NZAOC July 1920 to June 1921

Personnel

The strength of the NZAOC on the 30th of July 1921 was 174 consisting of:[1]

  • 9 Officers, and
  • 165 Other ranks

Director of Ordnance Services

  • Lieutenant Colonel H. E. Pilkington, RNZA

Chief Ordnance Officer

  • Captain T.J King, NZAOD

Assistant Chief Ordnance Officer

  • Lieutenant A. W. Baldwin, NZAOD

Ordnance Accounting Officer

  • lieutenant James M. Miller, NZAOD.[2]
  • Lieutenant C.I. Gossage, OBE, NZAOD[3]

Northern Command Ordnance Officer

  • Lieutenant M.J Lyons.[4]
  • Captain L.F McNair, NZAOD.[5]
  • Captain E.C Dovey, NZSC. [6]

Central Command Ordnance Officer

  • Captain F. E. Ford, NZAOD

Southern Command Ordnance Officer

  • Captain A.R.C White, NZAOD
  • Captain O.P McGuigan, NZAOD

Trentham Camp Ordnance Officer

  • Lieutenant H.H Whyte, NZAOD

Featherston CampOrdnance Officer

  • Lieutenant L.A Clements.

Ordnance Officers

  • Lieutenant Albert Austin, NZAOD.[7]

Inspecting Ordnance Officer and Acting Inspector of Ordnance Machinery

  • Captain William Ivory, RNZA. [8]

Inspector of Engineers, Electric Light and Defence Vessels Stores

  • Captain A.D Neilson.[9]

IOO and IOM Staff Ordnance Officers

  • Honorary Lieutenant Frederick W. Kibblewhite, NZAOD.[10]
  • Honorary Lieutenant William E. Luckman, NZAOD.[11]
NZAOC appropriations year ending 31 March 1921

NZAOC appropriations year ending 31 March 1921

Ordnance Activities July 20 – June 21

During this period the NZAOC had been considerably reduced but was still considered in excess of the strength required for its normal peace duties which consisted of the accounting, storage, issue, receipt, and care of all Ordnance stores for the N.Z. Military Forces. The following are some of the principal activities in excess of ordinary routine duties which the NZAOC had been engaged in during the 1920/21 period which had mitigated against further retrenchment being carried out;[12]

  • Receipt, accounting, and storage of large supplies of military equipment from the United Kingdom,
  • Ordnance issues and accounting in connection with military hospitals and sanatoria,
  • Sale of surplus stores
  • Marking of new rifles and equipment and reissuing to Territorial Force and Cadets. Nearly all of the new military equipment had arrived, and distributed as under;
    • Training equipment to units,
    • Mobilization equipment to depots in each command,
    • Reserve equipment at the main Ordnance depot.

The retention of military hospitals and sanatoria under the Defence Department entailed a considerable amount of work for the NZAOC, and until these institutions were handed over to the Department which was ultimately to be entirely responsible for the after-care of disabled soldiers the NZAOC could not be further reduced in number without impairing its efficiency.[13]

From the 20th of November 1920 NZAOC personnel employed in the maintenance sections at Trentham and Featherston Camps, were reorganised by transferring those that were required to the works section, New Zealand Engineers, The surplus personnel were demobilised.

Losses

The Auditor-General reported on the 4th of September that the NZAOC had been unable to allocate responsibility for losses of certain stores, clothing and equipment in military districts, and the following sums have been written off:[22]

  • Wellington Military District, £14,787
  • Auckland Military District, £9006
  • Canterbury Military District, £2532
  • The loss of stores and clothing to the value of £274 at the Trentham and Featherston military camps is attributed to the disorganisation brought about by the influenza epidemic.

Stores Credits

The NZAOC credits for the year ended 30th June 1921, for the sale of stores amounted to approximately £70,000.[23]

Inspecting Ordnance Officer and Acting Inspector of Ordnance Machinery

On 1 May 1921 Captain William Ivory, RNZA was appointed Inspection Ordnance Officer(IOO) and Acting Inspector of Ordnance Machinery(IOM). A 1916 Graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Ivory would spend a short time with the 2nd NZEF before been sent to the Woolwich Arsenal to undergo Ordnance training. Passing the Inspecting Ordnance Officers course, Ivory was then placed onto the 36th Advanced Ordnance course. On the successful completion of the Advanced Ordnance course, Ivory was granted a six-month attachment to the Woolwich Arsenal to gain practical experience in guns, carriages and explosives and to oversee the purchase of modern equipment for New Zealand’s Ordnance Workshops. Ivory would return to New Zealand in February 1921.[14]

The IOO was initially envisaged as part of the Ordnance Staff but unwilling to break with the military organisational conventions of the time the IOO would be attached to the Branch of the Director of Artillery, with the understanding that Ivory would also be responsible to the DOS for Ordnance matters as the acting IOM. Ivory’s duties would be;[15]

  • Technical inspection of Artillery material, Ammunition and Magazines, whether held on charge by RNZA or Ordnance.
  • Member of the SAA Committee.
  • The Inspection of Small Arms and Machine Guns as required by DOS
  • Questions re List of Changes in War Material and questions generally as to Artillery Material.
  • Questions re Calibration, Sound Ranging and Metrology as required by D of A.
  • Instructional Duties as may be arranged by D of A.
  • Regimental duty as a relieving Officer when available
  • Inspection of Telephones, Electrical Light Stores, Signalling Stores, Dynamos and Electrical Instruments as required by DOS

New personnel regulations

From 3 July 1920, all temporary appointments to the NZAOC would be made by the temporary employment board at General Headquarters on the recommendation of unit Officers Commanding. General Headquarters instruction laid down that should a unit OC be required to engage additional personnel for temporary employment, an application to the Temporary Employment Board (TEB) would have to be made. The TEB would then arrange the selection of suitable individuals from applicants on the waiting list, giving preference to returned soldiers. At the time the rank of NCO’s in the NZAOC was only temporary and would be relinquished as soon as the permanent establishments had been authorised. Permanent appointments of NCO’s would be filled only by men who qualified by examination and are in all respects the most suitable for the position, irrespective of whether they were serving in a temporary capacity as private or NCO. Where qualifications were equal, preference would be given to returned soldiers.[16]

Ordnance Depots

Northern Command

The current facilities at the Mount Eden Depot were and not fit for purpose with suitable storage accommodation was urgently needed. Until suitable storage accommodation was provided, mobilization stores for Auckland command were to be housed at Featherston Camp.

Central Command

Suitable requirements for mobilisation stores were also required for the Central Command. The NZAOC Palmerston North Detachment had closed during this period and had transferred its stores to Featherston and Trentham Camp.[17]

The NZAOC Stores located in Buckle Street in Wellington had been relocated to Trentham.[18]

The complete demolition of Featherston Camp was therefore delayed pending suitable accommodation being made available in the Auckland District.

