“If you were an army cook on leave and met some of the troops accompanied by their girlfriends, wives or mothers, which would you rather hear them say: “There’s the chap who turns out the great meals I’ve told you about”; or, “That’s the bloke who murders good food?”

Question placed to trainee cooks by Sergeant-Cook Instructor Bourke (Paddy to all the camp) at Waikato Camp, 1942

For more than two hundred years, the adage attributed to Napoleon, “An army marches on its stomach”, has underscored the importance of feeding soldiers well. The New Zealand Army has generally upheld this principle, ensuring its soldiers were well fed despite the challenges of varied locations and conditions. The New Zealand Army Service Corps (NZASC) units raised during the First and Second World Wars reflect this commitment. NZASC units were primarily responsible for baking bread, butchering meat, and procuring and distributing fresh and packaged provisions to frontline units, playing a pivotal role in sustaining the morale and effectiveness of New Zealand forces during these conflicts. Even in later conflicts, such as those in Southeast Asia during the 1950s and 1960s, New Zealand troops received ration scales notably more generous than those of their British counterparts, reflecting the nation’s concern for the wellbeing of its service personnel. Yet, although military history has increasingly recognised the importance of logistics, a notable gap remains in the literature on the contribution of New Zealand Army cooks. While Julia Millen’s comprehensive work, Salute to Service: A History of the Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport, acknowledges the significance of cooks from the time they became part of the Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps (RNZASC) in 1948, scant attention has been paid to the preceding 103 years, from 1845 to 1948.

Drawing on primary sources, this article aims to redress that oversight by tracing the development of New Zealand Army catering from 1845 to 1948. In doing so, it seeks to deepen our understanding of what was required to sustain a fighting force and to acknowledge the contribution of army cooks to New Zealand’s military heritage.

Military cooking during the New Zealand Wars, 1845–1866

From the creation of the first New Zealand militias in 1845, militiamen needed to be fed whenever they were called out for service. Because militia service was local and men seldom served far from home, their messing requirements were probably minimal. Individuals were likely selected from within the ranks to collect any rations provided and to prepare meals.

The establishment of New Zealand’s colonial militia in 1845 coincided with the presence of British regular troops fighting in the Northern War. Do not confuse the catering arrangements of the two. The militia generally operated close to its own communities, while British forces campaigning away from established settlements depended upon military commissariat arrangements, shipping, transport and locally obtained provisions. In the Bay of Islands in 1845, shortages of draught animals, carts and reliable routes severely restricted the movement of food as well as ammunition and equipment.[1]

During the expedition against Puketutu in May 1845, British soldiers carried five days’ biscuits and two days’ cooked meat in their haversacks. Heavy rain spoiled much of this food, leaving the troops dependent upon supplies and meals provided by the forces of Tāmati Wāka Nene. Richard Taylor’s account shows that feeding soldiers was not simply a matter of allocating rations: the food had to reach the men in edible condition, and someone had to prepare it under campaign conditions. The experience also shows the important role Māori allies played in sustaining British operations.[2]

By the Waikato campaign of 1863–64, the British Commissariat Corps supported a much larger force through depots, contractors and an expanding system of land and water transport. The ordinary field allowance authorised in July 1863 included one pound of fresh or salted meat, one and a half pounds of bread or one pound of biscuit, together with a rum ration. Separate grocery allowances included tea, coffee, sugar, salt and pepper. These were provisions issued for consumption, not a guarantee of prepared meals; converting them into food still depended on the personnel, fuel, equipment, and time available to each unit.[3]

Cooking normally remained a regimental or company responsibility. Soldiers could be detailed to cut up meat, tend kettles and prepare meals, while men with specialist skills might undertake baking or butchery. Camp kettles, improvised hearths and cooking trenches were central to field preparation. The British Army had begun formal instruction for sergeant cooks at Aldershot in 1862, although trained personnel were not yet widespread during the Waikato campaign. Alexandra Simmons cautions that the presence of trained cooks in individual regiments cannot always be established. The distinction between trained cooks and soldiers temporarily detailed to cooking duties would remain relevant in New Zealand for decades.[4]

These campaigns therefore provide an earlier context for the development of military catering in New Zealand. The Commissariat could obtain, store and distribute food, but the practical responsibility for turning rations into meals generally remained with soldiers and their units. This division between supply and preparation persisted through the later militia and volunteer period and helps explain the eventual emphasis on formal cookery training in the early twentieth century.

