From 1939 to 1946, the New Zealand Army Ordnance underwent a series of significant transformations, each crucially bolstering New Zealand’s military efforts during World War II.

The New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (NZAOC) demonstrated remarkable resilience throughout the war. Despite a significant downsizing in 1930, the corps embarked on a substantial rebuilding process, expanding its personnel and facilities. This led to establishing a robust network of depots and workshops across New Zealand, including key locations such as Trentham, Burnham, and Hopuhopu, ensuring unwavering ordnance support across the nation’s military districts.

In contrast, the New Zealand Ordnance Corps (NZOC) – Expeditionary Forces played a pivotal role as the ordnance component for the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces (NZEF) deployed abroad. From the Middle East to Italy and the Pacific, the NZOC provided indispensable support through various units, including base and field workshops, ordnance depots, and salvage units. This structure was instrumental in enabling the NZEF to maintain operational readiness and effectiveness across diverse theatres of war.

The New Zealand Ordnance Corps (NZOC) – Territorial Army was the ordnance branch within the Territorial Army from 1940 to 1946. Initially established to support the mobilisation of reserve forces, the NZOC Territorial units provided vital maintenance and repair services. Although the need for mobilisation waned by 1943, leading to the deactivation of most units, the NZOC remained an integral part of New Zealand’s military framework until it was eventually integrated into the NZAOC in 1946.

NZAOC

At the outset of World War II, the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (NZAOC) was a component of the New Zealand Permanent Army, still recovering from a significant downsizing on 14 July 1930. This downsizing saw nearly all uniformed staff, except for Officers, Armaments Artificers, and Armourers, transferred to the civil service as a cost-saving measure. [1]

With its reduced uniformed workforce, the NZAOC began gradually rebuilding by enlisting new personnel and employing temporary staff. Most of the Corps’ personnel were civilians stationed across the country at critical locations, including:

• The Main Ordnance Depot and Workshops at Trentham,
• An Ordnance Depot and Workshop at Burnham,
• An Ordnance Depot at Hopuhopu,
• Ordnance Workshops at Devonport.

As the war progressed and eventually drew to a close, the NZAOC established a well-distributed presence across New Zealand, ensuring adequate ordnance support through various units stationed at key locations:

Trentham

Warehousing

• Main Ordnance Depot with rented and requisitioned storage facilities throughout the Wellington and Central region. With Sub Depots at:
  • Linton
  • Lower Hutt
  • Māngere
  • Wanganui

Workshops

• Main Ordnance Workshop

Northern Military District

Warehousing

• No1 Ordnance Sub Depot, Hopuhopu

Workshops

• 11 Ordnance Workshop, Whangarei
• 12 Ordnance Workshop, Devonport

Ammunition Depot

• Ardmore
• Kelms Road
• Hopuhopu

Rented and requisitioned storage facilities throughout the Northern region.

Central Military District

Warehousing

• Ordnance stores detachments at Waiouru
• No2 Ordnance Sub Depot, Palmerston North

Ammunition Depot

• Waiouru
• Makomako
• Belmont
• Kuku Valley

Rented and requisitioned storage facilities throughout the Central region.

Southern Military District

Warehousing

• No3 Ordnance Sub Depot, Burnham

Workshops

• 13 Ordnance Workshop, Blenheim
• 14 Ordnance Workshop, Burnham
• 15 Ordnance Workshop, Dunedin

Ammunition Depot

• Alexandra
• Burnham
• Glen Tunnel
• Fairlie
• Mt Sommers

Rented and requisitioned storage facilities throughout the South Island.

This comprehensive distribution of NZAOC units and resources ensured the effective functioning of ordnance support services throughout New Zealand during the war.

2NZEF (the Middle East/Italy)

Established as a component of the newly formed 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF) in 1939, the NZOC was initially described by the Evening Post as comprising “11 Light Aid Detachments of the New Zealand Ordnance Corps, numbered 9 to 19.” Their primary role was assisting and conducting repairs on mechanical transport and anti-tank units. [3]

Starting with these 11 units, the NZOC’s contribution to the New Zealand Division quickly expanded to include various critical functions, such as:

• Base and Field Workshops,
• Base and Advanced Ordnance Depots,
• Divisional Ordnance Field Parks,
• Laundry and Bath Units,
• Salvage units.

Initially, there was some confusion regarding the use of the designations NZAOC and NZOC within the context of the NZEF. This was resolved in March 1941 by NZEF Order 221, officially establishing NZOC as the title for Ordnance within the NZEF.

