Badge of the 2nd NZEF

From July 1941 to December 1945, the New Zealand Divisional Ordnance Field Park (NZ OFP) was the primary stores holding organisation supporting the 2^nd New Zealand Division of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force(2 NZEF). Following closely behind the NZ Division, the NZ OFP’s primary role was to provide a holding of spares for the NZ Divisional Workshop. Often, as the Workshop deployed elements forward to support individual brigades, sections of the NZ OFP were also detached forward. Mentioned in passing in many of the war histories produced since the war, the story of the NZ Divisional OFP has remained untold in any detail.

British experimentation in mechanisation during the 1920s had identified the need for mobile Field Workshops and OFPs to support the mechanised forces that were to fight the next war. Added to British Army War Establishments (WE) in the 1930s, it was not until July 1939 that Britain formed several new Field Workshops and OFPs as part of the Territorial Army, recruiting 150 officers and 5000 other ranks to bring the new units to war strength.[1]

An OFP was a mobile mini Ordnance Depot with its stock held on vehicles (on wheels) consisting of;

• Assemblies and spare parts of “A” and “B” vehicles and equipment as are normally required by mobile workshops for repair purposes and
• Advanced holdings of particular “A” and “B” vehicles for replacement purposes

An OFP’s holdings constituted a forward portion of the Base Ordnance Depot (BOD) stocks and were to be modified as experience was gained and equipment changed as the war progressed. [2]

Stockholding typically consisted of fast-moving or essential items to maintain equipment vital to the dependency, including MT spares, Weapon spares and signal stores,[3] with scaling for each Divisional OFP against a scale set to represent 2.5% of the supported division’s vehicles.[4] Scaling of OFPs was centrally controlled by the British Army’s Scales Branch of the Central Provisioning Organisation, which developed a standard “Middle East” scale for OFPs, taking into consideration the long lines of communication from the factory to the foxhole and the diversity of equipment, sources such as for Britain, India, Canada and the United States.[5]

When New Zealand committed forces to the war in September 1939, an Infantry Division with supporting arms was to be recruited and sent overseas in three Brigade Group echelons.

• The first echelon, consisting of the 2NZEF Headquarters and a Brigade Group, arrived in Egypt in February 1940.
• The second echelon was diverted to Britain and did not join the NZ Division in Egypt until March 1941.
• The third echelon arrived in Egypt in September 1940.

Given the New Zealand Ordnance Corps (NZOC) title, the initial Ordnance contribution initially consisted of Headquarters Staff and Light Aid Detachments (LAD) attached to each Infantry Brigade and Artillery Regiment. Within a short period, New Zealand Ordnance personnel worked closely with the existing Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) Base Stores Depots and Workshops in Egypt to establish the NZOC Base Ordnance Depot and Workshops at Maddi Camp. With the arrival of the 3^rd echelon in Sept 1940 and the final arrival of the 2^nd echelon from England in March 1941, the NZ Division could be consolidated as a unit. NZOC units consisting of Three Independent Brigade Workshops and 11 Light Aid Detachments were sent to Greece in March 1941 as part of New Zealand’s contribution to that campaign.[6] The NZOC workshops were supported in this campaign by the RAOC 1 OFP.[7] A lack of consultation before the operation saw that the attached British OFP was not scaled correctly to support the New Zealand units. 1 OFP held sufficient spares for Internationals and Crossleys, which proved problematic as the NZ Division was not equipped with Internationals and only had two Crossleys. Fortunately, 1 OFP held sufficient quantities of Ford, 25-pounder and 2-pounder spares, spring steel, sheet and rod metals, compressed air and many general items. With supplementation from local sources were able to provide some good support to the NZ Workshops.[8] The Greek Campaign was ultimately a defeat for the British Forces, who also lost the Island of Crete to German airborne forces in May 1941.

NZ OFP July 1941 – January 1943

Alf Beale of the OFP sorting out his stock for the bin vehicle. Maadi Camp, October 1941. Photo W.W Thomas.