Volunteers, the South African War and the Territorial Force, 1858–1914

With the advent of the volunteer era in 1858, New Zealand’s military forces became a mix of infantry, cavalry and artillery units which, on occasion, assembled at annual district camps to conduct combined training. While rations were paid for through District Headquarters and the Defence Stores, messing arrangements remained rudimentary, with men selected from within the ranks preparing meals from rations sourced from local vendors. This situation was mirrored in the Permanent Militia, which had staffed coastal defence forts and the military depot at Mount Cook in Wellington since the 1880s.

During New Zealand’s involvement in the South African War (1899–1902), messing became an issue as large numbers of mobilising men were concentrated in camps. Messing arrangements combined civilian contractors and regimental cooks. However, an inquiry into soldiers’ comfort, housing, and victualling at the Newtown Park Camp and Volunteer Billets revealed widespread dissatisfaction. Numerous complaints were lodged about the quality and quantity of the rations, the low standard of the meals prepared by contractors and regimental cooks and, at times, the absence of meals altogether.[5] In South Africa, the British Army Service Corps (ASC) supplied rations on the British scale, supplemented by fresh mutton acquired from the enemy, which members of the contingent cooked themselves.[6]

After the South African War, public interest in the military surged, prompting a reorganisation of the volunteer movement into a more robust and structured system of regiments and battalions. Although the formation of an NZASC was discussed in 1904, the Commandant of the Forces’ annual report recorded no decision.[7]

Further reorganisation in 1908 saw the Adjutant General address the ASC matter, with discussions continuing into 1909. The Defence Act of 1909 disbanded volunteer forces and established the Territorial Force, supported by conscription. Major General Alexander Godley’s appointment as Commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces in December 1910 gave reform momentum. In his first year, Godley revitalised the military’s organisational structure, made crucial command and staff appointments, and laid plans to develop the NZASC, which, though officially designated in May 1910, existed only on paper.[8]

Although the Defence Stores Department had existed since 1869, there was no ASC nucleus from which to form new units. The proposed NZASC envisaged eight Transport and Supply Columns, divided into Mounted and Mixed Brigade units and allocated across New Zealand’s four Military Districts. Its organisation was entrusted to a British ASC officer, Henry Owen Knox, who arrived in New Zealand in June 1911 and was joined by four ASC officers and warrant officers from early 1913. While the NZASC handled the procurement and distribution of rations, receipt and cooking remained a regimental responsibility.

Under Godley’s command, the Territorial Force was rapidly organised, culminating in the first brigade camps in 1913. For these camps, the newly formed NZASC set up its first depots and received supplies previously ordered by the Quartermaster General based on expected strength states and ration scales.

In October 1912, forty-seven candidates from across the Territorial Force were selected for a month-long course at Trentham. This pioneering course covered kitchen work and field cooking, including constructing and operating field ovens, fry pans, 8- and 20-gallon boilers and camp kettles, as well as instruction in using the Field (Salamander) cooking oven.

Of these candidates, thirty-eight qualified to supervise cooking for a regiment and seven qualified as company cooks; two were unable to qualify because of illness. For the 1913 camps, the establishment allowed for one sergeant cook per regiment, paid an additional allowance of 1s 6d a day (about NZ$16.16 in 2024 terms), while qualified company cooks received 1s a day (about NZ$10.10). Those who served as cooks during the camps were excused from further military training for the rest of the year.[9]

A second course was held at Trentham in October 1913, attended by sixty-two Territorial soldiers. Thirty-two qualified as competent to supervise cooking for a regiment, making them eligible for appointment as sergeant cooks if vacancies existed within their units. Twenty-seven qualified as assistant or company cooks, and three did not qualify.