Southern Command

Agreement between the Education and Defence Departments had been reached on 11 September 1920 for the handover of the Burnham Industrial School to the Defence Department for use as a Military training camp and Ordnance Depot. On 15 November 1920, the Defence Department formally took over the buildings for use as an Ordnance Depot. During November 1920 an expenditure of £500 was approved for the purchase and erection of shelving in various buildings as preparation for the new Ordnance Depot.[19]

As the necessary alterations and certain additions were gradually made and buildings became available, Ordnance stores located at King Edward Barracks and the Dunedin Ordnance Depot located in St Andrews Street Dunedin were relocated to Burnham Camp as the Southern Command Ordnance Depot began to take shape.[20] Burnham Camp would ultimately provide sufficient accommodation for all the necessary military stores for the South Island.[21]

Due to a reorganisation in 1921 both the Canterbury and Nelson Military District and the Otago and Southland Military Districts were combined into the Southern Military Command

Ordnance Corps Picnic

The annual picnic of the NZAOC was held at Day s Bay on 4 February 1921 in ideal weather. A most enjoyable time was spent. A large programme o£ children’s events were also put through. [24]

Corps Alliance

Approved by His Majesty the King at the end of 1920, General Order No 95 of 1 March 1921 granted formal approval of an alliance between the RAOC and the Ordnance Corps of;[25] [26]

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • New Zealand
  • South Africa

Motto

The RAOC motto ” SUA TELA TONANTI” formally adopted as the motto of the NZAOC.

Obituary

The Ordnance Officer, Northern Command Captain Ernest Charles Dovey, NZSC passed away at his residence on 11 July 1921. Captain Dovey was a popular staff officer and was well known throughout New Zealand military circles. An old Imperial Army man, he came to New Zealand in the early days of the defence movement and held positions as an instructor in the mounted service. He took a leading part in organising the Dominion military tournaments before the war, and on the reorganisation of the force in “Sir Alexander Godley’s, time entered the Staff Corps as a lieutenant. In the early days of the European war, he was engaged in preparing troops for the front and in 1916 was adjutant at Trentham Camp. He went to the front as captain of the Staff Corps, and for some, time was commandant at Etaples. On his return, he was appointed to the Ordnance staff, first as an Ordnance Officer in Palmerston North on a Probationary period then as the Ordnance Officer for the Auckland district.

Personnel Movements -July 1920 to June 1921

Releases

Articifer G Bridge
Articifer E.V Evans
Articifer F Howe
Articifer W Philips
Articifer M Scollard
Articifer F.J Sygrove
Private William Ernest Aston
Private W.S Barr
Private D Cameron
Private Phillip Frederick Deibert
Private Frederick Vaugha Evans
Private George Henry Gedson
Private Gray Gray
Private McKenzie Denis Horneman
Private Petersen Julius
Private Robert James Kennedy
Private Benjamin Edward Lambert
Private H Lander
Private William Alexander Larkin
Private W.H Launder
Private p McIlroy
Private Wilfred John Mitchinson
Private David Morgan
Private Charles Joseph Phillips
Private Arthur Pidduck
Private D.A Russell
Private John James Thomas
Private Henry Samuel Wilkie
Lance Corporal Edward Beardmore
Lance Corporal Joseph Fitzgerald
Lance Corporal Leonard Hancox
Lance Corporal Henry Edward Augustus Jones
Lance Corporal Edwin Mitchell
Lance Corporal John Wingate Nicholson
Lance Corporal William Kingston O’Connell
Lance Corporal G.E.D Robertson
Lance Corporal A.E Robinson
Lance Corporal Arthur Herbert Ross
Lance Corporal E Sharpe
Lance Corporal Robert George Smith
Corporal Theodore Anderson
Corporal Robert Brown
Corporal Arthur Thomas Burnette
Corporal Walter Bentham Clark
Corporal J Duffy
Corporal Frederick William Green
Corporal F.L McKenzie
corporal Edward McManus
Corporal H.A Rodgers
Corporal William Watt
Corporal Henry James Willis
Sergeant John Murray
Sergeant Francis Renshaw
Staff Sergeant J.R Hopkinson
Staff Sergeant J.W Kirby
Staff Sergeant J Nolan
Staff Sergeant G Quayle
Staff Quartermaster Sergeant John Leslie Jackson
Sergeant Major Artificer William Edward Moore
Armanmet Sergeant Major (WO) Thomas Edward Bryce
lieutenant Frederick W. Kibblcwhite
Captain Livingston Forsythe McNair
Honorary Lieutenant (NZAOD) Armourer Quartermaster Sergeant W.E Luckman, RAOC.[27]

Copyright © Robert McKie 2019

Notes:

[1] “H-19 Defence Forces of New Zealand, Annual Report of the General Officer Commanding the Forces,” Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives  (1921).

[2] Relinquished appointment on retirement on 12 July 1920. “Appointments, Promotions, Resignations and Transfer of Officers of the New Zealand Staff Corps, Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery and Territorial Force,” New Zealand Gazette 55  (1920): 1866.

[3] Previously DADOS NZEF, after demobilisation Gossage joined the NZAOD as a Lieutenant on 16 August 1920. “Gossage, Charles Ingram  “, Personal File, Archives New Zealand 1914.

[4]Ordnance Officer Auckland Mar 1920 to Sept 1920. “Lyons, Michael Joseph “, Personal File, Archives New Zealand  (1914-1931).

[5] “Mcnair, Livingston Forsyth,” Personal File, Archives New Zealand  (1914-1921).

[6] Ordnance Officer Auckland October 1920 to 11 July 1921. Passed away at his residence on 11 July 1921 “Personel Matter Dovey,” Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 11, 13 July 1921.

[7] Relinquished position due to retirement on1 14 July 1921 “Appointments, Promotions, Resignations and Transfers of Officers of the Nzsc, Nzaod and Territorial Force,” New Zealand Gazette No 72  (1921): 2046.

[8] “Ivory, William “, Personal File, Archives New Zealand  (1916-1933).

[9] Held appointment from1 July 1919 to 14 June 1921 “Appointments, Promotions, Resignations and Transfer of Officers of the NZ Staff Corps, Nzaod and Territorial Force,” New Zealand Gazette No 16  (1922): 588.

[10] 19 October 1920, Relinquished position on retirement. “Appointments, Promotions, Resignations and Transfer of Officers of the New Zealand Staff Corps, Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery and Territorial Force,” New Zealand Gazette No 95  (1920).

[11] 13 September 1920, Relinquished position on retirement. “Appointments, Promotions, Resignations and Transfer of Officers of the New Zealand Staff Corps, Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery and Territorial Force,” New Zealand Gazette No 83  (1920).

[12] “H-19 Defence Forces of New Zealand, Annual Report of the General Officer Commanding the Forces.”

[13] Ibid.

[14] “Ivory, William “.

[15] Ibid.

[16] “The Defence Force,”  https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTIM19200703.2.35.

[17] “H-19 Defence Forces of New Zealand, Annual Report of the General Officer Commanding the Forces.”

[18] “Ordnance Srores,” Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 95, 19 October 1920.

[19] “Camp at Burnham,” Star, Issue 16298, 13 December 1920.

[20] “Territorials,” Evening Star, Issue 17600, 3 March 1921.

[21] “Military Training,” New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17679, 14 January 1921.

[22] “H-19 Defence Forces of New Zealand, Annual Report of the General Officer Commanding the Forces.”

[23] Ibid.

[24] “Ordnance Corps Picnic,” Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 32, 7 February 1921.

[25] Major J.S Bolton, A History of the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (Trentham: RNZAOC, 1992), 37.

[26] “Territorials,” Evening Star, Issue 17619, 26 March 1921.

[27] After having served as the Chief Armourer for the New Zealand Forces from 3 July 1903 to 9 September 1920 returned to the United Kingdom “Personal Luckman,” Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 292, 3 September 1920.


