Bomber Bert?

In my last post, the late former Russian Intelligence officer, Alexander Litvinenko named several political activists trained by the Russians in sabotage and terrorism techniques.

NZers should not be surprised to know that several locals have also allegedly undergone military and/or sabotage training behind the “former” Iron Curtain.

One who claimed to have trained in sabotage techniques and bomb making in the Soviet Union, was the late, Albert (Bert) Shipp.


A railwayman, Shipp joined the pro-Soviet, Socialist Unity Party in 1967, one year after its foundation.

By 1971, Shipp was secretary of the Wellington branch of the Railway Tradesman’s Association. In the ’80s he rose to national president of the organisation.

In 1980 Shipp appeared on PM Rob Muldoon’s list of SUP members active in the union movement.

By 1976 Shipp was Wellington Branch secretary of the SUP and a highly trusted comrade. It was probably shortly after this that he travelled to the Soviet Union.

Certainly, by the early ’80s Shipp was a member of the much smaller Lower Hutt branch of the ’80s. Maybe the intimacy of the tiny branch lead him to drop his guard as Shipp regularly breached party security.

Shipp often boasted to his comrades of the 12 months he had spent in the Soviet Union, training full time on bomb making, sabotage and terrorism techniques.

He was certainly believed by his comrades who were most impressed by his stories. His credibility was probably enhanced when he revealed the name of another comrade who had undergone similar training.

This man had a well deserved reputation as a thug and was later jailed for violent offending.

NZ was regarded as a propaganda vehicle by the Soviets (the anti nuclear stand being the prime example), rather than a country on the brink of violent revolution.

However Bert Shipp’s intimate knowledge of the capital’s rail system, would have made him an ideal saboteur, had NZ ever slipped into a pre-revolutionary state, or a political point needed to be made.

Shipp died, a relatively young man, in 1990.

Fortunately his claimed skills went unused, except possibly here.

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16 thoughts on “Bomber Bert?

  1. EXOCET we can do something about your very awful crappy spelling. Truly.

    There is life after Trevor’s blog.

    Leave a dozen dark red roses in that cool secluded special place where the moist ferns hang down in abandance, you know what I mean and it will be a sign for me to come and take you with me out of Trevor’s predictable bootleootleoo blog across to that celestial land.

    Bring Vegemite if you like.

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  4. Isn’t it quite typical for an apologist like anon right here to defend someone who was trained by the West’s enemies? Typical.

  5. I knew Bert Shipp quite well.

    What a wank this speculation is.

    Bert talked up the events of his time in Russia in the Panama hotel after a few beers. As people do, big deal.

    But there were no bombs. The SUP were pussycats.

    Trevor, I feel you are aching to tear the wings off a stranded housefly, go do that if you want some action, you obviously can’t face standing up and getting yourself something of a life.

  6. “write on forever you wackos”

    The only wacko I am seeing here is this fellow who is also an apologist for Chavez and his fellow revolutionary comrades. Pathetic.

  7. the compromising Labour supporting strike stifling SUP making bombs?

    HAHAHAHAHA HA

    I love this site.

    write on forever you wackos

  8. Not a big surprise there. The Red Army Faction to which I looked in has its leadership now supporting the neo-Nazi movement in Europe and those people were also trained by the Soviets and the PLO.

    I would suspect it’s the same right here.

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