Club for New Zealand military personnel in London, opened circa December 1944 to January 1945. Staffed by 2nd NZEF personell and Women's Army Auxiliary Corps staff. The club premises were six houses in London provided by Britain for club use as sleeping accomodation, dining, library, and entertainment.
Fernleaf Club (London, England)
There are 6 related items to this topic
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New Zealand Fernleaf Club :Kensington Parish. New Zealand 11,120, London 1 1/2. Lt.-Gen...
Date: 1945
By: Fernleaf Club (London, England)
Reference: Eph-A-CARDS-Christmas-Freyberg-1945-01
Description: Cover shows a milestone with the distances in miles to New Zealand and London respectively. The milestone marks to site of the old coaching stop for the mail coach running between Hounslow and London about 1775. Text inside explains that the milsetone gives its name to the "Latest and last club for the New Zealand Division in leave ... the final milestone on the welfare road".; Back cover has the words "New Zealand Fernleaf Club" and a picture of a fern leaf. Quantity: 1 colour photo-mechanical print(s) on Christmas greetings card. Physical Description: Folded card, 122 x 122 mm. Provenance: Purchased from Trevor and Pam Plumbly, in 2005.
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World War, 1939-1945. New Zealand. Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg
Date: 1941-1945
From: New Zealand. Department of Internal Affairs. War History Branch :Photographs relating to World War 1914-1918, World War 1939-1945, occupation of Japan, Korean War, and Malayan Emergency
Reference: PAColl-4161-01-219
Description: Assortment of photographs (mainly captioned) of General Freyberg in the Middle East, Greece, Crete, Italy and London. Also a series of photographs taken during his visit to Rotorua; the Prime Minister Peter Fraser's visit to Italy; on the steps of Parliament Buildings, Wellington as Governor General; during Rt Hon R G Casey's visit to Middle East. Group photo of voluntary workers, NZ Tuis, General Freyberg, Brigadier Park and Countess Jellicoe at the Fernleaf Club, London Quantity: 91 b&w original photographic print(s).
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World War, 1939-1945. New Zealand. 2nd NZEF in United Kingdom
Date: 1940-1945
From: New Zealand. Department of Internal Affairs. War History Branch :Photographs relating to World War 1914-1918, World War 1939-1945, occupation of Japan, Korean War, and Malayan Emergency
Reference: PAColl-4161-01-064
Description: Photographs relating to 2nd NZEF during their time in England; most include captions and individuals are named. Includes: Maori soldiers on leave outside Buckingham Palace; P N H Shepherd (Dunedin), N C W Nicholass (New Plymouth), R C Meadows (Christchurch) and A G W Brown (Auckland) at Milestone Club, London; groups of soldiers outside the San Remo Hotel, and Norfolk Hotel (Cliftonville); Anti-tank Battery practising and being inspected by Anthony Eden at Aldershot; Christmas presents arriving from NZ; High Commissioner W Jordan presenting Rt Hon Sir Walter Citrine, Gen Sec of the Trades Union Congress with cheque for provision of medical and hospital assistance for Soviet Russia through Help for Russia Fund of National Council of Labour; High Commissioner Jordan with Mr McGuiness, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Northern Ireland, 1943; opening of exhibition of war pictures including Peter McIntyre's `Tank Battle at Bel Hamel'; ANZAC Day in London showing wreath laying at Cenotaph by W J Jordan and Lt Col Bishop G V Gerrard who had just been released from captivity in Italy; Princess Elizabeth at Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, 19 Jun 1945; reception held at NZ Forces Club, Charing Cross following investiture at Buckingham Palace at which NZ heros were decorated (Includes F/O G B Page with Acting High Commissioner R M Campbell); march past on United Nations day; visit of Hon F Jones to Naval Depot, and inspecting Light Coastal Forces base on East coast; Winston Churchill inspecting NZ & Australian troops; voluntary workers at Fernleaf Club being thanked by Divisional Commander (NZ Tuis); reception for Lady Newall, wife of Governor General of NZ at NZ Forces Club; delegates of United Nations signing remembrance book presented to Emperor Haille Selassie; Nurse Shiels and W J Jordan (his WWI nurse); launching of a NZ warship by Lady Jellicoe; reception given by M Antoine Delfosse, Belgian Minister of Justice & Information in honour of the delegation in Great Britain of NZ Press; W J Jordan helping to load wste paper salvaged from NZ government offices in the Strand (NZ's effort for Westminster Waste Paper Week) Group photograph of Fernleaf Club Tuis (all named) Quantity: 46 b&w original photographic print(s).
Manuscript
Tom Hustwick - Letters to family
Date: 1945
From: Hustwick family : Correspondence
Reference: MS-Papers-8164-07
Description: Letters written while on active service in Italy with 25 Battalion and later in the year in London where he worked at the Fernleaf Club In March 1945 Hustwick attended a month long course at the Eight Army Signals School Quantity: 1 folder(s). Physical Description: Mss
Manuscript
Tom Hustwick - Letters to family
Date: Feb-May 1946
From: Hustwick family : Correspondence
Reference: MS-Papers-8164-08
Description: Letters to parents while working in the Fernleaf Club, London Quantity: 1 folder(s). Physical Description: Mss and typescript
Other
Newspapers and letter to the editor
Date: 1892, 1939-1946, 1989
From: Blow, Eric Harold, 1908-1974: Collection relating to World War Two, study and rugby
Reference: fMS-Papers-12822
Description: Contains a bundle of newspaper cuttings and entire newspapers, an envelope from the L’Instituteur Practique, and one piece of correspondence. The letter is from Eric Blow at University College, Oxford and dated 9 April 1946. It is addressed to the Editor of the New Zealand Truth and entitled “Unjust attack on the Fernleaf Club”. The newspapers and clippings are mainly from Europe and include fragments from the ‘Berliner Tageblatt’ of 1892, and full issues of ‘L’epoque’ and ‘The Times’ from 1939 and the ‘Review’ from 1989. Title supplied by Library. Quantity: 1 folder(s).