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During the Second World War, New Zealand utilised approximately one hundred and thirty British Ordnance QF 3.7-inch Mk 3 Anti-Aircraft guns.[1]
Deployed across New Zealand at fixed and mobile sites with wartime scales of ammunition totalling 428,032 rounds, these guns stood ready during the war years in anticipation of Japanese air raids. New Zealand’s anti-aircraft defences were never tested, and with the immediate threat removed, the guns were placed into storage, and the ammunition was returned to depots for refurbishment. However, due to the considerable amount of ammunition returned to New Zealand’s depots at the war’s end, storage capacity was soon outstripped, necessitating the storage of large quantities under tarpaulins in field conditions.
Valentine Tank at Trentham, stacks of Ammunition can be seen in the background. NZ National Library Ref EP/1955/1794-F
By 1954, 17,000 rounds of 3.7-inch anti-aircraft ammunition had been stored in unsuitable conditions at the Liverpool Range outside Trentham Camp. With sufficient 3.7-inch stocks available to meet training needs in other depots, the Liverpool Range stocks were considered surplus. Although initially intended for inspection and refurbishment at the Kuku Valley Ammunition Repair Depot, inspections revealed that the Liverpool Range stocks had deteriorated to the point where destruction was the only option.
Examination of a deteriorated shell at Trentham, Upper Hutt. National Library of New Zealand Ref: EP/1955/1792-F
A plan was formulated to transport the 17,000 rounds of unstable 3.7-inch ammunition from its storage area at the Liverpool Range across the valley, approximately 1.4 kilometres, to the demolition area at Seddon Range. The explosive content was destroyed there, and recoverable components, such as the brass casings, were collected and sold as scrap.
The Royal New Zealand Engineers constructed a road between the Liverpool and Seddon ranges to create a safe working area around the stacks and provide access to them.
Due to the detonation risk of the ammunition and its storage containers and the likelihood of an explosion, a modified armoured truck and trailer were constructed to facilitate the transportation.
Army vehicles at Trentham, Upper Hutt. Ref: EP/1955/1793-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23078184
Demolitions – 3.7 AA Kuku Valley Trentham – RNZAOC Ammunition Collection
The 3.7-inch round was a 12.7kg single piece of ammunition consisting of a cast steel projectile with a tapered nose filled with Amatol, TNT, or RDX/TNT explosives, mounted in a brass casing. The brass casing contained an explosive primer and a cordite propellant charge that could propel the projectile to a maximum ceiling of 9,000 meters or a horizontal range of 15,000 meters. Each 3.7-inch round was packed in a fibre cylinder, with two rounds packed into a C235 steel case.[2]
Examples of 3.7-inch rounds
C235 Ammunition Tin (2 x 3.7-inch rounds per tin)
Demolitions – 3.7 AA Kuku Valley Trentham 2 – RNZAOC Ammunition Collection
With 17,000 rounds in 8,500 cases, ten cases (twenty rounds) were transported from the Liverpool Range to the demolition area at a time. The cases were then unloaded at the demolition range, and in batches of four, the rounds were detonated.
Demolitions – 3.7 AA Kuku Valley Trentham 3 – RNZAOC Ammunition CollectionDemolitions – 3.7 AA Kuku Valley Trentham 4 – RNZAOC Ammunition Collection
From June 1955, five or six detonations occurred daily, with the frequency and strength of the explosions causing some distress to residents, with the Upper Hutt Council questioning the Army on the reasons for the explosions.[3] Another resident forwarded a strongly worded protest letter to the editor of the Upper Hutt Leader Newspaper.[4]
Letters to the Editor
Dear Sir, The terrific explosions at the Trentham Camp which have wrecked our nerves for some considerable time, are the subject of this letter. Mr Editor. The world is at peace, yet we are at war (by the sound of things) in this beautiful valley in which we live. Every day these loud blasts shake our houses, waken our babies end sleeping little ones also elderly people having an afternoon nap, have a rude awakening, It takes very little imagination to realise the effect this bombing has on the nerves of bed-ridden patients at the Silverstream hospital. I ask you to publish this letter in the hope that the authorities will cease-fire, or at least explain why and how long this blasting is to be endured.
