No Beer for Soldiers after 6pm
Returning New Zealand soldiers found changes had been made to their homeland while they were away fighting. As a war measure, the early closing of hotels had been introduced in 1917, with all pubs forced to close at 6pm.
In a radio documentary recorded in 1977, entitled A Land Fit for Heroes, several men recalled the effect of these measures on New Zealand society and the anger they inspired in returning soldiers.
Year:1919 (Recorded 1977)
Location:New Zealand
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No Beer for Soldiers after 6pm
Returning New Zealand soldiers found changes had been made to their homeland while they were away fighting. As a war measure, the early closing of hotels had been introduced in 1917, with all pubs forced to close at 6pm.
In a radio documentary recorded in 1977, entitled A Land Fit for Heroes, several men recalled the effect of these measures on New Zealand society and the anger they inspired in returning soldiers.
Year: 1919 (Recorded 1977)
Length: 0:04:07
Production Company: Radio New Zealand
Credits: Producer: Jack Perkins
Source: Radio New Zealand Collection, Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
Catalogue Reference: 22197 Spectrum 256 A Land Fit For Heroes
People: Colin Scrimgeour, Jack Archibald, Monte Holcroft
Location: New Zealand
Tags: 1919, 1977, WWI, World War One, Colin Scrimgeour, Jack Archibald, Monte Holcroft, New Zealand, Prohibition Referendum, prohibition, 6 o’clock swill, returning soldiers, pubs, anti-shouting regulations
Subject: 1919, 1977, WWI, World War One, New Zealand, Prohibition Referendum, 6 o’clock swill.
Image Title: Results of the New Zealand Prohibition Referendum, 1919, Otago Daily Times, 11 Apr 1919.
Image Source: Courtesy of Papers Past.
Despite the end of the war, 6 o’clock closing remained in place in New Zealand for the next 50 years, leading to the infamous ‘6 o’clock swill’. This was an hour of binge drinking, when working men raced to drink as much as possible between finishing work at 5pm and 6pm, when bartenders stopping serving.
As well as early closing, other liquor restrictions were brought in while the men were away – including the rather bizarre ‘anti-shouting regulations’. From August 1916, no one could ‘shout’ a soldier a drink in a hotel, as this practice was thought to be a major cause of drunkenness.
Worse yet for many soldiers, moves were afoot immediately after the war to introduce prohibition of all liquor in New Zealand. In April 1919, a national referendum was held and the vote in favour of prohibition won by a narrow majority.
However, about 40,000 New Zealand soldiers were still overseas waiting to catch ships home.
Over 30,000 of them got to vote in the April 1919 referendum – and when their votes were counted, Prohibition was lost by about 10,000 votes.
Find out more about the New Zealand vote for prohibition on the NZHistory website.
Read this blog about the last days of the 6 o’clock swill in New Zealand.