Before the 1st World War, there was no military Ordnance Organisation in New Zealand. Responsibility for Ordnance Services was split between the Defence Stores Department and the Royal New Zealand Artillery. Need for an Ordnance Organisation has been identified as early as 1901 [1] and again in 1907 [2], but it wasn’t until 1917 that a formal Ordnance organisation was established in New Zealand.

Based on the British Ordnance model (which itself was abolished on 28 November 1918 with the formation of the RAOC) [3] [4], two separate organisations were established for the supply, maintenance and repair of equipment, small arms and all stores required for the Defence Force.

• An Ordnance Department for Officers, and
• An Ordnance Corps for Warrant Officers, SNCO’s and Other ranks

Establishment

The regulations establishing the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (NZAOC) were published in the New Zealand Gazette on the 7^th of June 1917. Established under the authority of the Defence Act,1909 the NZAOC was constituted and created as part of the Permanent Staff of the Defence Forces of New Zealand as of the 1^st of February 1917.  Superseding the New Zealand Defence Stores Department, absorbing its existing staff and those handling military equipment and stores in the districts and training camps. Previously the Defence Stores Department had been under the control of the Public Service Commission, the NZAOC was now under the direction of the Quartermaster General. The establishment of the new Ordnance organisations, ended the anomaly of having civilians in the army who are outside it, and were not subject to military discipline and control, and placed staff who had worn civilian clothes into uniform and under army discipline [5] [6].

Organisation

The Gazetted regulations that established the NZAOC laid out the foundation of the Corps, the same Gazette also detailed the establishment of the New Zealand Army Ordnance Department, which was a separate organisation made up only of Officers.

The NZAOC Establishment as of 7 June 1917 was [7]:

Stores Regulations

To complement the creation of the new Ordnance Services, new regulations for the management of the equipment of the New Zealand Military Forces were published in the New Zealand Gazette on the 14th of June 1917 [8].

Operations

The NZAOC in conjunction with the NZAOD in New Zealand and the NZEF NZAOC, continued to support New Zealand’s war effort up to the end of the war, and then play a significant role in the demobilisation of New Zealand’s Forces, and the return inspection, repair, and redistribution of equipment. As the NZEF demobilised, the NZAOC absorbed some of the men who had served with the NZEF NZAOC providing much operation experience which became invaluable as both the NZAOD and NZAOC consolidated their position and started to centralise themselves as an organisation in Trentham, Burnham and Auckland.

Badges

NZ Army Ordnance Corps badge 1917-1937. Robert McKie Collection

Reconstitution

On 27th of June 1924, the regulations establishing the NZAOD and NZAOC on the 7^th of June 1917 were revoked, and the NZAOD was reconstituted as part of the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps resulting in one Ordnance organisation for the New Zealand Permanent Forces [9].

References

Copyright © Robert McKie 2017