I am etc.,
ATOMIC BOMB
However, the explosive destruction of the old ammunition continued, and the daily explosions became an accepted and routine feature of life in Upper Hutt.[5]
Demolitions – 3.7 AA Kuku Valley Trentham Capt C Sanderson 6 – RNZAOC Ammunition CollectionDemolitions – Checking Continuity – Mr Loveday Kuku Valley Trentham 7 – RNZAOC Ammunition Collection
The demolition of the 17000 rounds of unsafe 3.7inch ammunition was concluded in December 1957. The destruction had proceeded without incident, with the local residents thanked for their considerable forbearance in putting up with the noise of explosions nearly every day.
Demolitions – 3.7 AA brass 1956 – Sgt Bob Handy Kuku Valley Trentham 5. RNZAOC Collection
Notes
[1] Damien Fenton, A False Sense of Security: The Force Structure of the New Zealand Army 1946-1978, Occasional Paper / Centre for Strategic Studies: New Zealand: No. 1 (Centre for Strategic Studies: New Zealand, Victoria University of Wellington, 1998), Bibliographies, Non-fiction.
[2] Great Britain. War Office, Anti-Aircraft Ammunition: User Handbook (War Office, 1949).
[3] “The “Boom” from Trentham Camp,” Upper Hutt Leader, Volume XII, Number 28, , 28 July 1955.
[4] “Letters to the Editor,” Upper Hutt Leader, Volume XII, Number 29, , 4 August 1955.
[5] Howard Weddell, Trentham Camp and Upper Hutt’s Untold Military History (Howard Weddell, 2018), Bibliographies, Non-fiction, 187-88.
During World War Two, New Zealand traditionally relied on the United Kingdom for its military equipment. However, the rapid expansion of New Zealand’s military and the looming threat of invasion by Japan necessitated a shift in strategy. New Zealand needed substantial war material, and the United States became a crucial source of support. As the post-war era unfolded, the New Zealand Army underwent reorganisation. It soon became evident that the country’s military warehouses and ammunition depots were overflowing with surplus war material. In a strategic move aimed at bolstering New Zealand’s national security and supporting its allies in their efforts to contain Communism in Southeast Asia, New Zealand decided to transfer a significant number of surplus arms and ammunition held in RNZAOC Depots across the country to the French authorities in Indochina. This transfer was free of charge and represented New Zealand’s commitment to international efforts during the Cold War era.
In the post-World War II era, the NZ Army, shaped by the 2nd NZEF of WW2, comprised an Infantry Division with integrated Artillery, Armoured, and Logistics elements. The strategic thinking of the time envisioned the deployment of an NZ Division to the Middle East alongside British formations. Despite relying on the United States for war material during the previous conflict and having significant stock of American equipment in storage, the NZ Army maintained its armament and equipment aligned with British patterns, including weapons, uniforms, and gear[1]. By 1952, France was facing challenges in retaining control over Indochina. Despite receiving a monthly supply of 7200 tons of material from the United States, it still fell short of meeting its requirements[2]. Recognizing the existence of substantial stockpiles of surplus British and American equipment across Asia and Australasia, the French initiated purchasing missions to acquire this surplus equipment.[3]
In response to French requests, New Zealand announced in September 1952 that it would provide, at no cost, weapons and ammunition of American origin, which differed in calibre from those used by New Zealand forces. This shipment comprised lend-lease weapons urgently supplied to New Zealand in 1942. These arms had been utilized by the Home Guard and some New Zealand units in the Pacific, especially in conjunction with RNZAF units co-located with American Forces. Permission for the transfer had been sought and obtained from the United States. T. C. Webb, the Minister of External Affairs, confirmed that a significant portion of this consignment was delivered to Singapore aboard HMNZS Bellona and subsequently shipped to French Indochina.[4]This initial shipment included:[5]
• 13,000 Springfield M1903 rifles in .30-inch calibre