By the end of 1913, these courses had given New Zealand’s military forces a potential pool of 104 trained cooks. However, it was recognised that further training was needed to ensure enough cooks were available to meet the Territorial Force’s messing needs in the event of mobilisation.[10]

The First World War and the interwar years, 1914–1939

The declaration of war and subsequent mobilisation halted plans for further peacetime cook training, as efforts shifted to providing trained personnel for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. The NZASC expanded its role at home and within the NZEF, taking responsibility for bakeries and butcheries. However, although the NZASC supplied units with food, each unit remained responsible for cooking. Cooks were trained at the Army School of Instruction at Trentham, with further training conducted at NZEF camps in the United Kingdom.[11] In New Zealand, military and civilian cooks met messing needs at the mobilisation and Territorial camps, while unit cooks supported units in the field.

Between the wars, the Army School of Instruction at Trentham closed in 1921, and few records show formal training for army cooks until 1938.

In 1937, the Special Reserve Scheme was introduced to provide personnel for the coast defence batteries and three infantry battalions of Fortress troops. Under this scheme, single soldiers underwent three months of continuous training, followed by a three-year commitment to attend training for 10 days annually, with an obligation to report for service within New Zealand in the event of a national emergency. During their three months of training, they could also attend technical college, free of charge, on a course of their choice. To deliver this training, the Army School of Instruction (ASI) was re-established at Trentham, supported by District Schools of Instruction (DSI) at Narrow Neck, Trentham, and Burnham.[12]

The first recorded intake to include cooks entered Trentham in August 1938: a batch of seventy-two men, nine of them cooks. After their initial military training, they began vocational training in January 1939, with three of the cooks posted to Narrow Neck in Auckland and the other six to Fort Dorset in Wellington.[13] Reviewing the work of the officers and men under his command, the Officer Commanding the Central Military District, Colonel E. Puttick, commented in April 1939 that “there had never been any complaint about the food, and it was clear that the special reservists who had taken cookery training as their vocational course in the Army Training School at Trentham had received excellent instruction”.[14]

While Colonel Puttick may have been satisfied with the catering arrangements in his district, both rations and cooks in the Northern and Southern Districts drew complaints. In May 1939, reports of substandard rations, civilian cooks packing up and walking out of Territorial camps mid-camp, and Territorial soldiers refusing to work on mess fatigue parties led District Commander Colonel P. H. Bell to call an all-day conference with his quartermasters and quartermaster sergeants. The conference considered the Army’s food problems, including the quality of rations and, most importantly, the fundamental problem that the Army had no cooks of its own and relied on civilians engaged for the duration of each camp.[15] In the Northern District, a deputation of civilian cooks led by Mr W. R. Connolly, who had 37 years’ experience of cooking in military camps, took their grievances directly to the office of the Auckland Star following a ten-day camp with A Squadron of the 4^th Mounted Regiment. The cooks had joined the squadron at Cambridge on 3 May and moved with it to Rotorua, Tauranga, and Paeroa, finishing up at Narrow Neck on 12 May. Their complaint was that, as civilians, they had been contracted to work in a fixed camp rather than on the march, and at much lower rates than they had received before the Depression.[16]

The Second World War, 1939–1945

The outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 brought a renewed focus on army catering. On the declaration of war, the Government decided that New Zealand would contribute an expeditionary force. Initially, the Government planned a “Special Force”, with one battalion in each of the three military districts. The Special Force was later expanded into the 2^nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2 NZEF).

