Alexandra Barracks & Drill Hall

The mounted special constables who came to Wellington during the 1913 strike were quartered around the Alexandra Barracks on Buckle Street, Mount Cook. Most slept on straw in the Garrison Hall and were fed in the Army Drill Hall. On 2 November 200 more specials arrived and next day the nearby Mt Cook Infants’ School (at the corner of Tory and Buckle Streets) was taken over as accommodation. Around 1000 specials were based at Mt Cook, including 370 from Wairarapa, 200 from Hawke’s Bay and 200 from Manawatū. On 19 November there was a concert and a story-telling competition between the army and the specials.

See more images of Wellington during the 1913 strike here (Flickr)