sense, the badge represents continuity as much as change.
Today, within the RNZALR, the hammer and pincers endure as the Artificer Badge, awarded to those who have demonstrated advanced technical proficiency and leadership. Its modern meaning is therefore inseparable from its past. It still speaks to the same underlying idea that defined its earliest use:
The effectiveness of an army depends not only on those who fight, but on those who possess the skill, judgement, and discipline to maintain it.
Footnotes
[1] “Luckman, William Edward,” Personal File, Archives New Zealand (Wellington) 1902, https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE21154244.
[2] New Zealand Military Forces Dress Regulations, ed. New Zealand Military Forces (Wellington, 1912). https://rnzaoc.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/1923-nz-army-dress-regs.pdf.
[3] NZ Armourers, New Zealand Military Forces, General Order 118/12, (Wellington, 1 May 1912). .
[4] New Zealand Military Forces Dress Regulations, ed. New Zealand Military Forces (Wellington, 1923). https://rnzaoc.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/1923-nz-army-dress-regs.pdf.
[5] Peter Cooke, Warrior Craftsmen, RNZEME 1942-1996 (Wellington: Defense of New Zealand Study Group, 2017).
[6] “Clothing – Dress Embellishments: General 1960-1976,” Archives New Zealand No R17187826 (1960).
[7] Cooke, Warrior Craftsmen, RNZEME 1942-1996.
[8] “Clothing – Dress Army Committee – Reports etc,” Archives New Zealand No R9753141 (1954-1973).
[9] Malcolm Thomas and Cliff Lord, New Zealand Army distinguishing patches, 1911-1991 (Wellington, N.Z. : M. Thomas and C. Lord, 1995, 1995), Bibliographies, Non-fiction.