Three weeks before the Special Force encamped at Trentham, Acting Prime Minister Mr Peter Fraser and Minister of Defence Mr Frederick Jones visited the site to inspect preparations for the new mobilisation camp. During their visit, the Commandant of the ASI, Major J. I. Brook, hosted them for lunch. Impressed by the meal, they asked for the Regular Force mess diet sheet and heard favourable comments from regular soldiers on the quality of the food. When the Ministers asked whether similar meals could be provided for the men of the Special Force, Major Brook replied that they could, provided cooks were available, and rations were ample. Following this discussion, permission was granted to establish an Army School of Cookery under the ASI.[17]

By December 1939, under the tutelage of a fully qualified Army cookery instructor, the first batch of thirty-two men had completed their training at the Army School of Cookery, with a second batch completing their training on 8 December. Initial training used standard camp equipment, typically three ovens capable of baking for 120 men. Once trainees had mastered the basics of camp cooking, they moved on to oil-fired portable cookers and other field cookery.[18]

As 2 NZEF established itself in Egypt, the importance of good cooking was quickly recognised. Although the cooks selected for the First Echelon had trained at the Trentham School of Cookery, they were not qualified for Middle East conditions. They needed instruction in breaking down bulk rations and handling food in the field, so arrangements were made to train New Zealand cooks at the Army School of Cookery in Cairo. In addition, a non-commissioned officer (NCO) from the British 7th Armoured Division was engaged as an instructor to 2 NZEF under the supervision of the Divisional Supply Column officer. With the Second Echelon diverted to England, General Freyberg consulted the manager of the Lyons restaurant chain, an adviser to the War Office on army catering, and arranged with the War Office for four NCOs to be seconded to 2 NZEF as the nucleus of its cookery school. These NCOs accompanied the Second Echelon from England to Egypt.[19]

Thus reorganised and expanded, the 2 NZEF cookery school provided thorough training and testing for cooks. From February 1941, all cooks were required to be qualified either at the NZEF school or the Middle East school before being eligible for extra-duty pay.[20]

As the war progressed, the Army School of Cookery at Trentham continued to run regular courses. However, demand for cooks required the DSIs to provide cookery instruction for men as they were called up for 2 NZEF and home defence. Women were also recruited: from 1939, the first members of the Auckland Women’s Service Corps were employed as cooks at Papakura Camp to supplement the civilian and military cooks. Although paid by the Army, these first women cooks were not considered serving soldiers. By June 1941, fifteen women cooks were working across the military districts. It was not until July 1942, however, that approval was given to form the New Zealand Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), formally bringing these cooks into the military establishment.[21]

By October 1942, three hundred men of the Territorial Force had received cookery training at Ngāruawāhia Camp. The established ratio of cooks to troops was one cook for every 50 men, two for 100, three for 150, and an additional cook for every 100 additional men. Throughout the Army, the variety and quality of cooking had improved significantly. It was widely acknowledged that a properly trained army cook could secure employment in a civilian hotel or restaurant upon demobilisation.[22]

By May 1944, employing WAACs as cooks had become an accepted and essential part of the war effort. An article in the Dominion that month described the work of the 65 WAACs on the messing staff at Trentham Camp and the training of the latest batch of eighteen women cooks, who had just completed a three-week cookery course at the Trentham ASI.[23]

New Zealand was not operating in isolation; it was watching developments across the armies of the British Empire as they shifted from the regimental cook system to a more centralised, professional model. In the United Kingdom, the cook trade came under the control of the Army Catering Corps (ACC) when it was created in March 1941 as a subsidiary element of the Royal Army Service Corps Supply Branch. Australia followed suit in 1943, establishing the Australian Army Catering Corps. Canada took a similar approach, forming the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (RCASC) Catering Wing at No. 1 Reinforcement Unit in Britain in August 1942 to train Army cooks.