NZAOC July 1918 to June 1919

Gazetted by regulations published on 1 February 1917, the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps was established as part of the permanent staff of the Defence Forces of New Zealand. It was organized with Ordnance Stores under four District Ordnance Officers based in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, with detachments in Palmerston North and Featherston.[1]

For this article’s purposes, the New Zealand Army Ordnance Department and Corps activities during 1918-1923 will be collectively referred to as the NZAOC.

Following the cessation of hostilities in November 1918, the routine work of the four District Ordnance Officers significantly increased. The return of troops necessitated the opening and equipping of hospitals and vocational and educational training schemes, which introduced new and important responsibilities for the Ordnance Corps.

Organisation

During the period of 1918-1919, the strength of the NZAOC increased significantly due to the takeover of camps and the surge in workload following demobilization. Preference was given to returning soldiers when recruiting for the NZAOC. As of 1st June 1919, the total strength of the NZAOC was 486 personnel.;[2]

  • 18 Officers, and
  • 475 Other ranks.

Key Appointments

Directing Staff and Executive Staff

Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores

  • Major T. McCristell, NZAOD.

Assistant Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores

  • Temporary Captain T. J. King, NZAOD.

Ordnance Accounting Officer

  • lieutenant James M. Miller, NZAOD.

Ordnance Officer Auckland

  • Captain L.F McNair, NZAOD.

Ordnance Officer Christchurch

  • Honorary Captain A.R.C White, NZAOD.

Ordnance Officer Dunedin

  • Honorary Captain O.F. McGuigan, NZAOD.

Ordnance Officer Wellington

  • Honorary Lieutenant F.E Ford, NZAOD.

Ordnance Officer Featherston Camp

Executive Staff Ordnance Officers

Inspectorial Staff

Inspector of Ordnance Machinery

  • Captain B.G.V Parker, NZAOD.

Inspector of Engineers, Electric Light and Defence Vessels Stores

  • Captain George John Parrell, NZAOD

Proof Officer, Small Arms Ammunition, Auckland

  • Captain A. Duvall, NZAOD.

Chief Armourer

  • Honorary Lieutenant William E. Luckman, NZAOD.

Inspectorial Staff Ordnance Officers

  • Honorary Lieutenant Frederick W. Kibblewhite, NZAOD.
  • Honorary Lieutenant William H Manning, NZAOD.
  • Honorary Lieutenant William Ramsey, NZAOD.

NZAOC appropriations year ending 31 March 1919

Alexandra Barracks, Buckle Street, Wellington

The home of the NZAOC, the Defence complex of Alexandra Barracks included the Central Districts Ordnance Depot, located on the corner of Taranaki and Buckle Street and the Armament Workshop, which was located on the site where the current museum is.

The New Zealand Ordnance Corps 1918, Buckle Street Wellington. RNZAOC School

Central Districts Ordnance Depot

The Ordnance Depot for the Central Districts, it maintained a number of sections including Clerical, Store and Maintenance, with specialist subsections such as Boot (new and repair), Sailmaker (Textile repair) and clothing.[3]

Boot Section

The total quantity of boots received from manufacturers during the 1918/19 period was;

  • 51,693 pairs shoes (deck),
  • 6,552 pairs.

When drafting specifications for the supply of boots in 1918, it became evident that several adjustments were necessary to enhance comfort and durability compared to the 1917 pattern. Special fittings were added to the toes of all military lasts used by manufacturers to provide more room in that area. Short, stout puffs were also introduced to prevent undue pressure on the wearer’s toes. These improvements resulted in no complaints regarding discomfort.

Furthermore, a special tanning process was employed for the sole leather, specifically suited for military use, which proved satisfactory in wear tests. Only 95 pairs of boots were rejected during this period, primarily for minor faults. Notably, there were no instances where manufacturers deliberately deviated from specifications; overall, both workmanship and materials consistently met the required standards.[4]

On account of the shortage of military footwear in England during the 1918/19 period, shipments to England to equip returning members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force before leaving for New Zealand were;

  • boots (ankle) 42,900 pairs,
  • shoes (deck), 14,000 pairs,

To satisfy demands made in New Zealand, the following issues were made

  • Boots (ankle, regulation), 29,886 pairs,
  • boots (light and special), 68 pairs;
  • shoes (deck), 9,845 pairs.

The stock of in store as of June 1919 comprised;

  • boots (ankle, regulation) 5,092 pairs,
  • shoes (deck) 7,684 pairs,

The Central District’s Ordnance Depot also maintained a Boot-repair Factory. During the 1918/19 period, the output of the boot-repair factory had been equal to all demands, with all repairs required for Trentham and Featherston Camps and districts being satisfied. The total quantity of boots repaired from the 1st of June 1918 to the 31st of May 1919 was

  • 12,709 pairs, at an average cost of 5s. Id. per pair.
  • 13 pairs of shoes (deck) at an average cost of Is. 7d. per pair.

All materials used in repairing boots and shoes were of the highest quality obtainable, and the results given in wear proved to be highly satisfactory. The repair process was as follows;

  • Before repairing, all boots are thoroughly disinfected by immersion in a kerol (disinfectant) solution and water.
  • They were then pulled onto perfect-fitting lasts,
  • necessary repairs were carried out,
  • and the sizes stamped on the soles.
  • The next process is cleaning and blocking. This is done in the following manner
    • The boots are pulled on perfect-fitting followers,
    • the uppers thoroughly washed in a mixture of soap and lukewarm water.
    • While the leather is in a mellow state all creases and wrinkles in the uppers are rubbed out,
    • the boots are then put aside for twenty-four hours’ drying.
    • After this period the uppers are thoroughly treated with dubbin, which not only penetrates the pores of the leather (thus rendering them watertight) but also has a mellowing effect upon the uppers, making them equal in pliability to those of new boots.
    • The boots are then taken off the followers and placed in storage-bins ready for use.

After this treatment, the boots were in excellent condition, both from a serviceable and sanitary point of view. As of 30 June 1919, 4,600 pairs of boots had been treated in this manner, and these figures were added to (approximately) at the rate of forty pairs daily until the present stock of boots in store for repairs (estimated, after allowing for rejections, at 4,000 pairs) was exhausted. From 1918, two disabled returned soldiers were trained in boot-repairing and successfully transitioned into civil life. The Repatriation Department sent up three more disabled returned soldiers for similar training.

Miscellaneous stores

With the cessation of hostilities, supplies of miscellaneous stores were reduced to a minimum consistent with estimated requirements. Due to the Influenza, all tentage was placed at the disposal of the Public Health Department.

Clothing

The deliveries of all clothing into the Central District’s Ordnance Depot during the period had been most satisfactory, with practically nil complaints from the various manufacturers for the good work delivered. The condition of stock in the Department was good, with no sign of moth damage visible. Hospital clothing and linen issued to the various hospitals were of very good quality. In obtaining supplies of linen, shirting, pillow-cotton, and Turkey twill towels from New Zealand manufacturers, the NZAOC supplies a good hard-wearing article and saves a great deal in cost as against local purchases. The installation of the power plant in the Sail-makers’ Section was beneficial and allowed a vast quantity of goods, such as sheets, slips (pillow), neckerchiefs, and cloths (table) to be made up.

