Inside the replica US Marines wartime hut which had seven items stolen from it. Photo / David Haxton
Inside the replica US Marines wartime hut which had seven items stolen from it. Photo / David Haxton
Key items in a replica United Marines wartime hut have been stolen.
The hut is in Queen Elizabeth Park, on the Kāpiti Coast, as part of a memorial dedicated to US Marines Corps stationed in the area before battles in the Pacific during World War 2.
“It’sdisgusting and disappointing indeed,” Kāpiti US Marines Trust’s Anthony Dreaver said.
Thieves smashed a toughened-glass window and took a non-firing replica Garand rifle, a metal helmet with camouflaged cover, a dress uniform, folding shovel, baseball and bat, canvas leggings, and a water bottle.
“It has taken a long directed effort, and tools, to break in, and steal the items.”
Someone smashed a window to gain access to the hut. Photo / David Haxton
Dreaver hoped whoever was responsible would “have a re-think” about the items and “drop them off somewhere”.
“That would be great because creating the display took a lot of work. The items aren’t valuable in themselves but they’re hard to find. The dress uniform, for example, was given by a former US Marine.”
The stolen dress uniform that was owned by a former US Marine. Photo / Mark Coote