A significant development occurred in 1942 with the separation of maintenance and repair functions from the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) in the British Army, leading to the creation of the Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME).[4] Following this model, the New Zealand Division established the New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (NZEME) on 1 December 1942. This reorganisation distinctly separated the repair, maintenance, and ordnance store functions previously handled by the NZOC.

With the conclusion of World War II, the NZEF NZOC was disbanded along with the 2NZEF.

2NZEF (Pacific)

Similarly to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) deployed in the Middle East, units of the New Zealand Ordnance Corps (NZOC) were also established to serve with the NZEF in the Pacific (NZEFIP). Initially, their role included providing a Base Ordnance Depot, two Workshop Sections, and a Light Aid Detachment (LAD) to support the 8th Infantry Brigade Group in Fiji, starting in November 1940. The NZOC expanded into a divisional-sized organisation comprising 23 units and detachments as the war progressed. These units provided comprehensive ordnance services to support the NZEFIP’s operations across Fiji, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, and Tonga. [5]

It is worth noting that New Zealand did not follow suit in the Pacific, unlike the British Army’s establishment of the Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 1942. Consequently, repair and maintenance functions remained integral to the Ordnance Corps throughout the war.

Following the successful conclusion of campaigns in the Solomon Islands, the 3rd NZ Division and its equipment were returned to New Zealand and disbanded. Upon their return, many NZOC members were found to be physically unfit due to the demanding conditions of the tropical campaign. As a result, they resumed their civilian occupations, while some were redeployed as reinforcements to the 2NZEF in Italy. Others remained stationed at the division’s Mangere base near Auckland or Wellington, where their duties involved checking, sorting, and reconditioning various stores and vehicles. This work continued until September 1945, at which point they handed over the entire inventory of equipment and clothing to the Main Ordnance Depot. [5]

Territorial Army Ordnance

Both the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (NZAOC) and the New Zealand Permanent Army Service Corps (NZPASC) coexisted within the Permanent Army. However, only the NZPASC had a Territorial Army component known as the New Zealand Army Service Corps (NZASC). Since the 1930s, Light Aid Detachments (LADs) and workshop sections had been included in the establishments of ASC units for activation during mobilisation. When war broke out in 1939 and the Territorial Army was mobilised in 1940, Colonel H.E. Avery, the Quartermaster General, decided that LADs should fall under the responsibility of Ordnance. Consequently, the NZOC was established as the Ordnance component of the Territorial Army in December 1940. [6]

By late 1943, the mobilisation of the Territorial Forces was no longer required, and most units were deactivated and placed on care and maintenance status, maintained by a small Regular Force cadre. As of 1 April 1944, all home defence units established during wartime had been disbanded. [6]

Although the NZOC was not originally part of the pre-war Territorial Army, it remained in active service on official records. In 1946, the distinction between Regular and non-regular soldiers was eliminated during a reorganisation of New Zealand Military Forces. Consequently, the NZOC ceased to exist as a separate Corps and was integrated into the NZAOC. [7]

Dress Distinctions

As with all units within the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF), the traditional unit and corps badges were no longer worn. Instead, the NZEF “Onward” badge became the standard insignia.

In the Pacific and New Zealand, the NZOC adopted the WW1 NZEF Ordnance badge. This emblem is prominently featured on the cover of the unofficial history of the NZEFIP NZOC and Territorial Army Unit pennants.

Copyright © Robert McKie 2018

Notes

[1]	J. Bolton, A History of the RNZAOC, Wellington: Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps, 1992.
[2]	P. Cooke, Warrior Craftsmen, Wellington: Defence of NZ Study Group, 2016.
[3]	“2nd NZ Division,” EVENING POST, vol. CXXVIII, no. 102, 27 OCTOBER 1939.
[4]	A. Fernyhough, A short history of the RAOC, London: C B Printers Ltd, 1965.
[5]	P. Henley, “ORDNANCE, The Unofficial History of the New Zealand Ordnance Corps in the Pacific from 1940 until 3rd Division was disbanded in 1944,” in Tanks, MMGs & Ordnance, Wellington, Reed Publishing (NZ) Ltd, 1947, pp. 137-227.
[6]	P. Cooke and J. Crawford, The Territorials, Wellington: Random House New Zealand Ltd, 2011, p. 258.
[7]	“MILITARY FORCES OF NEW ZEALAND ANNUAL REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE GENERAL STAFF,” Journals of the House of Representatives, vol. H19, no. 1947 Session, 1 January 1947.
[8]	G. Oldham, Badges and insignia of the New Zealand Army, Auckland: Milimem Books, 2011.
[9]	R. KAY, “FROM CASSINO TO TRIESTE,” in Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45, WELLINGTON, HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS BRANCH DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, 1967.