The NZAOC stock of cholera belts on the cessation of hostilities totalled 19,850, this was essentially dead stock which was re manufactures into shirts (flannel, hospital) and drawers (flannel). The cost of this work is 2s. 6d. per garment. This innovation has proved a success and has enabled the NZAOC to put to good use articles which were considered as useless. Three belts are required to make each flannel shirt, and two belts are required to make each pair of flannel drawers. New flannel shirts cost 10s. 6d. each, and drawers 8s. 6d. each.

It was considered advisable to take steps to protect the Kapok mattresses from damage owing to the wires on beds rusting from perspiration. To this end, the Sailmakers’ Section converted some 1,500 cotton blankets not considered suitable for issue into mattress protectors.

The renovation of Hats (felt) has also been undertaken and put to good use. The cost of the renovation was 3s., which included new leather chin-straps, restocking, and cleaning of the hood. The work was most satisfactorily performed, with some 1,500 hats subjected to renovation, enabling the NZAOC to reissue hats that in the past were not considered suitable.

The work on garment renovation was a complete success during the year. This scheme put to good use articles that formerly would not have been used again. All garments were thoroughly disinfected when being laundered, and all fear of contagion was eliminated.

During this period, the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the United Kingdom was supplied from NZAOC stocks with;

  • Jackets, 25,000
  • trousers, 15,040
  • shirts work, 42,952
  • shirts, under, 18,056
  • drawers, pairs, 18,015
  • jerseys, 24,760;
  • socks, pairs, 39,068
  • putties, pairs, 15,096
  • boots, pairs, 42,900
  • shoes, pairs, 14,000.

The Forces in Egypt were supplied with:

  • Jackets, 2,000.

The total value of these articles was £153,600.

Armament Workshop

During the war, components for the repairs of small arms had been hampered by difficulties obtaining spares from England. As a wartime expedient, obsolete MLE rifles, once converted by the Armament Workshops to charger loading and sighted for modern ammunition, were issued to the Trentham and Featherston camps. On the cessation of hostilities, these rifles were refurbished and redistributed to the four districts by the requirements of the Training Branch as follows:[5]

  • Auckland, 753
  • Wellington, 2,163
  • Canterbury, 2,126
  • Otago, 958.

Produce

The NZAOC earned good revenue from the sale of waste products. During the 1918/19, £3,520 was paid into the Public Account regarding produce sales.[6]

Featherston Camp

On the cessation of hostilities, control of the greater part of the administrative work of Featherston Camp came under the jurisdiction of the NZAOC, the satellite camps were closed, and many of the buildings of the Canvas Camp were dismantled and removed to Trentham. Stores on issue to the various schools at Featherston were either transferred to the Schools of Instruction at Trentham, with the balance distributed among the four districts. Outstanding accounts to local vendors were settled and matters placed on a sound commercial basis. Rented areas were cleared and rendered fit for return to the lessors.[7]

Trentham Camp

As with Featherston, administrative control of parts of this camp was placed under the jurisdiction of the NZAOC, and general cleaning up on similar lines to that carried out at Featherston was carried out. A large staff of artisans was employed in the construction of hospital buildings and general alterations to existing buildings.

In both camps, the demobilization of troops and the subsequent cleaning up, stocktaking, and balancing of ledgers.

Trentham Ordnance Workshops

During 1918, the Trentham workshops had been working at full capacity with 16,000 articles, such as coffins and tables manufactured or repaired. This work was carried out in addition to new hospitals and entailed using 344,207 square feet of timber and 25,278 square feet of three-ply. A large quantity of musketry equipment and office furniture was also manufactured in the Trentham workshop, saving the need to purchase from the commercial market at inflated prices. Machinery for a second-class Ordnance workshop has been ordered through the High Commissioner, London.

Hospital and Vocational training infrastructure

On the 9th of January 1919, the NZAOC took the Railways and Works Department responsibilities for Trentham Camp. This responsibility included the maintenance of Trentham. Camp and alterations to several hutments into hospital accommodation. The hospital alterations were as follows: [8]

  • Ten hutments, 22 ft. by 140 ft. Lined and converted into hospital wards, with necessary kitchen, Duty Sister’s room, and lavatory accommodation
  • Four and a half hutments are divided into cubicle accommodation for Sisters, Nurses, and V.A.D.s. There are dining and sitting rooms for Sisters and V.A.D.s, and a self-contained kitchen for the female staff employed in Trentham Military Hospital.

In addition to the above, provision was made for X-ray plant and a plaster-room. Alterations were also affected in the operating-theatre. A new septic tank capable of dealing with the sewerage of 1,000 persons was constructed. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining skilled carpenters and plumbers the progress of the work was somewhat slow. Further works have been carried out for educational and vocational training.

As part of the vocational training scheme for returning servicemen, Huts were fitted out for training in:

  • carpentry,
  • tailoring,
  • boot making,
  • commercial training,
  • book-keeping,
  • basket making,
  • leather-work,
  • surgical boots and splint making, and
  • acetone welding.

The provision was also made to install a hot-water system for the new hospital quarters.

Ordnance Ammunition Section at Fort Ballance

The Ammunition Section at Fort Balance destroyed a large number of B.L. cordite cartridges owing to deterioration but were replaced from stocks of material held by the Ammunition Section. About 3,000 rounds of Q.F. ammunition was made up during the year, and 1,000 rounds altered to conform with later specifications. The annual proof of percussion fuzes, friction tubes, etc was also successfully carried out.[9]

NZAOC as Quartermasters

The accounting, care, and custody of stores by units had generally been unsatisfactory, with units failing to fulfil their responsibilities as outlined in the Regulations of the New Zealand Military Forces. In response, eleven NZAOC Staff Sergeants were seconded as Quartermaster-Sergeants to these units. Their task was to rectify the situation and bring the units’ store accounts up to standard. This initiative proved successful, as subsequent audits revealed few, if any, deficiencies.

However, it became evident that many units lacked adequate storage facilities, leaving numerous items vulnerable to theft or damage. As a result, many items had to be transported back to regional Stores Depots for secure storage.[10] [11]

Due to the success of the emergency measures of NZAOC Staff Sergeants into units as Quartermaster-Sergeants, an amendment to Army regulations was published on 3 October 1918 to make the management of Quartermaster Sergeants a NZAOC responsibility. The amendments were as follows;[12]

83. Group and Unit Quartermaster-Sergeants will belong to and be trained by the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps, and when posted for duty in districts will be borne as supernumeraries on the establishment of that corps. They will be included in the effective strength of the group or unit in which they are actually serving and will be so accounted for in periodical returns for those groups or units. In so far as the questions of efficiency, leave, and duty are concerned, Quartermaster-Sergeants will be under the direct supervision of the A.Q.M.G. of the district, and will be directly responsible to the Group or Unit Commander, as the case may be, for the performance of their respective duties as Group or Unit Accountants. They will devote the whole of their time to the accounting, care, and custody of public property on issue

Influenza Epidemic

Under the management of the Director of Equipment and Ordnance Stores, Major Thomas McCristell, the 123 men of the Ordnance Corps equipped the various emergency hospitals with over 300 beds, supplied the stores and supervised the hospital arrangements and general machinery of each establishment  in and about Wellington, so that by 20 November the following hospitals and convalescent hospitals had been established:[13]

Hospitals

  • Normal School, 91 women,
  • Sydney street Schoolroom, 41 men.
  • Missions to Seamen, 65 men.
  • St. John’s Schoolroom, 67 men and women.
  • Alexandra Hall, 20 men.
  • Wellington College, 105 men and women.
  • St. Patrick’s College, 48 men.
  • Brooklyn Hall, 32 men and women.
  • Johnsonville, 23 men and women.
  • Seatoun, 10 men and women.