Vehicle Tactical Sign NZ Division Ordnance Field Park 1941

Evacuated from Greece and then Crete, the New Zealand Division undertook a period of rebuilding and expansion. 1 NZ Field Workshop was reformed as 1 NZ Divisional Ordnance Workshop on 16 June 1941, followed by the formation of 2 and 3 NZ Field Workshops on 27 June. Taking on board the lessons of the Greek campaign, a New Zealand Divisional OFP was formed on 28 July 1941. The NZ OFP  spent August and September assembling its personnel and equipment and bringing its stock to scale with the personnel learning the intricacies of Ordnance accounting. With a strength of 4 Officers and 81 Other Ranks, the OFP was equipped with 27 3-ton Lorries in different configurations optimised for the carriage of OFP Stores.[9]

Four Ordnance Sergeants of the Divisional OFP in the Western Desert, September 1941. L to R: W.W Thomas, E.M McSherry, A Wilkin, R Smith. Photo W.W Thomas.

Organised with a Headquarters and three sections, the NZ OFP participated in Operation Crusader in November 1941 and its subsequent operations. Like any unit of the NZ Division, the NZ OFP was not immune to casualties, and Major William Knox, Officer Commanding of the NZ OFP, was injured after driving over a landmine leading to his evacuation from Tobruk, during which it is suspected that he drowned when the ship he was on was sunk.[10] [11] Withdrawn to Egypt in December 1941, the NZ OFP accompanied the NZ Divison to Syria in March 1942 as a precaution to guard against a German thrust from the North.

Fred Kreegher sorting out stores in the rear of his Bin Truck. The.Noel Kreegher collection

Recalled to the Western Desert in June 1942, the NZ Division was urgently called forward to help counter the Axis advances into Egypt. In just over a week, the NZ Division transited the 1500 kilometres from Syria to Minqar Qiam on Egypt’s western frontier and was immediately in the fight.  Forced into a fighting withdrawal, the NZ Division soon withdrew to new positions near the Egyptian town of El Alamein, where the 8th Army held fast and held the line.

NZ Division OFP on the Move. Noel Kreegher Collection

NZ Division OFP on the Move. Noel Kreegher Collection

NZ Division OFP on the Move. Noel Kreegher Collection

NZ Division OFP on the Move. Noel Kreegher Collection

Lessons learned in the recent campaign identified the need for the New Zealand Division to have its own armoured element. This led to converting the 4^th Infantry Brigade into the 4^th New Zealand Armoured Brigade on 5 October 1942.[12] [13] Concurrent with the reorganisation of the 2^nd NZEF, the increased mechanisation of the battlefield saw the British Army reform its maintenance and repair organisations and form them into a single Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME) on 1 October 1942.[14] The EME assumed responsibility for all RAOC, ASC and Royal Engineer Workshops, Recovery Sections and LADs.  New Zealand and Australia followed suit on 1 December 1942, followed by India on 1 May 1943 and Canada on 22 February 1944. The formation of the New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (NZEME) saw the NZ OFP remain with the NZOC [15] whilst assuming the additional responsibility for the provision of MT Spares to the ASC workshops, which had transferred to NZEME, and the scaling of spares for the new armoured component of the Division.

As the New Zealand Division converted to a mixed Infantry/Armoured Division, the NZ OFP was reorganised on 20 November 1942 from a modified Infantry Division OFP, comprising a Headquarters and three Sections, into a modified OFP structure. This new structure consisted of:[16]

• A Headquarters Holding Section, responsible for holding reserve stocks of all OFP Stores.
• An Infantry Section, responsible for serving the workshops and LADs of both the Infantry Brigades and Divisional troops with MT Stores, weapon spares, and signal stores.
• An Armoured Section, responsible for supporting the workshops and LADs of the Armoured Brigade with armoured-specific MT Stores, weapon spares, and signal stores.

The positions of Driver-Mechanics and Electricians were removed from the establishment. The affected personnel were transferred to NZEME units and replaced with NZOC Storeman-Drivers. The Fitters were retained as attached NZEME personnel.

RAOC Ordnance Field Park 1944/45 (RAOC, public domain)

February 1943 – January 1944

Vehicle Tactical Sign NZ Division Ordnance Field Park 1944-45

In February 1943, the establishment was again modified, increasing the strength to 5 Officers and 99 Other Ranks. The structure was changed to include an additional section: the Reserve Vehicle Park Section, which was responsible for holding reserves of the Division’s vehicles.

Further adjustments to the role and establishment of the OFP were made on 7 March 1943, when Controlled Stores became an OFP responsibility. This change was included in the OFP Headquarters, whose strength increased by one Warrant Officer Class One and one Private.

Following the second Battle of El Alamein, the NZ OFP continued to support the NZ Division in the advance across Libya and into Tunisia until the final defeat of the Axis forces in North Africa in May 1943. During this advance, a New Zealand Advanced Ordnance Depot (NZAOD) was occasionally attached to the NZ OFP from the NZ Base Ordnance Depot (BOD) in Egypt. The role of the NZAOD was to provide holdings of general stores and consumables not maintained by the OFP, primarily clothing and personal webbing equipment.

The New Zealand Division did not participate in the invasion of Sicily. Instead, they spent the following months reorganising and refitting, during which the 4th Armoured Brigade completed its training and was fully integrated into the NZ Division.

On 22 October 1943, the advance elements of the NZ OFP disembarked at Taranto to begin the Italian campaign.

February 1944 – December 1945

After several months in Italy, the NZ OFP underwent another reorganisation in February 1944. The NZ BOD at Maadi camp in Egypt had been split into two parts: No. 1 NZ BOD, which remained in Egypt, and No. 2 NZ BOD, which was based at Bari on the South Adriatic coast of Italy. With No. 2 NZ BOD in Italy, the shorter and narrower lines of communication reduced the necessity for the NZAOD, which had been supporting the NZ Division in Italy before the establishment of No. 2 BOD. Consequently, the NZAOD was disbanded on 16 February 1944.

However, the requirement for the stores previously held by the NZAOD to remain forward led to some of its functions being absorbed into the NZ OFP as a mobile AOD section. This reorganisation increased the strength of the NZ OFP by one officer, fifteen other ranks, and ten additional lorries. [17]

One of the functions that the AOD section brought to the NZ OFP was a Mobile Officers Shop. These shops, developed by the British in North Africa and centrally provisioned by the Central Provision Office, allowed officers to buy authorised items of kit such as clothing, camp gear, travel bags, leather jerkins, and shoes at reasonable rates.[18] In Italy, the Officers Shop organisations were similar to those in the Middle East but also stocked a range of locally obtained items. Although the Officers Shop function was included as part of the AOD Section from February 1944, it was not officially formalised and added to the establishment of the NZ OFP until 11 May 1945.

Further changes to the NZ OFP occurred in August 1944 when an NZASC Warrant Officer Class Two was included in the Headquarters establishment to assist in coordinating supplies to NZASC units from the NZ OFP.[19]  Additionally, a truck-mounted crane was approved in August 1944 to assist with handling heavy tank spares and engines in the Armoured Section.[20]

In April 1945, the stockholding of signals stores in Division OFPs was authorised to be increased. With the estimated increase of holdings around six tonnes, an additional three 3-ton lorries were approved, along with an increase of two storemen and one clerk.

Germany surrendered on 7 May 1945, bringing hostilities in Europe to a close. However, in the Pacific and Southeast Asia, the war against Japan was still ongoing, prompting discussions about the future of the NZEF and its role in the conflict. By June 1945, the decision was made to maintain NZOC units in the NZEF at full strength to facilitate divisional units’ handing back of vehicles and equipment as they were demobilised or reorganised for service against Japan. The atomic bombing of Japan in August and their subsequent surrender in September 1945 brought the war to a sudden end. Japan was occupied by Allied forces, and New Zealand contributed a Brigade group (J Force) based on the 9th Infantry Brigade of the 2nd NZEF.[21]

In October 1945, it was decided to disband the NZ OFP. Its personnel and equipment were reformed into an NZAOD, a Vehicle and Equipment Handling Depot, and attached to 557 BOD, RAOC. The NZAOD and Vehicle and Equipment Handling Depot received and sorted the equipment, with the best of it going to the J Force elements forming at Florence, and the remainder returned to the RAOC. The NZOC personnel were seconded to 557AOD, assisting in receiving and processing New Zealand equipment back into the RAOC system while also collecting and dispatching new equipment from RAOC stocks for delivery to J Force.[22] [23]

The NZ OFP was functionally disbanded on 26 October 1945 and formally disbanded after 4 years and 5 months of service as a unit of the 2nd NZEF on 29 December 1945.[24]

During the NZ OFP’s 4 years of service, the following members died while on active service:

• Temporary Major William Andrew Knox, 5 December 1941, no known grave, commemorated at Alamein Memorial.
• Sergeant Ronald Roy Moore, 13 February 1942, now resting at the Fayid War Cemetery in Egypt.
• Private Ivan James Curin, 24 March 1945, now resting at Ravenna War Cemetery in Italy.

OFP Storage and Accounting

Before the onset of the war, the standard method of field storage relied on the humble disused ammunition box. However, with Britain’s mobilisation, a surge of manpower from the automotive industry into the RAOC led to the adoption of advanced storage techniques. This included maximizing storage space in the OFPs.[25]

Morris C8 15cwt 4 X 4 GS

The heart of the OFP was its fleet of vehicles dedicated to storage. The NZ OFP utilized a combination of 15-cwt (.75-tonne) trucks for administrative tasks and 3-ton lorries for transporting stores. The 3-ton lorries were primarily of two types:

• GS Lorries.  Able to carry large items such as engines, gearboxes, and differentials. These vehicles featured a flat floor body with fixed sides, a headboard, and a drop tailgate. They were often equipped with a canvas canopy on a tubular frame, occasionally reinforced with chicken wire to deter theft.
• Bin Lorries.  Designed to transport smaller compact items like nuts, bolts, gaskets, fan belts, brake linings, and windscreen wipers. These lorries and trailers were fitted with fixed racking consisting of bins of varying dimensions. Early designs featured full-length benches on both sides, storage bins beneath, compartments above for small items, and a writing desk. A mesh screen secured items during transport and was removable when stationary for access. As the war progressed, these vehicles evolved, with later models incorporating solid bodies and internal lighting. The following illustrations provide examples of different types of bin trucks.

Bin Lorry of the Polish Corps Italy 1943-45. The Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum

Bin Lorry of the Polish Corps Italy 1943-45. The Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum

Stores accounting was managed by the Visidex system, introduced in the late 1930s by the RAOC. This simple ledger card system replaced the mechanical ledger posting systems, which had proven unsatisfactory.[26]

The Visidex system was highly suitable for wartime use due to its minimal staff training requirement. It utilised carbon-backed posting slips, facilitating straightforward checks. Each OFP section operated a control office where unit indents were received and stock records verified. In an OFP, each truck served as a distinct stock location. If the stock was available, it was promptly issued; if not, it was logged as ‘Dues Out,’ with an indent sent to the supporting Depot for replenishment, marked as ‘Dues In’ upon receipt.

Furthermore, each OFP truck maintained its stock records, reconciling them with every issue, receipt, and stocktake. The Visidex system’s robustness and simplicity ensured its role as the primary field stores accounting system in the New Zealand Army well into the 1990s.”

Summary

The New Zealand Division was notable for its heavy reliance on motor transport. General Freyberg advocated for the Division’s deployment in Southeast Asia as World War II drew to a close in Europe. British commanders were receptive, though concerns arose over the adequacy of road space for the Division’s extensive fleet, which encompassed vehicles ranging from motorcycles to tanks and a diverse array of weaponry and technical equipment requiring maintenance and repair.[28]

In the post-war NZ Army, OFPs existed in various iterations from 1948 until the late 1970s, but these were training units that never deployed as standalone units such as the NZ OFP. The direct descendants of the NZ OFP were the RNZAOC Stores Sections attached to each RNZEME Workshop. Carrying specialised spares, assemblies, and workshop materials to suit the particular requirements of its parent RNZEME workshops, Stores Sections became an RNZAOC responsibility in 1962 when RNZEME Technical Stores were transferred to the RNZAOC. A familiar sight on any RNZEME workshop exercise from the 1960s to 1996, the spirit of the NZ OFP was well represented by RNZAOC Workshops Stores Sections with their RL Bedford Bin trucks and later Unimog mounted Binned 13’ Containers.

Copyright © Robert McKie 2018

Sergeant Harry Gilbertson of the OFP with the section mascot. ‘Sergeant Two Bob’ was brought as a pup from a ‘WOG’ for two bob and stayed with the section until the end of the war. Maadi, September 1943. Photo H.J Gilbertson

Notes

[1] “Technicians for Army,” Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 22, 26 July 1939.

[2] The War Office, Ordnance Manual (War) (London: His Majestys Stationery Office, 1939), Chapter IV, Section 35, Page 79.

[3] Brigadier A.H Fernyhough C.B.E. M.C, History of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps 1920-1945 (London: Royal Army Ordnance Corps, 1965), 153.

[4] Major J.S Bolton, A History of the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (Trentham: RNZAOC, 1992), 95.

[5] Brigadier A.H Fernyhough C.B.E. M.C, History of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps 1920-1945, 184.

[6] Bolton, A History of the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps, 94.

[7] Brigadier A.H Fernyhough C.B.E. M.C, History of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps 1920-1945, 141.

[8] Bolton, A History of the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps, 95.

[9] 2nzef – Organisation and War Establishments – Ordnance – Field Item Idr20107590 Record No  Da 1/9/Sd81/21 (Wellington: New Zealand Archives, 1941).

[10] A commercial traveller, Major Knox had served in the Field Artillery in the Great War attaining the rank of Lieutenant. Enlisting in the 2NZEF in 1930, Knox was posted to the 7^th Anti-Tank Regiment as the Quartermaster. On 4 August 1941 Knox was transferred into the NZOC as the Officer Commanding of the NZ OFP and granted the rank of Temporary Major whist holding that appointment. Injured as the result of driving over a landmine, Knox was admitted to a Casualty Clearing Station on 29 November 1941. Evacuated alongside 380 other wounded soldiers, of whom 97 were New Zealanders on the SS Chakdina on the afternoon of 5 December 1941. Torpedoed by enemy aircraft, only 18 of the New Zealanders were rescued with the remainder including Knox presumed drowned. “William Andrew Knox,” Personal File, Archives New Zealand 1939.

[11] J. B. McKinney, Medical Units of 2 Nzef in the Middle East and Italy, Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45 (Wellington, N.Z.: War History Branch Department of Internal Affairs, 1952, 1952), Non-fiction, 179.

[12] I. C. McGibbon and Paul William Goldstone, The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Military History (Auckland; Melbourne; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, 2000), Bibliographies, Non-fiction, 37.

[13] D. J. C. Pringle and W. A. Glue, 20 Battalion and Armoured Regiment, Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-45 (Wellington: War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1957, 1957), Non-fiction, 292.

[14] Peter Cooke, Warrior Craftsmen, Rnzeme 1942-1996 (Wellington: Defense of New Zealand Study Group, 2017).

[15] Bolton, A History of the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps, 103.

[16] 2nzef – Organisation and War Establishments – Ordnance – Field

[17] Ibid.

[18]  Brigadier A.H Fernyhough C.B.E. M.C, History of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps 1920-1945, 205.

[19] NZASC Units were; 4 & 6 Reserve Mechanical Transport Company, Ammunition Company, Petrol Company, Supply Column, NZ Field Bakery, 18 Tank Transporter Company, NZ Mule Transport Company. Julia Millen, Salute to Service: A History of the Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport and Its Predecessors, 1860-1996 (Wellington: Victoria University Press, 1997, 1997), Bibliographies, Non-fiction, 441.

[20] 2nzef – Organisation and War Establishments – Ordnance – Field

[21] Matthew Wright, Italian Odyssey: New Zealanders in the Battle for Italy 1943-45 (Auckland, N.Z.: Reed, 2003, 2003), Bibliographies, Non-fiction, 166.

[22] 2nzef – Organisation and War Establishments – Ordnance – Field

[23] Bolton, A History of the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps, 120.

[24] 2nzef – Organisation and War Establishments – Ordnance – Field

[25] P.H. Williams, War on Wheels: The Mechanisation of the British Army in the Second World War (History Press Limited, 2016), 73.

[26] Brigadier A.H Fernyhough C.B.E. M.C, History of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps 1920-1945, 40.

[27] Williams, War on Wheels: The Mechanisation of the British Army in the Second World War, 73.

[28] Wright, Italian Odyssey: New Zealanders in the Battle for Italy 1943-45, 166.