• 700 machine guns in .30-inch calibre
• 670,000 rounds of small arms ammunition in .30-inch calibre (SAA)
In early 1953, Major General Gentry, the Chief of the NZ General Staff, met with General Henri Navarre, the French Commander-in-Chief, in Saigon to discuss the transfer of surplus military equipment. Following Gentry’s report on this meeting, the New Zealand Government offered surplus equipment to the French authorities. As the situation in Indochina, notably, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, was deteriorating for the French, a French Military mission comprising Lieutenant-Colonel Cathala and Captain Mugg arrived in Auckland on September 10, 1953, for a two-week visit to inspect the equipment and assess its suitability for use in Indochina.[6]
Reinforcements occupying positions in the dugouts during the battle of Dien Bien Phu, March 3 1954
After final inspections, the Main Ordnance Depot in Trentham consolidated the identified equipment and loaded it onto a British vessel at Wellington in early March 1954.[7] The equipment dispatched to Indochina included:[8]
500 Revolvers,
3000 .30inch calibre Springfield M1903 rifles
750 .30inch calibre Machine Guns,
50 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns and ammunition,
10000 round of 37m armour-piercing shot,
Wireless Sets
Field Telephones,
Charging Sets
Assorted Uniform Items
670000 rounds of .30inch calibre SAA
Bofors Guns Trentham, 1 March 1954. Evening Post illustrations file and prints. 1950-2000. (PA-Group-00685). [Series]
After the French surrendered at Dien Bien Phu on 7 May 1954, and the final withdrawal of French Forces from Vietnam was completed by April 1956, it is doubtful that the small New Zealand contribution of weapons and equipment provided any significant assistance to the French. Nevertheless, this equipment might have found utility in the newly formed nation of South Vietnam or on other French colonial battlefields.
Despite the modest quantity of material supplied, Mr. Noel Henry, the French Minister to New Zealand, expressed the French Government’s gratitude to New Zealand. He acknowledged that New Zealand had done all it could within its limited means.[9]
Notes
[1] Damien Fenton, A False Sense of Security: The Force Structure of the New Zealand Army 1946-1978, Occasional Paper / Centre for Strategic Studies: New Zealand: No. 1 (Centre for Strategic Studies: New Zealand, Victoria University of Wellington, 1998), Bibliographies, Non-fiction.
[2]N.S. Nash, Logistics in the Vietnam Wars, 1945-1975 (Pen & Sword Military, 2020), 63.
[3] Charles R. Shrader, A War of Logistics: Parachutes and Porters in Indochina, 1945-1954, Foreign Military Studies (University Press of Kentucky, 2015), Non-fiction, 134.
[4] “NZ Gives Arms to French,” Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26838, 17 September 1952.
[5]New Zealand Foreign Policy: Statements and Documents 1943-1957, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wellington: Government Printer 1972).
[6] “Arms for Indo China,” Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27192, 9 November 1953.
[7] “Arms Aid for Indo-China,” Press, Volume XC, Issue 27332, 24 April 1954.
[8] Roberto Giorgio Rabel, New Zealand and the Vietnam War: Politics and Diplomacy (Auckland University Press, 2005), Bibliographies, Non-fiction.
In British and Commonwealth military doctrine, there has long been a separation of responsibility for Supplies and Stores.
Supplies – The provisioning, storing, and distributing of food for soldiers; forage for animals; Fuel, Oil, and Lubricants (FOL) for Tanks, Trucks, and other fuel-powered vehicles and equipment; and the forward transport and distribution of ammunition. In the NZ Army, Supplies were managed by the New Zealand Army Service Corps (NZASC) from 1911 to 16 October 19789.
Stores – The provisioning, storage, and distribution of weapons, munitions, and military equipment are not managed by RNZASC. Stores were the Responsibility of the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (RNZAOC) until 1996.
Despite the separation of responsibilities, the RNZASC and RNZAOC would have a long and cooperative relationship for most of their existence.