In the Canadian Army, many cooks had been drawn from within their own units, and experience showed that such men were often neither skilled soldiers nor good cooks. Consequently, from 1942, all cooks were transferred to the RCASC, which then assigned them to the various units they were to serve. This change rapidly improved cooking standards.[24] Although New Zealand had enthusiastically adopted other British logistic reorganisations, such as the formation of the Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, it was more cautious about changing the arrangements for its cooks, and combining them into a single corps was not a wartime priority.

Demobilisation and the Interim Army, 1944–1948

In 1944, New Zealand began demobilisation, which included disbanding the Home Guard and standing down elements of the Territorial Force. By the war’s conclusion in 1945, most forces stationed at home had undergone rapid demobilisation. 2 NZEF was disbanded by 1946, aligning with the downsizing trend seen in many Western militaries. Despite this reduction, however, the Government and the Army were reluctant to return the Army to its pre-war size and structure. Instead, they reorganised it into what became known as the Interim Army.

New Zealand Army Order 60/1947, dated 1 August 1947, detailed the trade classification and promotion requirements of the Regular Force. This order retained cooks as two distinct All Arms trades:

• Cooks, Hospital. A Group A trade applicable to All Arms, including the New Zealand Army Nursing Service (NZANS)
• Cooks (other than hospital cook). A Group B trade applicable to All Arms, including the NZWAAC

The Commandant of the ASI set the syllabus for both trades. During this period, there was no steward trade.[25]

In 1947, three officers and four NCOs were brought from Britain to raise catering standards in the New Zealand Army. Their task included training and instruction in cooking and catering, and advice on ration scales and meal planning. Because the New Zealand Army was considered too small for a stand-alone catering corps, and the NZASC was already responsible for supply, butchers, and bakers, it made sense to follow the Canadian model and place all cooks under the RNZASC.

To facilitate this transition, the Army Board approved forming a Catering Group as a section of the RNZASC. It issued New Zealand Army Instruction (NZAI) 2049 on 15 February 1948 detailing the formation of the Supplies and Transport Catering Group (STCG). Initially, the STCG comprised:

• A Staff Officer (Catering) in the Directorate of Supplies and Transport at Army Headquarters.
• District catering advisers (NCOs) on the staff of each district’s Assistant Director of Supply and Transport (ADST).
• Instructors on the staff of the Army School of Instruction to operate a Catering Wing.
• Cooks and kitchen hands on unit peace establishments.

The functions of the STCG were:

• To train and provide unit cooks and kitchen hands.
• Instruction in and supervision of the management of the Army ration scale.
• Improvement of standard of food preparation and cooking.
• Advice on the installation and instruction in the operation of cooking appliances and kitchen equipment.
• Advice on the layout of mess buildings.[26]

Although NZAI 2049 brought all army catering services under the jurisdiction of the RNZASC, cooks remained dispersed among various units. NZAI 2147 addressed this issue in September 1948.[27]

No 2147. SUPPLIES AND TRANSPORT CATERING GROUP, RNZASC

NZAI 1319 and 2049 are hereby cancelled.

1.   Approval has been given for the formation of a catering Group in RNZASC.  This group will be known as the Supplies and Transport Catering Group (abbreviated title STCG).

2.   The functions of the STCG are –

a. To train and provide unit, &c, cooks and messing staffs.

b. Instruction in and supervision of the management of the Army Ration Scale.

c. The preparation, cooking and serving of all rations.

d. Advise on the installation and instruction in the operation of cooking appliances and kitchen equipment.

e. Advise on the layout of mess buildings.

3.   Initially the STCG will comprise-

a. A Staff Officer (Catering) on the Directorate of Supplies and Transport at Army HQ.

b. District catering advisers (NCOs) on the staff of ADs ST District.

c. Instructors on the staff of ASI to operate a “Catering Wing”.

d. Messing Staff of all units

4.   In order to implement para 3 above, the following action will be taken:-

a. From the date of publication of this instruction soldiers classified as “kitchen hands” or “Mess Orderly” will be classified as “probationer cook” or “mess

steward” respectively. The terms “kitchen hands” or “mess orderly” will no longer be used.

