Appraisal Report

Public Office:	New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF)	
Scope:	Victoria Cross Holder Personnel Files	
Disposal Type:	One-off appraisal	
File Ref:	2007/4208	

Appraisal Circumstances:

Archives New Zealand currently holds the personnel files of Victoria Cross (VC) recipients. Prior to their transfer in 1963, some documentation, including the military history sheets, were removed from the files and have been stored at the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Personnel Archive until this time. NZDF expressed a desire for all of these records to be available as public archives. 

In 2005, Archives New Zealand examined the records and confirmed that they had been part of the original file. This process requires a new disposal authority.

Description: 

The military history sheets were created from 1914 - 1949 and contain a summary of the military service for individual service members. The files also include some personal details (enlistment details, next-of-kin, former employment data, etc) and unit information (transfers, unit postings, promotions, information on awards, major disciplinary issues, etc).

There are 24 files offered for appraisal dating from 1914-1949.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that the VC recipient files are retained as public archives because of their obvious historical value in documenting the service record of a selective and decorated group of New Zealand service personnel, for the purposes of ongoing preservation, and in order to reunite the records with their original file to ensure complete documentation. 

Signed:						Date:	

[Name removed]
Archives Analyst, Appraisal