During the early colonial days, the early actions of the New Zealand Wars proved that the New Zealand bush and the elusive tactics of the Maori presented new problems in supply and transport. An Imperial Supply and Transport Service was established and operated with the Imperial troops.
From the end of the New Zealand Wars until 1910, there was no ASC unit in New Zealand, with the supply functions required by the New Zealand Military provided by the Defence Stores Department.
After the conclusion of the South African War, the Military Forces in New Zealand embarked on a series of reforms to enhance the organisation and capability of the nation’s military, enabling it to contribute effectively to a broader Imperial Defence scheme. In 1910, at the request of the New Zealand Government, Field Marshal Viscount Kitchener inspected New Zealand’s Forces. Kitchener provided several recommendations concerning the ongoing reforms, emphasising the need for a professional Staff Corps to administer the force and confirming the requirement for a New Zealand ASC, which was gazetted on 12 May 1910 (backdated to 6 May 1910) as a designated component of the Territorial Forces of New Zealand.
The momentum for these reforms gained further impetus with the appointment of Major General Alexander Godley as the New Zealand Military Forces Commandant in December 1910. Godley was pivotal in revitalising New Zealand’s military organisational framework in his first year, making critical command and staff appointments, promulgating the (Provisional) Regulations for the Military Forces of New Zealand, and making plans to build up the NZASC, which up to this time had remained a paper corps.
Acknowledging the highly specialised nature of ASC duties, distinct from combatant staff and regimental officers, and the absence of suitably qualified officers in New Zealand, Godley recommended to the Minister of Defence on 4 January 1911 the lending of services of an experienced Imperial ASC Senior Captain or Major to organise and train New Zealand’s transport and supply services for three years. The Minister of Defence endorsed this recommendation with the Prime Minister cabling the New Zealand High Commissioner in London on 10 January 1910 to approach the Army Council for the following:
Services of experienced Army Service Corps major or senior captain required to organise New Zealand Army Service Corps. Engagement for three years. Salary £600 a year consolidated. Pay to include house allowance. Travelling allowance of 12/6d a day and allowance for one horse if kept, will also be granted.
Within two months of receiving New Zealand’s request for an ASC Officer, the Army Council promptly and affirmatively responded to the call. Having already sanctioned nine additional officers to assist Godley, the Council selected Knox, who then served in C (Depot) Company ASC at Aldershot for service in New Zealand to organise the NZASC.
Under the guidance of New Zealand Adjutant and Quartermaster-General Colonel Alfred Robin, Knox assumed his duties as the New Zealand DST at the Army General Staff Offices on Wellington’s Buckle Street. His responsibilities encompassed a wide range of functions, including quarters, tender and contracts, personal and freight movement, and presidency on two standing committees related to Drill sheds and the storage and distribution of clothing and equipment to the forces.
Recognising Knox’s extensive duties, he was granted the Temporary Rank of Lieutenant Colonel on 6 September 1911. With Colonel Robin’s appointment as the New Zealand representative at the War Office in London in 1912, Knox assumed the additional role of Quartermaster General (QMG). Despite Knox diligently fulfilling the role of QMG and DST, progress on the formation of the NZASC was slow.
By 1914, Knox had established 16 NZASC companies of approximately 30 men each across the four New Zealand Military Districts, with imported ASC officers serving as Assistant Directors of Supply and Transport (ADST) in each District Headquarters. Although Knox had departed by the time of the 1914 divisional camps, the Inspector General of Imperial Forces, General Sir Ian Hamilton, noted following his inspection that:
The very highest credit is due to the Army Service Corps officers and their men. They have done a first-class service, although as a rule undermanned to an extent that would fill a labour union with horror. When the Army Service Corps units are up to their normal strengths, a suitable system of calling the men up to camp in relays will enable the necessary duties to be carried out as efficiently and with much less strain on the personnel.