NOTES: –

(i) For star classification purposes “probationer cooks” will form the “learner: class of the group “B” trade of cook and will be treated as Group “D”

tradesmen

(ii) Whenever the term “messing staffs” is used in this instruction, it will included “cooks,” “probationary cooks,” and “mess stewards”

b. All cooks, probationer cooks, and mess stewards, other than of the NZWAC, will be posted to RNZASC.

c. All messing staffs. including NZWAC messing staffs, in districts will be carried on the establishments of district ASC Coys under the sub heading of STCG.

d. OsC Districts will allot messing staffs to units on the recommendations of DA DsST.

e. Messing staffs, including NZWAC messing staffs, of Army HQ units will be carried on the establishments of the respective units under the sub heading

STCG.

5.   STCG messing staff strengths will be assessed according to unit messing strengths as follows:-

a. Unit messing strengths will be taken as establishment strength less 20 per cent (to allow for personnel Living out).

b. Cooks. – Cooks will be allocated to units on the following scale:

i. One cook per unit all ranks (or portion thereof) on unit messing strength up to a total of 650.

ii. One extra cook per 90 all ranks (or portion thereof) on unit messing strength in excess of 650.

iii. One extra cook for each cookhouse in excess of one.

iv. In addition, one chief cook (WO or NCO) for each unit. The rank of this WO or NCO shall be dependent on the strength of the messing staff serving in

the unit concerned, in accordance with the scale laid down in para 6 below.

c. Probationer Cooks:-

i. Two probationer cooks to each kitchen where cooking is carried out for messing strength of 65 or under.

ii. Four probationer cooks to each kitchen where cooking is carried out for messing strength in excess of 65

d. Mess Stewards:

i. One mess steward for each 25 all ranks (or portion thereof) on unit messing strength.

ii. In addition, one mess steward for each 6 officers (or portion thereof) on unit messing strength up to a total of 42 officers.

iii. When the number of officers exceeds 42, one extra mess steward for each 9 officers ( or portion thereof) on unit strength in excess of 42).

iv. Mess stewards in any mess to include at least one NCO, except when total number of mess stewards is less than 3.

6.  In calculating ranks of messing staff, the following guide will be used: In every 69 messing staff OR’s carried on establishment under STCG there may be 21 NCOs from Corporal upwards on the following scale:

One Warrant Officer.
Two Staff Sergeants.
Six Sergeants.
Twelve Corporals.

7.   The chief cook in any unit will rank as the senior member of the messing staff, irrespective of the rank of the senior mess steward. He will be responsible for:

a. The proper functioning of the messing staff.

b. Close co-operation with the unit messing officer.

c. Training of probationer cooks.

8.   Amended establishments will be issued shortly.

New Zealand Army Instruction 2147, 15 September 1948

With this new directive, New Zealand Army cooks were finally consolidated into a single corps, allowing for a standardised training syllabus. In addition, to enhance the catering function and provide a comprehensive messing service, the steward trade was formalised as part of the RNZASC. By the end of 1948, the groundwork had been laid for an RNZASC catering trade to support the evolving New Zealand Army.

Conclusion

The evolution of army catering in New Zealand from 1845 to 1948 reflects a journey marked by adaptability, innovation, and a commitment to sustaining the morale and effectiveness of its military forces. From the rudimentary messing arrangements of the early militia, New Zealand’s military catering underwent a significant transformation. Throughout, the importance of well-fed troops was recognised, as shown by efforts to improve messing arrangements, establish training programmes for cooks, and integrate civilian and military personnel into the catering function. Despite challenges such as dissatisfaction with rations and the shortage of trained cooks, the New Zealand Army continually sought to enhance its catering capabilities, particularly in response to the demands of wartime mobilisation.

The establishment of the Army School of Cookery, the integration of female cooks into the military establishment, and the adoption of international best practices, such as those observed in the British and Canadian armies, demonstrate New Zealand’s commitment to modernising its catering services and ensuring the provision of quality meals for its troops.

