Highlander

The Highlander was a troopship magazine published ‘At Sea’ on board the Highland troopship HMT Highland Princess, on its way to New Zealand transporting troops home from World War II between March and April 1945.

It was published on behalf of the New Zealand Education and Rehabilitation Services (NZERS) by the ship’s printer. Due to a shortage of newsprint, the paper was published every second day and only printed one copy for every two men on board.

The first issue stated its aim to ‘present to you the main features of world news as well as general items of interest, but it is primarily YOUR paper, intended to record your ship-board activities and your thoughts if you will let us have them’ (21 March 1945: 1).

While it mostly covered world and New Zealand related news received along its voyage, from its beginning it was intended that a souvenir issue would be printed at port en route to New Zealand. This was produced under a different title called South-East Passage: a Souvenir Magazine of the Southern Tongariro Group.

The Highlander published its final issue on 18 April 1945 as the ship neared home shores, finishing with words of thanks to soldiers for their service and good wishes from the master of the ship Captain J W Carr, Officer Commanding (OC) troops Lieutenant Colonel E J Thomson, Officer Commanding British Troops (Gordon Highlanders) Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Robb and editor A B Crawford.