During World War One, New Zealand ASC units fulfilled crucial functions. ASC Companies supported the Territorial Infantry and Mounted Rifle Brigades. At the same time, Supply and Transport Units aided mobilisation camps within New Zealand. Overseas, the NZASC operated across all New Zealand theatres of war, delivering indispensable services. At its zenith, it managed the NZ Divisional Train, five ASC Companies, five Depot Units of Supply, the NZ Field Bakery, the NZ Field Butchery, and the NZ Motor Transport Workshop. Notably, the NZASC and NZAOC frequently shared personnel, facilities, and transportation, especially in the conflict’s early years.
In 1917 the NZAOC was established as a permanent component of the New Zealand Military Forces, however, it would not be until 1924 that the Permanent NZASC was formed.
Post-war, under the leadership of Captain Stanley Herbert Crump, the NZASC transitioned to a peacetime establishment comprising a Headquarters and three depots (Northern, Central, and Southern). In 1924, the Permanent NZASC (PNZASC) was established as part of the permanent Military Forces. Additionally, in 1925, an alliance between the NZASC and the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was ratified.
The RASC has its roots in history that are much more profound. Up to the time of Cromwell, armies mainly lived by plunder. The RASC came into being in 1888. but the work it now performs was being done long before that.
Cromwell and then the Duke of Marlborough, and later Napoleon, organised a system of civilian commissaries. The Duke of York established the Corps of Royal Waggoners in 1794. This purely transport organisation continued until 1869 under various names, eventually as the Military Train, fighting as light cavalry in the Indian Mutiny.
The birth of the Supplies and Transport Service dates from 1869. when supplies and transport, along with the Military Stores Department, came under one department called the Control Department, it remained for General Sir Redvers Buller in 1888 to organise the first Army Service Corps. Since its formation, the RASC has been a combatant one. Trained and armed as infantry and responsible for its own protection. Considerd a more technical Corps, the RAOC was not granted combatant status until 1942.
In 1931, under Crump’s continued leadership, the NZASC underwent a reorganisation into three Composite Companies. Each company comprised seven officers, four warrant officers, and 99 other ranks, establishing a solid foundation from which the NZASC could readily expand to meet the demands of future conflicts.
During World War Two, numerous units and establishments represented the NZASC across all New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) theatres. Similar to the previous World War, the NZASC maintained a collaborative relationship with New Zealand Ordnance Corps (NZOC) Ammunition Examiners (AEs) in the establishment of NZASC Ammunition platoons. At times, NZASC Warrant Officers were attached to the NZ Divisional Ordnance Field Park (OFP) to offer technical advice on vehicle spares. In recognition of the NZASC’s service during WW2, the title “Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps” was conferred in 1946.
In the post-war era, the NZASC and from 1946, the RNZASC would serve with distinction J Force in Japan and then contribute the second-largest New Zealand contingent to K Force in Korea by providing 10 Transport Company. Playing a pivotal role in sustaining the morale and effectiveness of New Zealand forces during these conflicts
Until 1947, NZASC units primarily handled baking bread, butchering meat, and procuring and distributing fresh and packaged provisions to frontline units, while regimental cooks and stewards were responsible for cooking and serving meals. To enhance and standardise cooking practices throughout the army, the Supplies and Transport Catering Group (STCG) was established on 15 February 1948 with the following objectives:
Training and provision of unit cooks and kitchen hands.
Instruction and supervision of the management of the Army ration scale.
Improvement of food preparation and cooking standards.
Advice on the installation and operation of cooking appliances and kitchen equipment.
Guidance on the layout of mess buildings.