Convalescent Hospitals

  • St. Thomas’s Hall, 35 men.
  • Wellington Convalescent Home, 24 women.
  • Salvation Army Training College, 16 women.
  • St. Anne’s Hall, 30 men.

Untended Children’s Home

  • Miramar Golf Club, 56 children

The 1916 census listed the population of Wellington as 95235, deaths in Wellington attributed to the influenza were 795 which gave Wellington a death rate of 7.9 per 1000. This rate was slightly higher than Auckland but well below the death rate found in other North Island Locations which was as high as 43 per 1000.[14] It would be optimistic to believe that the work carried out by the Ordnance Corps in establishing emergency hospitals contributed to Wellingtons low death rate.

The Ordnance men were not immune to the effects of the Influenza, and at one stage 7O men were laid up with influenza, placing extraordinary demands onto the very much reduced staff.[15] Private F.W  Maynard, a 35-year-old Ordnance Soldier, died as a result of the complications caused by Influenza on the 28 November.[16]

By December 1918 the influenza epidemic was under control, and the crisis has passed with the emergency hospitals progressively shut down. Much of the credit to the success of the setting up and management of the emergency hospitals were placed directly on Major McCristell and his team from the Ordnance Corps.

Sport

On 23rd September 1918, a rugby team from the NZAOC defeated a team from Base Records by 12 to 5. Later that evening, both teams and other staff members gathered for a smoke concert. Major T. M’Cristell, Director of Army Ordnance and Supplies, chaired the event, which was enjoyed with musical performances and speeches, making for a very pleasant evening.

Another football match took place on Saturday, 12th October, between the NZAOC and Base Records, resulting in a decisive 11 to 3 victory for the NZAOC. Captain King and Private Batchelor scored tries for the NZAOC, with Quartermaster-Sergeant Maclntyre converting one. While both teams displayed good form, the NZAOC forwards proved superior to those of Base Records. Lieutenant Valentine scored a penalty goal for the losing team, and Mr. R. Fordyce officiated as referee.

Ordnance Branch Picnic

The annual picnic of the Ordnance Branch was held at Day’s Bay on 12 February 1919 under altogether favourable conditions. There was an attendance of between three and four hundred, and the presence of so many children prompted General Sir Alfred Robin to remark during the presentation of the sports prizes that such a happy gathering of young folks augured very well for the Ordnance Branch of the future. The picnickers left town by the Duchess at 1015 a.m., picking up the Rarotongan contingent from Somes Island on the way, and engaged in a day’s sport and pleasure. Lieutenants Austin and Miller, with Corporals Flynn and Barnett as judges, supervised the sports arrangements, and Corporal J. Brown was an efficient secretary. A cold luncheon was provided in the pavilion, and later afternoon tea was served on the grass.[17]

Farwell

One of the largest gatherings of members of the Ordnance Staff took place on 19 May 1919, at the Buckle-street depot to bid farewell to Staff Sergeant Major Donald McIntyre, who, after 17 years’ service is severing his connection with the Defence Department to take up duties with the firm of E Morris. Sergeant Major McIntyre joined the service after his return from the Boer War. Major McCristell in making the presentation on behalf of the staff, regretted the loss. of such a loyal and well-respected member. The presentation took the form of a substantial cheque, a silver tea service, a silver rail oak tray, and a silver cake stand. Sergeant-Major McIntyre led last season in the- batting and bowling averages of the cricket, team, and Captain King, on behalf of the members of the team presented him with a bat for his batting record, and a silver hot water jug for his bowling average. He also expressed regret at losing the services of such an excellent member of the team and trusted that Sergeant-Major McIntyre would always keep in touch with them, and become, an honuary member of the sports committee.[18]

Personnel Movements -July 1918 to June 1919

Transfers

  • Lance Corporal Edward McManus Sharpe from Trentham to be Range Warden at Redcliff’s Range, Christchurch.[19] [20]
  • Quartermaster Sergeant Major Quayle to Hawera Defence Office as Group Quartermaster. [21]
  • Lieutenant Albert Austin from the N.Z. Permanent Staff, July 3, 1918.[22]
  • Lieutenant Walter N. Bates, from the N.Z. Permanent Staff, July 3 1918[23]

Promotions

  • Conductor James M. Miller, NZAOC to lieutenant NZAOD 3 July 1918.[24]
  • Conductor William H Manning, NZAOC to be honorary lieutenant. 4 July 1918.[25]
  • Conductor William Ramsey, NZAOC to be honorary lieutenant 4 July 1918.[26]
  • Staff Sergeant-Major William E. Luckman, NZAOC to be honorary lieutenant 4 July 1918.[27]
  • Lieutenant Alfred W. Baldwin, NZAOD appointed camp quartermaster, Featherston Military Camp and is granted the temporary rank of-captain whilst so employed (November 18 1918).[28]

Enlistments

  • 198 Private Daniel Brett
  • 200 Private Alfred Healy de Vere
  • 201 Private Christopher Greeshaw
  • 203 Private Richard Rowe
  • 204 Private Benjamin Studley
  • 206 Private John Sheehan
  • 207 Private Orecchio Natale
  • 209 Private A.K Simpson
  • 211 Cadet John Lines
  • 213 Private William Saul Keegan
  • 215 Private Samuel Victor Forsythe
  • 220 Cadet Frederick Stephen Forster Shell
  • 221 Cadet Harry William Miller
  • 228 Private Thomas Graham Niven
  • 239 Private Edward John Treweek
  • 241 Private Theodore Norris
  • 246 Private Thomas Bowman
  • 253 Private Charles James Gardiner
  • 254 Private James Gorman
  • 263 Private McKenzie Denis Horneman
  • 268 Private James Alexander Kenning
  • 269 Private George Kermode
  • 273 Private Thomas Ellwood Lyle
  • 293 Artificer Michael Scollard
  • 294 Private Richard Brady Simpson
  • 297 Private George Steventon Thompson
  • 299 Private Peter Tulloch
  • 318 Private Frank Joseph Shacklock
  • 329 Private Harold Fraser White
  • 332 Private Hugh Patrick Duffin
  • 343 Private Tom John McGrath
  • 348 Private Leonard Robertshaw
  • 354 Private William Varian Wilson
  • 361 Private Josiah Phethean
  • 366 Private William Henry Murdoch
  • 368 Private James King
  • 381 Private Henry Steele
  • 382 Private George Priestley Smith
  • 392 Private Robert O’Brien
  • 393 Private John Naylor
  • 395 Private Orlando Max Adams
  • 407 Private James Crone
  • 409 Private John de Rungs
  • 414 Private Allen Gibbs
  • 418 Private William Henry McCarthy
  • 424 Private Phillip Thomas Labatt
  • 431 Private John McVean Walker
  • 432 Private Reginald Andrew Ross
  • 436 Private John Raymond Johnson
  • 438 Private Leonard Alexander Tall
  • 441 Private Montagu Spotswood
  • 446 Private Cecil Balcombe Langridge
  • 453 Private Harold Rigby
  • 462 Private William Ernest George
  • 477 Private Lawritz Christopher Jansen
  • 478 Private Andrew Robert Murphy
  • 480 Private James Herbert Turner
  • 493 Private William Parry Mortimore
  • 515 Private Thomas Edward Mills
  • 518 James McEntee
  • 553 Private Martin Joseph Power
  • 555 Private Gray
  • 562 Private Herbert Edward Rogers
  • 563 Artificer Gerald Bridge
  • 574 Artificer Henry James Day
  • 580 Private Robert James Kennedy
  • 589 Private James O’Malley
  • 590 Private Petersen Julius
  • 594 Private James Gordon Sievwright
  • 595 Private Albert Sydney Smith
  • 601 Private James Pritchard
  • 605 Private Walter Edward Cook
  • 617 Private Horace James Richards
  • 634 Private John Morrison
  • 654 Private Lewis Freeman Keys
  • 669 Lance Corporal Thomas William Cooper
  • 675 Private Benjamin Smith
  • 680 Private Egbert Edwin White
  • 687 Private George Quayle
  • 690 Private John Miller
  • 695 Private William Cyril McGill
  • 697 Private William Gibbons
  • 714 Private Kennith Hoare
  • 718 Private Peter Douglas Adamson
  • 948 Lieutenant Michael Joseph Lyons
  • 1001 Private Arthur James Kelly