By consolidating army catering under the RNZASC and formalising the cook and steward trades, the New Zealand Army created a more structured and professional catering function for the post-war era, one ready to meet the Army’s evolving needs.

Notes

[1]Richard J. Taylor, “British Logistics in the New Zealand Wars, 1845–66” (PhD thesis, Massey University, 2004), 77–83.

[2]Taylor, “British Logistics in the New Zealand Wars,” 79–82.

[3]Alexandra Lee Simmons, “Soldiers’ Foodways: Historical Archaeology of Military Comestibles in the Waikato Campaign of the New Zealand Wars” (PhD thesis, University of Otago, 2013), 113–16; Richard J. Taylor, “British Logistics in the New Zealand Wars”, 129–47.

[4]Simmons, “Soldiers’ Foodways,” 120–30. Simmons distinguishes documented British training from uncertain cookery arrangements in individual regiments during the Waikato campaign.

[5] “Newtown Park Camp (Inquiry into Conduct of),” Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1901 Session I, H-19a (1901).

[6] “New Zealand Contingent (No 1): Extracts from Reports by Major Robin, Commanding New Zealand Contingent, to Officer Commanding Forces,” Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1900 Session I, H-06a (1900).

[7] J Babington, “Defence Forces of New Zealand (Report on the) by Major General J.M Babington, Commandant of the Forces.,” Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1904 Session I, H-19 (1904).

[8] Based on the British logistics system, the NZASC was to be responsible for transport and the supply of forage, rations and fuel. The supply and maintenance of all small-arms, ammunition, accoutrements, clothing, and field equipment stores was to remain a responsibility of the Defence Stores Department which in 1917 became the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps. Robert McKie, “Unappreciated Duty: The Forgotten Contribution of New Zealand’s Defence Stores Department in Mobilising the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1914: A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand” (Massey University, 2022).

[9] “H-19 Report on the Defence Forces of New Zealand for the Period 28 June 1912 to 20 June 1913,” Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives (1913).

[10] “Military Forces of New Zealand (Report by the Inspector General of Ther Overseas Forces on the),” Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1914 Session I, H-19a (1914).

[11] New Zealand Rifle Brigade Reserve Depot – School of Cookery – August 1916 – June 1918, Archives New Zealand Item Id 26081801 (New Zealand Archives, 1916-18).

[12] “H-19 Military Forces of New Zealand, Annual Report of the Chief of the General Staff,” Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, (1938).

[13] “Vocational Training,” Wairarapa Times-Age, , 17 January 1939.

[14] “Military Camps,” Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 80, , 5 April 1939.

[15] “Army Cooks,” Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 103, , 4 May 1939.

[16] “Walked out Army Cooks,” Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 114, , 17 May 1939.

[17] “Soldier Cooks,” King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4856,, 1 November 1939.

[18] “Diet for Troops,” King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4856,, 1 December 1939.

[19] William Graham McClymont, To Greece, vol. 4 (War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1959), 23.

[20] Thomas Duncan MacGregor Stout, New Zealand Medical Services in Middle East and Italy, vol. 12 (War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1956), 47.

[21] Iris Latham, The Waac Story (Wellington, New Zealand1986), 1-4.

[22] “Moral Builders NZ Army Cooks,” Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 13760,, 1 October 1942.

[23] “Waac’s New Role,” Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 207, , 30 May 1944.

[24] Arnold Warren, Wait for the Waggon: The Story of the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps (McClelland, 1961).

[25] “Special New Zealand Army Order 60/1947 – the Star Classification and Promotion of Other Ranks of Ther Regular Force,” (1947).

[26] “New Zealand Army Instruction 2049 – Supplies and Transport Catering Group, Rnzasc,” (1948).

[27] “New Zealand Army Instruction 2147 – Supplies and Transport Catering Group, Rnzasc,” (1948).