In the early 20th century, stores accounting for the New Zealand Military Forces were notably disorganised. Responsibilities were divided between two main entities:

• The Director of Ordnance and Artillery. Oversaw artillery armament, artillery ammunition, fixed coast defences, and ordnance supplies.
• The Quartermaster General, through the Director of Stores of the Defence Stores Department. Managed clothing and personal equipment, accoutrements, saddlery, harnesses, small arms and their ammunition, machine guns, and all other Defence Forces stores..

This division of duties led to significant confusion and duplication of responsibilities. Despite widespread recognition of the inefficiencies, the system persisted because it mirrored the procedures of the British Army. Change eventually came with establishing the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (NZAOC), which centralised most army supply management. However, the Artillery retained control over gun ammunition until 1947.

In 1911, Lieutenant Colonel G.N. Johnston, the Director of Ordnance and Artillery, concerned about the costs of importing artillery ammunition to meet training and operational needs, tasked Lieutenant R.G.V. Parker, an Artillery Stores Accountant, with conducting a cost-benefit analysis. This analysis compared the virtues of locally manufactured ammunition against imported ammunition.

At the time, New Zealand’s artillery inventory included a mix of obsolete, obsolescent, and current field and fixed coast artillery pieces, including:

• QF  6-Pounder Hotchkiss gun.
• QF 6 pounder Nordenfelt.
• QF 12 pounder 12 cwt gun.
• Ordnance QF 18-pounder.
• QF 4.5-inch howitzer.
• BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun.
• BL 6-inch gun Mk V.
• BL 8-inch Mk VII naval gun.

Most Quick Loading (QF) ammunition types comprised single-piece rounds, with the projectile mounted in a brass case containing the propellant charge. These QF cases had a limited lifespan, typically allowing for cleaning and reloading with Cordite charges up to six times before they had to be discarded.

Breech-loading weapons used a two-piece ammunition system, with projectile and propellant bags being separate, single-use items. These propellant charges, usually silk bags, contained sticks of cordite bound together with an igniter pad. The cordite provided rigidity and a tubular shape, allowing the cartridges to be loaded as a solid unit without a case.

In his study, Lieutenant Parker estimated that significant savings could be achieved by refurbishing QF casings through cleaning, inspecting, and refilling, as well as inspecting, refurbishing, and manufacturing new propellant bags as required instead of importing new items. He calculated that with an initial investment in specialist equipment and materials, excluding labour, the savings would be around £3,333.15 (2017 NZD$555,230.08), with local production costing £5,683.11 (2017 NZD$946,670.23).

To realise these savings, Lieutenant Parker recommended establishing a specialist Ordnance Corps section within the Royal New Zealand Artillery (RNZA) dedicated to manufacturing and modifying ammunition. The proposed initial manpower scaling of this section included:

• Six gunners from within the current Artillery establishment, or
• Six gunners whose time had already expired but had the required ammunition experience.

Both options were to be supervised by the Master Gunner and entitled to the same pay and allowances as other members of the Royal New Zealand Artillery, as they were considered just another section of the Artillery.

The formation of this Ordnance Corps Section experienced delays, and it was not until mid-1914 that General Godley, the Commander of the New Zealand Forces, approved the proposal, allowing work to commence. Orders were placed with Great Britain for the necessary machinery, components, and, most importantly, cordite. While some machinery arrived promptly, the remainder was promised for delivery as soon as possible. With the outbreak of war, the urgency of establishing this capability and securing New Zealand’s artillery ammunition supply for training and home defence became evident. Lieutenant Parker’s proposal, which laid the foundations for the modern Ammunition Technician Trade, was commendable.

As a uniformed section of the RNZA, akin to the Field Artillery or Electric Light Company, the Ordnance Corps Section was to be under the administration and control of the OC RNZA, not the Quartermaster General. On 1 March 1915, authority was granted under New Zealand Defence Forces General Order 90 to raise the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps Section, effective 1 April 1915.

The creation of the Ordnance Corps Section within the RNZA, anticipated for some time, was not a smooth transition. Lieutenant Colonel J.E. Hume, the OC RNZA, was away from his Wellington HQ, with many responsibilities handled by his subordinate, Lieutenant J. Burberry. Unaware of the formation of the section, Lt. Col. Hume received the file with the selected men’s names while at the Regimental HQ in Auckland and replied a week later, expressing his unawareness of the decision. He added that seniors with good records should be selected if serving soldiers were to be appointed.

All initially selected had retired and declined re-enlistment, except for Ex-Sergeant Murray. Applications were then opened to both former and serving members of the RNZA. Although those chosen did not have as much service and experience as those initially selected, the following became the foundation members of the Ordnanxe Section on 10 May 1915 :

• Bombardier John Murray
• Gunner Hugh John Adams
• Gunner Maurice Francis Johnstone
• Gunner Patrick Kesham
• Gunner Richard Ross. (Transferred back to Garrison Artillery 12 June 1915)
• Gunner Charles William Marshall
• Gunner William Thornton

Members of the Ordnance Corps Section were classified as non-combatants and were to be employed solely on their specific tasks, with no other duties assigned.

Located at Fort Ballance in Mahanga Bay on Wellington’s Miramar Peninsula, the Ordnance Corps Section’s primary duties included assembling ammunition components for the artillery and maintaining the magazines.

As the Ordnance Corps Section was part of the RNZA, its members wore the standard RNZA dress embellishments.

With an extensive stock of neglected cartridge cases needing inspection, the initial priority was to clear this backlog. Once the remaining equipment and materials were received from England, and after a brief training period, the section established a steady workflow, inspecting and manufacturing artillery ammunition components.

With the creation of the NZAOC in 1917, administrative responsibility for the Ordnance Corps Section shifted from the RNZA to the NZAOC, reclassifying its members as Ordnance soldiers. However, technical control remained with the RNZA.

The immediate post-war years into the mid-1920s were busy for the NZAOC Ammunition Section. The Kaiwharawhara Magazine near the city was closed, and the Mahanga Bay facilities expanded. This expansion included Fort Ballance, Fort Gordon, and the Kau Point Battery, which were decommissioned, their armaments removed, and gun pits covered to create additional magazines. The area transitioned from Wellington’s premier defensive location to the first large-scale ammunition depot of the NZAOC, a role it maintained until 1929 when purpose-built facilities were constructed at Hopuhopu in the Waikato.

The RNZA maintained control over artillery ammunition through their Artillery Directorate until 1947 when this responsibility was also transferred to the RNZAOC.

Copyright © Robert McKie 2021