OUR HISTORY – WARTIME OATHS

World War Two brought with it the need for defence personnel to take the Oath of Allegiance to the Sovereign… and Justices of the Peace were authorised to administer the Oath. One Justice got quite shirty when, on going to radio 1ZB to swear in men destined for the Home Guard, found one who refused to comply. He vented his disgust in the New Zealand Herald. “That such a man should be in the employ of the King’s Government, and especially in such an important branch of the Public Service as broadcasting, at a time when every British subject should be free from any taint of disloyalty to the Sovereign, is a disgrace which should not be tolerated for one moment”.  

Researched and compiled by Ric Carlyon