The picnic kettle

Ever been parched for a cuppa?
Well it was a Kiwi that invented a device that took off so much that it became standard Army equipment and is even still used today.
The thermette is a cone-shaped chimney surrounded by a water jacket. At the bottom is open for a small fire, causing the air flow to make the fire burn more fiercely and heat the water quickly.
It is so efficient it could boil enough water for 12 cups of coffee in only a few minutes.
And the fire could be fueled by anything including old rubbish - which made it a very attractive prospect for anyone wanting hot water outdoors.
It was designed and patented by John Ahsley Hart in Palmerston North.
Hart was born on June 25, 1887 in London to John and Florence who brought their family to New Zealand in 1902 where John Snr worked as an electrical engineer John Jnr followed in his footsteps.
In 1914, he enlisted with the Auckland sixth company infantry regiment.
He was pensioned home after being injured in Gallipoli and France.
After the war he worked around Manawatu as an electrical goods salesman before going to Auckland where he started his own company and married Martha Pieterson.
It was in 1929 Hart invented the thermette, sometimes called a picnic kettle.
So efficient is it that the design has never needed to be improved upon.
He first sold them in blue, green and orange tin or in tinned copper in 1931 and they were popular with people working outside, on roads and with postal workers far from an office.
At the start of World War Two he was approached by the Army who asked him to waive the patent to allow them to include it as standard kit for their men.
He agreed and the clever little device began its international journey.
The thermette left little round scorch marks on the ground - confusing German troops all over North Africa - but became a sure sign that Kiwi troops had been there. It became so popular that it was used everywhere by United Nations forces.
At home, the thermette was a part of a recommended emergency kit during the war in case of power cuts, blackouts and possible evacuation.
You can still buy them today from camping stores.
It was by no means the only invention Hart made. He registered 32 others but none have the legacy the thermette does.
John Hart died on November 12, 1964 and the family legend saying he passed having a cup of tea at the dining room table after helping to paint the garage door, still thinking.
He is buried at Purewa Cemetery.​