Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Uniform collection belonged to unknown Air Force man

By Sam Boyer
Bay of Plenty Times·
23 Apr, 2012 10:35 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

There are three full military uniforms. There's a pilot's helmet, suspenders, a pistol holster and a drink bottle.

But no one seems to know where they came from, who they belonged to, or who donated them.

Call it the Mystery of Airman P. Harrison.

Tauranga cultural heritage co-ordinator Fiona Kean said she only knew that the immaculate haul of military regalia dated back to the 1950s. Beyond that, she said, nothing else was known about the suits and accessories.

"All we know is it belonged to this person, P. Harrison. It's an entire set," she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The set includes a kit bag with the Air Force officer's name written on it and, presumably, his service number - 81657.

His flight jacket, the most worn of the three jackets, has single rank stripes on the epaulet. The other two jackets feature double stripes.

The belongings were re-discovered in a suitcase at the Heritage Collection storage facility in Mount Maunganui about four years ago. In 1998 when the collection was moved from the Historic Village, it had been packed away and forgotten.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ms Kean hoped now it had been found again, someone could shed more light on the military memorabilia.

"It would be fantastic to have him [P. Harrison] or his family members come forward ... to give it life. At the moment it's great ... but without [knowing] who the person was, it lacks something," she said.

The Tauranga Heritage Collection features about 100 military uniforms, ranging from the New Zealand Wars of the 1860s to the Boer War, WWI, WWII, and the Korean War, through to the Vietnam War.

The collection includes more than 30,000 objects of Western Bay history.

"It's a storehouse of a community's memories and values. [The collection] is an educational tool - hopefully in the future something will happen and people will be able to see it. In a perfect world it goes on show for people to connect with and remember," Ms Kean said.

Anzac Services

Mount Maunganui: Assemble at Mt Drury Reserve. 5.45am. March off 5.55am. Dawn Service at the Cenotaph 6am. Memorial Service at the Cenotaph 9.30am. (Mount RSA Clubrooms if wet)

Tauranga: Assemble on Hayes Avenue. 5.45am. March off 5.55am. Dawn Service at the new RSA Cenotaph 6am. (Location: 1237 Cameron Rd). Memorial Service at Memorial Park 9am. (Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre if wet). Remembrance Service for all returned men who have fallen at 10.30am at Pyes Pa Cemetery.

Te Puke: Assemble opposite the Post Office 10.10am. March off 10.20am. Memorial Service at the Te Puke Memorial Hall 10.30am.

Maketu: Assemble at Whakaue Marae. Dawn Service at 6am. Breakfast for all will be provided afterwards.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Katikati: Dawn Service at the Club Rooms 6am. Memorial Service at the War Memorial Hall 11am.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Donations save school from brink of closure

13 Jul 12:01 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Palpable grief': Motorcyclist who killed two people had 11 previous driving convictions

12 Jul 11:00 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Second venomous sea snake washes ashore in Coromandel

12 Jul 06:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Donations save school from brink of closure

Donations save school from brink of closure

13 Jul 12:01 AM

Matahui School will stay open into 2025 and beyond.

'Palpable grief': Motorcyclist who killed two people had 11 previous driving convictions

'Palpable grief': Motorcyclist who killed two people had 11 previous driving convictions

12 Jul 11:00 PM
Second venomous sea snake washes ashore in Coromandel

Second venomous sea snake washes ashore in Coromandel

12 Jul 06:00 AM
'My moment': NZ-born boxer becomes first Māori to be crowned undisputed world champ

'My moment': NZ-born boxer becomes first Māori to be crowned undisputed world champ

12 Jul 03:58 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP