The RNZAOC experienced a momentous period marked by key developments. Establishing the RNZAOC School was a notable milestone, alongside identifying challenges related to officer recruitment. This era also witnessed the realisation of plans to modernize and equip the Army with state-of-the-art resources. The initial deliveries of new equipment arrived, replacing a significant portion of the outdated wartime equipment and contributing to the transformation of the Army into a modern and well-equipped force.

Key Appointments

Director of Ordnance Services

• Temporary Lieutenant Colonel H. McK. Reid

Chief Inspecting Ordnance Officer

• Major JW Marriot

Officer Commanding Main Ordnance Depot

• Major Harry White, from 1 May 1959

RNZAOC School

• Chief Instructor – Major Harry White
• Regimental Sergeant Major – Warrant Officer Class One Alfred Wesseldine

2nd Battalion, the New Zealand Regiment

In July 1959, the 2nd Battalion of the New Zealand Regiment was reestablished at Waiouru. The battalion embarked on a rigorous workup and training phase, preparing them for their deployment to Malaya in November 1959, where they would relieve the 1st Battalion. To support the training and preparations of the 2nd Battalion, the RNZAOC furnished the battalion with the essential equipment it required by drawing from existing stocks. This ensured that the battalion was fully equipped from the ground up to fulfil its operational requirements.

Establishment of RNZOAC School

Under discussion by the Army Board since 1956, the RNZAOC School was established in September 1959. Established within the Peacetime Establishment of the Main Ordnance Depot, the RNZAOC School would be under HQ Ordnance Services’ direct control and independent of the Army Schools.[1]

The initial school organisation would be.

• A Headquarters,
  • Chief Instructor – Major Harry White
  • School Sergeant Major – Warrant Officer Class One Wesseldine
• Ammunition Wing
• Stores and Vehicle Wing

The function of the RNZAOC School would be to run courses and training for RF and TF personnel of the RNZAOC, including

• Star Classification Courses – particularly for Storeman/Clerks RNZAOC and Ammunition Examiners.
• Promotion courses for both officers and ORs.
• Recruit training RNZAOC Personnel, including Recruit training for Group 2 personnel.
• Advanced training for both officers and ORs, in all types of Ordnance activities.
• Technical training in ordnance subjects, e.g. Inspecting Ordnance Officer courses.
• Preservations and packing etc.
• Refresher training for qualified personnel.
• Other courses notified in the annual Forecast of Courses.

Additionally, as directed by DOS, the RNZAOC School was required to.

• Plan and hold conferences and training exercises.
• Draft procedure instructions.
• Test, or comment on new procedures, materials, or equipment.
• Research various aspects of Ordnance activities.

The first course conducted by the RNZAOC School would be an instructor’s Course conducted in late 1959.

Officer Shortfall

A projection of planned retirements for RNZAOC Officers up until 1962 indicated that a total of seventeen officers would be leaving the service. Historically, the main method of filling RNZAOC officer positions had been through the commissioning of Other Ranks with Quartermaster Commissions. However, since November 1956, only three officers had joined the RNZAOC directly as officers.

Upon evaluating the planned officer retirements in relation to the RNZAOC officer establishment, it was discovered that the organization faced a deficiency of six officers. This shortage highlighted two significant issues that needed to be addressed.

• The RNZAOC Officer Corps was becoming a Corps of old men, with 83% of Officers in the 39 to 54 age group
• The RNZAOC Other Ranks Structure was denuded of the best SNCO’s and Warrant Officers.

To rectify the situation, the following recommendations were made.

• The RNZAOC press for an increased intake from Duntroon and Portsea of graduates to the RNZAOC.
• Suitable officers no older than 30 years of age, and in the two to four-year Lieutenant bracket, be encouraged to change Corps to the RNZAOC.
• Further commissioning of QM officers be strongly resisted unless there was no other alternative.

Conferences

Over the period 1 -3 September 1959, DOS hosted a conference at Army HQ for the District DADOS, Officer Commanding MOD, and the Ordnance Directorate members. The general agenda of the meeting included.[2]

• Local purchase of stores by DADOS
• Training of group 2 Personnel
• RNZAOC School
• Provision Problems
• Surplus Stores
• Personnel – postings and promotions
  • DADOS and OC MOD were required to provide in duplicate, personnel lists by unit containing.
    • Regimental No, rank, and name
    • Marital Status
    • Establishment statue, either PES, CSS or HSS
    • Present posting
• Purchases for RF Brigade Group
• District Problems

Small Arms Ammunition

With the introduction of the 7.62mm rifle, the Colonial Ammunitions Company (CAC) faced the task of transitioning its manufacturing from the existing .303 calibre to the new 7.62mm calibre. Having served as the supplier of Small Arms Ammunition to the Defence Force since 1888, the CAC was committed to maintaining this longstanding relationship. The company invested in the necessary tools and machinery to produce 7.62mm ammunition to fulfil this commitment. During this period, they successfully completed their first production run of the new calibre. While the NZ Army possessed sufficient stocks of .303 ammunition for the foreseeable future, the CAC retained the capability to manufacture .303 ammunition if needed.

Introduction of New Equipment

The RNZAOC played a vital role in the acceptance processes of newly introduced equipment. Upon arrival from the supplier, the equipment, accessories, and spare parts were received at the Main Ordnance Depot. Thorough inspections were conducted, and the equipment was outfitted with all necessary accessories before being distributed to the respective units. Depending on the equipment, a few examples might have been retained in RNZAOC Depots as War Reserve/Repair and Maintenance Stock.

RNZAOC depots maintained maintenance stocks of accessories and spare parts as operating stock to ensure operational readiness. If the new equipment included a weapon system, the RNZAOC Ammunition Depots managed the specific ammunition required. During this period, the following equipment was introduced into service;[3]

• 110 Land Rover Series 2a 109.
• 144 Truck 3-Ton Bedford RL, 48 fitted with a winch
• 3 Ferret Mark 1/1 Scout Car
• 270 Wireless Sets. C45 – VHF transceiver,
• 2000 9mm Sub Machine Gun Sterling Mk4 L2A3.
• 500 7.62 mm Self Loading Rifle, L1A1 (SLR).

Uniforms

The Clothing and Equipment Committee approved the adoption of a standardized training uniform for New Zealand soldiers across all conditions within New Zealand. This uniform would serve as the foundational attire for training purposes.

• Boots (Fory types under trial and development)
• Anklets (Australian pattern)
• Shirt (light wool)
• Trouser ( Green drill material cut to UK pattern)
• Hat (Jungle Type)

Disposals

In August 1958, the Army established a new organization dedicated to handling the declaration and disposal of surplus and obsolete equipment. Since August 1959, this disposal organization has declared over 9,000 lines, encompassing thousands of items, to the Government Stores Board for Disposal.

Ammunition Disposal

The disposal process for dangerous or obsolete ammunition continued, dumping over 900 tons of outdated ammunition at sea. Approximately 130,000 rounds of hazardous artillery ammunition were also destroyed through controlled burning or detonation.

Efforts were made to salvage the maximum amount of recyclable metal whenever feasible. These salvage operations yielded around £10,000 (equivalent to NZD $243,276 in 2020) from the sale of scrap metal and containers.[4]

Ration Packs

In 1959, the Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps (RNZASC) assembled a total of 24,000 one-person 24-hour Ration Pack No. 1 following successful user trials. These ration packs, accompanied by newly introduced solid fuel cookers, were extensively utilized by the 2nd Battalion of the NZ Regiment during the build-up training for Malaya and by the Territorial Force during the Annual Camp.

Shooting Competition

Staff Sergeant I.G Campbell, RNZAOC was selected by the National Rifle Association as a team member representing New Zealand at 91st Annual Prize Meeting at Bisley in the United Kingdom, 4- 20 July 1960.

Award of Army Sports Colours

Major D.E. Roderick from Auckland was awarded the 1960 Army Sports Colours in appreciation of his notable contribution to Army Sport. Major Roderick excelled as a representative of the Army in cricket, hockey, and badminton and played a pivotal role in developing sports facilities at Trentham Camp. Additionally, within the RNZAOC, Major Roderick held a longstanding membership with the Upper Hutt Cricket Club and served as both a player and administrator for the MOD Cricket team. [5]

Honours and Awards

British Empire Medal

Sergeant (Temporary Staff Sergeant) Maurice William Loveday, Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (Regular Force), of Trentham.[6]

Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, Resignations, and Retirements of Officers of the RNZAOC

Regular Force

• Major Ronald Geoffrey Patrick O’Connor is transferred to the Reserve of Officers, General List, Royal NZ Army Ordnance, in Major’s rank, 4 May 1959.[7]
• Major and Quartermaster K. A. Bailey, M.M., having reached retiring age for rank, is transferred to the Supernumerary list, and granted an extension of his engagement until 12 January 1960, 11 August 1959.[8]
• Captain Frederick George Cross is transferred to the Reserve of Officers, General List, Royal NZAOC, in the rank of Captain, 1 September 1959. [9]
• Captain L. C. King is re-engaged for a period of one year, as from 4 October 1959.[10]
• Captain (temp. Major) J. Harvey relinquishes the temporary rank of Major, 6 March 1960.[11]

Regular Force (Supernumerary List)

• Major and Quartermaster K. A. Bailey, MM., is granted an extension of his engagement for one year from 13 January 1960.[12]
• Captain and Quartermaster S. H. E. Bryant is re-engaged for one year as from 28 October 1959.[13]
• Captain and Quartermaster R. P. Kennedy, E.D., is re-engaged for a period of one year as from 13 April 1960.[14]
• Lieutenant and Quartermaster George Witherman McCullough is posted to the Retired List, 12 February 1960.[15]
• 2nd Lieutenant J. T. Skedden to be Lieutenant, 12 December 1959.[16]
• Lieutenant and Quartermaster R. H. Colwill to be temporary Captain and Quartermaster, 9 February 1960.[17]

Territorial Force

• Captain Keith Stothard Brown relinquishes the appointment of OC, Technical Stores Platoon, 1st Divisional Ordnance Field Park, RNZAOC and is posted to the Retired List, 4 August 1959.[18]

Reserve of Officers

• Captain Hugo Sarginsone posted to the Retired List, 10 July 1959.[19]
• Captain Noel Lester Wallburton posted to the Retired List, 10 August 1959.[20]
• Captain Sidney Paxton Stewart posted to the Retired List, I September 1959. [21]
• Major Percival Nowell Erridge, MBE posted to the Retired List, 25 December 1959.[22]
• Major Alexander Basil Owen Herd, from the British Regular Army Reserve· of Officers, to be Major, 3 October I 959.[23]
• Major Frank Owen L’Estrange, from the British Regular Army Reserve of Officers, to be Major, 11 November 1959.[24]
• Captain Cyril Peter Derbyshire, from the British Regular Army Reserve of Officers, to be Captain, 1 January 1960.[25]

Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, Resignations, and Retirements of Warrant Officers, Senior Non-Commissioned Officers, and men of the RNZAOC

Regular Force

• H594833 Private David Orr NZ Regiment Transferred into the RNZAOC, November 1959.
• B31685 Staff Sergeant Ian McDonald Russell promoted to Temporary Warrant Officer Class Two, 23 June 1959.

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Notes

[1] “Charter for the Rnzaoc School,”  in Organisation – Policy and General – RNZAOC (Archives New Zealand No R173115371960); Major J.S Bolton, A History of the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (Trentham: RNZAOC, 1992), 176-77, 252.

[2] Conferences – Ordnance Officers, Item Id R17188101 (Wellington: Archives New Zealand, 1950).

[3] “H-19 Military Forces of New Zealand Annual Report of the General Officer Commanding, for Period 1 April 1959 to 31 March 1960,” Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives  (1960).

[4] Ibid.

[5] “Army Sports Colours,” Upper Hutt Leader, Volume XVII, Number 11, 24 March 1960.

[6] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 35, 18 June 1959.

[7] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 31, 28 May 1959.

[8] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 56, 17 September 1959.

[9] Ibid.

[10] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 59, 1 October 1959.

[11] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 23, 7 April 1960.

[12] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 63, 22 October 1959.

[13] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 68, 4 November 1959.

[14] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 4, 21 January 1960.

[15] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 15, 3 March 1960.

[16] Ibid.

[17] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 41, 7 July 1960.

[18] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army.”

[19] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 51, 27 August 1959.

[20] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 53, 3 September 1959.

[21] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army.”

[22] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army.”

[23] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 70, 19 November 1959.

[24] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 78, 17 December 1959.

[25] “Appointments, Promotions, Transfers, and Resignations, of Officers of the New Zealand Army,” New Zealand Gazette, No 8, 11 February 1960.