In September 1948, all Regimental catering staff, except those of the New Zealand Women’s Army Corps, were transferred into the RNZASC. Throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, the RNZASC played a vital role within the New Zealand Army, encompassing a wide range of functions. These included everyday tasks such as cooking and serving food, as well as more complex operations like air supply drops. To manage the procurement, storage, transportation, and distribution of essential supplies such as food, fuels, and oils for a modern Army, the RNZASC operated Supply Depots and employed various tradespeople, including butchers. Supply Depots were strategically located in Papakura, Waiouru, Linton, Trentham, and Burnham, where bulk supplies were stored and distributed as needed. Additionally, every Army camp featured a section of the RNZASC, along with smaller supply and transport depots, which were responsible for handling goods from central supply depots and providing drivers and transport services for various purposes. These smaller depots were situated in Devonport/Fort Caultley,
Following the Macleod report that recommended the streamlining of logistic support for the British Army, the RASC merged in 1965 with the Royal Engineers’ Transportation and Movement Control Service to form the Royal Corps of Transport (RCT). This would see the RASC Supply functions transferred to the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC). In 1973, following the British lead, the Australians also reformed their Royal Australian Army Service Corps (RAASC) into the Royal Australian Army Corps of Transport (RAACT).
Acknowledging the British and Australian experience, the RNZASC underwent a similar transition—operational command of the Supply function transferred to the RNZAOC on 16 October 1978. On 12 May 1979, the RNZASC ceased to exist: Supply personnel formally transferred to the RNZAOC, while Transport, Movements, and Catering were re-formed as the Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport (RNZCT)..
The RNZASC supply function would be integrated into the RNZAOC, with the Camp Supply Depots becoming NZAOC Supply Platoons numbered as.
14 Supply Platoon, Papakura/Hopuhopu
24 Supply Platoon, Linton
34 Supply Platoon, Burnham
44 Supply Platoon, Waiouru
54 Supply Platoon, Trentham
NZ Supply Platoon, Singapore
In recognition of its long RNZASC service, 21 Supply Company was retained as a Territorial unit, initially as the Territorial element of 4 Supply Company in Waiouru and later as the Territorial element of 2 Supply Company, Linton. Today, 21 Supply is the principal North Island Supply unit of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment (RNZALR).
For a short period following the RNZAOC assumption of Supply functions, some RF and TF RNZAOC would periodically be employed within the RNZCT transport Squadrons’ Combat Supplies sections.
The RNZAOC Butcher trade inherited from the RNZASC would be discontinued in the mid-1980s, with the last of the butchers reclassifying as RNZAOC Suppliers. By the mid-1990s, it was decided as a cost-saving measure to allow the RNZCT catering staff to order directly from commercial foodstuff suppliers, effectively ending the RNZAOC foodstuffs speciality. The only RNZASC trade speciality remaining in the RNZAOC after its amalgamation into the RNZALR was that of Petroleum Operator.
The Royal NZ Army Service Corps & Corps of Transport, like the RNZAOC, have passed their combined responsibilities to the RNZALR. However, the Royal NZ Army Service Corps & Corps of Transport maintain a strong association that provides many benefits and opportunities for comradeship to RNZASC/CT Corps members and past and present members of the RNZALR. Another role of the RNZASC/CT association is to ensure that the rich and significant history of the RNZASC/CT is not lost to future generations of the RNZALR.
Due to the reorganisation of the New Zealand Army Headquarters “Q” branch and the formation of the New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (NZEME), new establishment tables for the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (NZAOC) were approved for use from 1 October 1946.
Under discussion since 1944, the 1 October 1946 Establishments provided the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps with a framework within the interim post-war New Zealand Army that woud allow future growth.
Responsibility for the NZ Army’s Logistic Functions fell to the Quartermaster-General who delegated responsibility for Ordnance Services to the Director of Army Equipment (DAE).
Under the DAE the NZ Army Ordnance Services were organised as;
Headquarters NZ Ordnance Services
Headquarters
Chief Ordnance Officer (COO) & Staff
Provision Group
Main Ordnance Depot, Trentham
Three District Sub-Depots
No 1 Ordnance Sub-Depot, Hopuhopu
No 2 Ordnance Sub- Depot, Linton
Sub-Depot Waiouru
No 3 Ordnance Sub-Depot, Burnham
Inspection Ordnance Group, comprising:
Headquarters, Trentham
Ammunition Repair Depot, Kuku Valley
IOO Section Northern Military District (NMD), Hopuhopu
IOO Section Central Military District (CMD), Trentham
IOO Section Southern Military District (SMD), Burnham