Releases

  • 211 Cadet John Lines
  • 220 Cadet Frederick Stephen Forster Shell
  • 28 Private Robert James Kennedy
  • 66 Private Harry Stephens Jupp
  • 70 Private Walter Ernest Hamilton Knowles
  • 101 Private Michael Joseph Rees
  • 115 Private Alfred William Sparkes
  • 131 Private George Yates
  • 161 Private Herbert Clarence Martin
  • 170 Private Benjamin Disraeli Wigton
  • 179 Private Paul Ernest Morris
  • 184 Private Frederick Charles Valentine Martinson
  • 188 Private Robert Park
  • 189 Private Percy Deaker Owen
  • 190 Private John Joseph Lynch
  • 191 Private James Laurence Lord
  • 198 Private Daniel Brett
  • 201 Private Christopher Greeshaw
  • 203 Private Richard Rowe
  • 204 Private Benjamin Studley
  • 206 Private John Sheehan
  • 207 Private Orecchio Natale
  • 215 Private Samuel Victor Forsythe
  • 239 Private Edward John Treweek
  • 297 Private George Steventon Thompson
  • 332 Private Hugh Patrick Duffin
  • 361 Private Josiah Phethean
  • 381 Private Henry Steele
  • 382 Private George Priestley Smith
  • 395 Private Orlando Max Adams
  • 414 Private Allen Gibbs
  • 432 Private Reginald Andrew Ross
  • 438 Private Leonard Alexander Tall
  • 562 Private Herbert Edward Rogers
  • 589 Private James O’Malley
  • 594 Private James Gordon Sievwright
  • 595 Private Albert Sydney Smith
  • 654 Private Lewis Freeman Keys
  • 695 Private William Cyril McGill
  • 811 Private Henry Edward Franklin
  • 64728 Private Frederick Maynard
  • 34 Lance Corporal Cecil Martin Ellison
  • 149 Lance Corporal Lionel Bust Foster
  • 37 Corporal James Flynn
  • 67 Corporal Martin Henri Kearney
  • 48 Conductor Mark Leonard Hathaway
  • 137 Sergeant Horace Eugene Waller
  • Captain Robert Vinning Parker
  • Lt. (Hon Capt Temp.) W. T. Beck, DSO posted to the Retired List, with the hon. rank of Capt., and permission to retain his rank and wear the prescribed uniform.[29]

Deaths

  • Frederick William Maynard, Influenza 28 November 1918[30]

Copyright © Robert McKie 2019

Notes:


[1] “New Zealand Army Ordnance Department and New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps Regulations,” New Zealand Gazette, No 95, June 7 1917.

[2] “H-19 Defence Forces of New Zealand, Annual Report of the General Officer Commanding the Forces,” Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives  (1919).

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] “Defence Stores,” Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 10, 7 October 1918.

[11] “H-19d Conference of Defence Department Officers (Notes by) on Criticisms, Suggestions and Recommendations as Contained in the Report of the Defence Expenditure Commission,” Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives  (1918).

[12] “Amending the Regulations for the Military Forces of New New Zealand,” New Zealand Gazette No 135  (1918): 3429.

[13] “Revelations,” New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10133, 22 November 1918.

[14] Manatū Taonga – Ministry for Culture and Heritage, “North Island Influenza Death Rates, 11 January 2018,”  https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/influenza-pandemic/north-island-death-rates.

[15] “Under Control,” New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10131, 20 November 1918.

[16] “Soldiers Deaths,” Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 131, 29 November 1918.

[17] “Ordnance Branch Picnic,” Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 36, 13 February 1919.

[18] “Untitled – Mcintyre,” Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 117, 20 May 1919.

[19] “Personal _ Sharpe,” Dunstan Times, Issue 2962, 7 April 1919.

[20] “Edward Mcmanus          Sharpe,” Personal File, Archives New Zealand  (1914-1918).

[21] “Personal Items,” Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 9 May 1919.

[22] “Ordnance Branch,” Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 269, 2 August 1918.

[23] Ibid.

[24] Ibid.

[25] Ibid.

[26] Ibid.

[27] Ibid.

[28] “New Zealand Army,” Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 90, 10 January 1919.

[29] “Territorial Army,” Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 73 1918.

[30] “Soldiers Deaths.”


Central Districts, RNZAOC Corps Day 2017

To commemorate the 70th anniversary on the 12th of July 1947 of the granting of the “Royal” prefix by King George VI to the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps, and the 100th anniversary of the formation of the New Zealand Army Ordnance Department and New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps on 1 February 1917. A small gathering was held the 15th of July  2017 at the Empire Hotel in Palmerston North.

The Empire Hotel was chosen as the venue as 100 years ago the NZAOC Palmerston North Detachment, Ordnance Store was located across the road at 327 Main Street, and I am sure that some of them would have enjoyed a cold beer at the Empire Hotel on a Saturday afternoon.

NZ Army Ordnance Stores, 327 Main Street, Palmerston North circa 1930. Palmerston North Libraries and Community Services

NZ Army Ordnance Stores, 327 Main Street, Palmerston North circa 1920. Palmerston North Libraries and Community Services

The gathering was small, but those who attended represented a varied cross-section of former RNZAOC members from the 1960’s to the 1990’s.

20046438_1510863272267819_5210932079028991135_n

Rear Left to Right: Tony (Wingnut) Rogers, Terry McBeth, Richard Tyler, Rob Mckie, Merv Hutley, Kevin Sigglekow, Peter Cox, Brian Crafts, Peter Dellabarca, Front Row Left to Right: Ray Benseman, Willie Simonsen, Phil Blundell, Dave Morris.

Ordnance and the Central Districts

The RNZAOC and its predecessors have had a  long association with the Central Districts of New Zealand. The Central Districts including the provinces of;

  • Taranaki,
  • Whanganui,
  • Ruapehu,
  • Rangitikei,
  • Manawatu,
  • Hawkes Bay,
  • Wairarapa,
  • Horowhenua, and
  • Wellington.

