Cheers Tinto, very interesting.
Alan, the New Zealand WW1 Reinforcements and their badges is a vast subject.
The following links will help explain most of your questions.
http://www.militarianz.freeforums.or...ase-t1837.html
http://www.militarianz.freeforums.or...ase-t1797.html
The 40th, 41st, 42nd, and 43rd Mounted Rifle reinforcements embarked on the 11th October 1918, and were at sea when the war ended.
The 44th and 45th reinforcements were supposed to have embarked just before the war ended, but were held back on account of the influenza epidemic. (Their transports were used to carry cargo instead)
The last reinforcements to enter camp were the 51st Reinforcements.
However men who were to make up the 52nd, 53rd and 54th Reinforcements had received their call up papers and dates of which they had to report at camp.
Interestingly, on the 9th November 1918, Colonel H. R. Potter, Commandant of Trentham Camp, approved temporary appointments of Probationary NCOs to the 54th Reinforcements.
Men in Reinforcement Camps, 18th October 1918 = 12648