Howard Kippenberger - Civilian Life

Civilian Life

Kippenberger appreciated the need to establish a career for himself and to this end, decided on a profession in law. In early 1918 he enrolled at Canterbury College to study law and later in the year found a job as a law clerk in a legal practice in Christchurch. Here he met Ruth Isobel Flynn, a secretary, whom he would marry in 1922. The couple would go on to have three children, two sons and a daughter. Working by day, and studying in the evenings, he qualified as a solicitor in 1920. He moved to Rangiora, becoming the manager and then a partner of the Rangiora branch of a Christchurch legal firm.

Kippenberger became immersed in the Rangiora community, serving on the local council and becoming involved in various committees. He also retained an interest in the military and in 1924, joined the Territorial Force. He firmly believed that a large scale conflict would once again occur in Europe, and he wanted to be prepared for this eventuality. Therefore, he built up an extensive military library and studied the theory of warfare and analysed past campaigns to ascertain strategy and tactics for a given situation. He noted the influence of landscape on the outcomes of battles and the qualities of a successful military commander. He even set up a large sand table in his office at his law practice for war gaming. What he would learn from his studies, he put into practice in his training with the Territorials. By 1936, he was a lieutenant colonel, commanding the 1st Battalion of the Canterbury Regiment.