Ordnance Depot

In the early years of the 20th Century, Ordnance Support to the region was provided by the Defence Stores Department from their Headquarters at Mount Cook in Wellington.

With the foundation of the NZAOC in 1917, Trentham soon became the Main Ordnance Depot with detachments at Featherston and Palmerston North

On the conclusion of the First World War permanent Ordnance Depots were established at Ngaruawahia to support the Northern Districts, and at Burnham to Support the Southern Districts, it was decided to support the Central Districts directly from the Main Ordnance Depot at Trentham, resulting in the closure of the Featherston and Palmerston North Ordnance Detachments

With the onset of the Second World War and the mobilisation of  New Zealand, the Central Districts Ordnance Depot was established at the Showground’s in Palmerston North with several large warehouses in rented accommodation at Whanganui.

In August of 1942, the District Ordnance Depots were renamed, and responsibility’s defined.  The Main Ordnance Depot name would remain extant, and it would service;

  • Army Headquarters,
  • Army School,
  • Mobilisation Camp, Trentham,
  • All other troops in the Wellington Fortress area,
  • 1, 2 and 3 Ordnance Sup Depots.

The Central Districts Ordnance Depot would become  No 2 Ordnance Sub Depot and would service ;

  • Waiouru Military Camp and all units therein,
  • Tactical School, Wanganui,
  • Staff College, Palmerston North,
  • Central Military Districts Troops (except Wellington Fortress troops),
  • 4th Division.

On the Wars end, No 2 Ordnance Sub Depot closed on 14 December 1945 and responsibility for Ordnance Support for the Central Districts reverted to the Main Ordnance Depot in Trentham. A short time later No 2 Ordnance Sub depot reopened in Linton Camp.

  • No 2 Ordnance Sub Depot in Linton, would endure becoming;
  • No2 Ordnance Depot in 1946,
  • Central Districts Ordnance Depot in 1961,
  • 2 Central Ordnance Depot in 1968,
  • 2 Supply Company in 1979,
  • 5 Composite Supply Company in 1985 and finally
  • 21 Field Supply Company in 1990 until 1996 when its ownership Passed from the RNZAOC to the RNZALR.

Workshops and Stores Sections

In September 1946 most of the repair and maintenance functions of the NZAOC became the New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. The NZAOC retained repair functions such as Bootmaking, Textile Repair and Tailoring.

From 1961 the RNZAOC was represented across the Central Districts in all of the RNZEME Workshops and LAD Stores Sections.

Ammunition Depot

Constructed and becoming operational in the mid-1940’s, Ammunition Depots would be established at:

  • Kuku valley at Trentham,
  • Belmont in Wellington,
  • Makomako, and
  • Waiouru.

These would remain as interdependent Ammunition Depots until 1961 when they became Sub-Depots of the Central Districts Ordnance Depot.

The Belmont Ammunition Depot would close in the late 1960’s, with Makomako closing in the mid-1990’s leaving Waiouru as the Main Ammunition Depot.

Waiouru Camp

When Waiouru Camp was established in 1940 it was planned to create an Ordnance Depot there, but these plans never eventuated, and Waiouru would remain a Sub Depot of Trentham. Waiouru became a Sub Depot of Linton until the 1970s when it became 4 Central Ordnance Depot, then 4 Supply Company in 1979.

Wellington Region Ordnance Units

 

Although based in the Wellington region and having a broader responsibility for just, not the Central Districts but also the entire Army, by their proximity they have a closer association to the Central Districts than the Northern and Southern Districts and therefore have been included in this article.

In the post-war era Ordnance in the Main Ordnance Depot in Trentham would undergo many transformations, the Main Ordnance Depot would become the Base Ordnance Depot in 1968 and then the 1st Base Supply Battalion in 1979 and finally 5 Logistic Regiment in 1993.

The RNZAF stores depot at Mangaroa was handed over to the NZ Army in 1949 and over the years would become home to;

  • 4(NZ) Division Ordnance Field Park was based at Trentham and Mangaroa from 1950 to 1963,
  • 1 Infantry Brigade OFP from 1963 to 1968 until reorganised and redeployed to Ngaruawahia and Burnham.
  • 1st Composite Ordnance Company from 1964 to 1977.

The Central Districts Vehicle Depot would be established at Trentham in the late 1940’s and would move closer to its primary customer base at  Linton in 1958 and would to be absorbed into the CDOD as a Sub-Depot in 1961.

Adoption of RNZASC functions

In 1979 the foodstuffs and POL functions of the RNZASC became an Ordnance responsibility with the RNZAOC gaining;

  • 24 Supply Platoon in Linton,
  • 44 Supply Platoon in Waiouru,
  • 54 Supply Platoons in Trentham,
  • 21 Supply Company in Waiouru (retaining its name in honour of its long history with the RNZASC), and
  • 7 Petroleum Platoon in Waiouru, which was renamed 47 Petroleum Platoon (4 added to identify it as a Platoon of 4 Supply Company).

Establishment of the RNZALR

On the 8 of December 1996, the RNZAOC along with the RNZCT and RNZEME was disestablished and its personnel and unit’s becoming part of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment.

Copyright © Robert McKie 2017

 

 


No 2 Sub Depot -Palmerston North, 1942-45

The Palmerston North Showgrounds served as a military facility throughout the Second World War, hosting a succession of units across its wartime life. Its most famous occupants were the Māori Battalion, who conducted their initial assembly and training there, but the Showgrounds also accommodated the Manawatu Mounted Rifles, HQ 2 Brigade, HQ 4 Division, and 2 ASC Company. This article focuses on one of the Showgrounds’ lesser-known occupants — No 2 Sub Depot, NZAOC — which operated from the site between 1942 and December 1945, sustaining military units across the lower North Island during the most demanding years of the war.

The wartime NZAOC

During the Second World War, the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (NZAOC) efficiently organised its supply functions within the country. The central hub of this During the Second World War, the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps organised its home-service supply functions through the Main Ordnance Depot at Trentham, which oversaw a network of subordinate units positioned across the country. These included:

  • HQ Ammunition Section at Belmont
  • Ammunition Sections at Makomako and Waiouru
  • Bulk Stores at Linton and Mangere
  • Artillery Sub Depot at Waiouru
  • Inspection Ordnance Officer Section in the Central Military District, Palmerston North
  • Ammunition Repair Depot in Kuku Valley

Ordnance Sub Depots were also established in each military district:

  • Northern Military District — No 1 Sub Depot at Hopuhopu Military Camp
  • Central Military District — No 2 Sub Depot at the Palmerston North Showgrounds
  • Southern Military District — No 3 Sub Depot at Burnham Camp

(Note: Until 20 August 1942, these were known as District Ordnance Depots — Northern, Central, and Southern — before being redesignated as numbered Sub Depots.)

At the outbreak of war, the Northern and Southern District Ordnance Depots were well-established. The Northern Depot at Hopuhopu had been commissioned in 1927 as a purpose-built ordnance facility. The Southern Depot at Burnham, established in 1921, had been substantially upgraded in the early 1940s to meet wartime demands.

The position in the Central Military District was different. While records show a Palmerston North Ordnance Detachment during the First World War, there is limited evidence of a sustained ordnance presence in Palmerston North during the interwar years. In the interests of economy, logistical support to units in the lower North Island had been provided directly from Trentham.

