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AddBy: Lizzie Errington14th May 2026 1:11PMThe following comment was shared on a post on the Upper Hutt Heritage Facebook page on May 8, 2026:
David Josland - "This photograph is from my grandfather Sydney Josland's collection and includes Major Richard ("Dickie") Davis and members of his family. My father Peter Josland is the boy standing in front of Davis and on the right wearing a fur coat is Peter's mother (my grandmother) Elsie Naviro Josland (formerly Railton and called "Bill" by family and friends). Major Davis was killed along with four soldiers when an explosive device denotated in his hand during a training exercise at Trentham Military Camp. Eleven others were injured. This is an article I wrote about the tragedy https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/88985064/anniversary-of-army-explosives-tragedy-at-trentham. When Sydney Josland went to World War II in 1940 Major Davies personally gave him a pistol belt and holster to take with him. They were good friends and I remember Sydney and my father talking about Major Davies and the fate that befell him.
David Josland - "This photograph is from my grandfather Sydney Josland's collection and includes Major Richard ("Dickie") Davis and members of his family. My father Peter Josland is the boy standing in front of Davis and on the right wearing a fur coat is Peter's mother (my grandmother) Elsie Naviro Josland (formerly Railton and called "Bill" by family and friends). Major Davis was killed along with four soldiers when an explosive device denotated in his hand during a training exercise at Trentham Military Camp. Eleven others were injured. This is an article I wrote about the tragedy https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/88985064/anniversary-of-army-explosives-tragedy-at-trentham. When Sydney Josland went to World War II in 1940 Major Davies personally gave him a pistol belt and holster to take with him. They were good friends and I remember Sydney and my father talking about Major Davies and the fate that befell him.
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Major R.J.D. Davis and Family; 1935. Upper Hutt Libraries, accessed 16/06/2026, https://uhcl.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/36420