Upon the mobilisation of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Home Defence Forces, and Territorial Forces, the need for a Central Districts depot became unavoidable. In early 1942, the Central Districts Ordnance Depot was established at the Palmerston North Showgrounds, with Lieutenant William Saul Keegan of the New Zealand Temporary Staff appointed as Ordnance Officer for the Central Military District and Officer Commanding the Palmerston North Detachment. His appointment took effect on 1 March 1942.

The Palmerston North Showgrounds

The choice of the Showgrounds as the depot’s location was well-considered. Situated on the block bounded by Featherston, Waldegrave, Pascal, and Cuba Streets, the site lay immediately adjacent to the Palmerston North Railway yards — then located in what is now the Railway Reserve on Pioneer Highway. This position gave the depot direct access to rail links connecting it to the Main Ordnance Depot at Trentham and to suppliers across the country, while road connections allowed distribution to subordinate units throughout the lower North Island.

The Showgrounds offered some of the largest covered spaces available in the region. Five interconnected exhibition halls under a single roof provided substantial storage capacity, with additional hardstanding available for vehicles and bulk defence stores. As other units arrived, facilities including cookhouses, dining halls, accommodation huts, tents, and ablutions were progressively established across the site.

In the early war years, military occupation was treated as a temporary arrangement and the Manawatu Agricultural and Pastoral Association retained partial use of the facility. As the threat from Japan became acute in late 1941, a decision was made to allocate the Showgrounds exclusively to the military for the duration of the conflict.

pnorth showgrounds 2
Palmerston North Showgrounds, Cuba Street, 1939. Palmerston North Libraries and Community Services



No 2 Sub Depot

Following redesignation on 20 August 1942, the Central Districts Ordnance Depot became No 2 Sub Depot. The depot occupied the Waldegrave Street side of the Showgrounds, with each of the five interconnected halls assigned to specific storage functions:

  • Hall 1: Clothing — boots, tunics, greatcoats, underwear, and related items
  • Hall 2: Tools, spare parts, and expendable stores — hardware, nails, wire, rope, paint, thinners, and linseed oil, in quantities that reputedly exceeded the combined stock of all merchants in Palmerston North
  • Hall 3: Camp fittings, crockery, cutlery, sheets, blankets, and household linens, numbered in the thousands
  • Halls 4 and 5: General Army equipment, including rifles and machine-guns

Flammable materials — paints, turpentine, and kerosene — were initially stored within the main buildings. In 1943 dedicated storage structures with concrete floors and iron walls and roofs were provided, reducing the fire risk within the halls.

Explosives and ammunition were also held at the Showgrounds until 1943, when the completion of the Makomako ammunition area allowed their transfer. With buildings frequently filled to capacity — stock sometimes stacked to the ceilings — two nightwatchmen were employed to provide security and act as a fire picket during nighttime hours. Fire safety was taken seriously: regular inspections were conducted in coordination with the Palmerston North Fire Brigade, and the depot maintained a stock of buckets, bucket pumps, hoses, and fire extinguishers. Flammable goods were stored between non-flammable items to create firebreaks. Despite this, the Brigade considered the measures sufficient and did not require an automatic alarm system to be installed — a decision that would have unforeseen consequences.

Beyond the Showgrounds, No 2 Sub Depot maintained overflow accommodation including Part Worn Clothing stores in Rangitikei and Church Streets, and engineer dumps at two Fielding locations.

By the end of December 1944, the total value of stock held at the depot was estimated at £1,100,000, equivalent to approximately NZ$90 million in current values.

Depot Establishment

When formally constituted on 17 August 1942, No 2 Sub Depot was established with a complement of three officers and 81 other ranks, organised across stores, clerical, and support functions.

17 Aug 1942

Owing to wartime manpower pressures, the posted strength of the depot never reached its full establishment. The competing demands of the 2nd NZEF and Home Defence Forces meant that units in New Zealand consistently operated with fewer personnel than authorised.

February 1943 — The Unit Photograph

By February 1943, the posted strength of No 2 Sub Depot stood at one officer and 66 other ranks. The group photograph taken on 8 February 1943 provides a remarkable record of the unit at this point in its development.

The photograph shows 64 personnel, with three further members recorded as absent. The complete roll therefore accounts for 67 personnel — one officer and 66 other ranks — precisely matching the posted strength for that month. The officer seated near the centre of the third row is Captain William Saul Keegan, Officer Commanding No 2 Sub Depot and Ordnance Officer for the Central Military District. Keegan had commanded the Palmerston North ordnance establishment since 1 March 1942 and remained central to its operation throughout the war.

The presence of two members of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps — J. B. Chapman and M. J. Nix, identifiable in the third row — reflects the essential contribution made by women to the administrative and logistical work of the wartime ordnance organisation at a time when manpower shortages made their service indispensable.

Beyond recording names, the photograph captures the depot at an important stage in its development. No 2 Sub Depot had been formally constituted only six months earlier. From the Palmerston North Showgrounds, this comparatively small group was responsible for receiving, storing, and distributing an extensive range of clothing, equipment, tools, weapons, camp stores, and general supplies across the entire Central Military District. The photograph is not merely a record of individuals — it identifies the men and women whose daily work sustained military units throughout the lower North Island during one of the most demanding periods of the Second World War.

Back row, left to right:
Pte J. S. Carswell; Pte W. L. Wackrow; Pte M. G. Kensington; Pte F. Manning; Pte W. W. Mitchell; Pte J. W. Ridley; Pte J. Kearns; Pte C. L. Revell; Pte A. F. Picken; Pte C. B. Weeks; Pte E. F. Homer; Pte C. M. Harper; Pte E. A. Morgan; Pte J. H. Cope.

Second row, left to right:
Pte J. A. Alderson; L/Cpl D. A. Lloyd; L/Cpl D. T. Spring; Pte J. T. Bright; Pte K. K. Cutfield; Pte W. J. Welsh; Pte F. B. Spielman; Pte J. W. Marriott; Pte H. T. Guthrie; Pte K. M. Garner; Pte J. C. Pegden; Pte D. H. Looney; Pte W. A. Newlands; Pte J. J. Richardson; Pte C. Barr; Pte M. J. Curran; Pte J. E. McKinley; Pte D. W. McLennan.

Third row, left to right:
L/Cpl K. L. Collinson; Pte B. P. Trehey; WAAC J. B. Chapman; L/Cpl H. A. Reeves; L/Cpl K. W. Parker; L/Cpl M. A. Ongley; Sgt W. J. Carson; Sgt J. F. Fowlds; Captain W. S. Keegan; Sgt W. H. Jones; Sgt A. J. Fraser; L/Cpl A. McKinley; L/Cpl I. B. Smith; L/Cpl G. F. Hall; WAAC M. J. Nix; Pte W. M. Miller; L/Cpl W. H. Kempthorne.

Front row, left to right:
L/Cpl J. Rodgers; Pte L. G. Dovey; Pte O. W. Gillion; Pte L. H. Steele; Pte N. G. Donaldson; Pte J. E. A. Pouple; Pte F. E. Price; Pte H. K. Snell; Pte G. Edmonds; Pte P. W. Comber; Pte H. R. Childs; Pte W. E. Norris; Pte W. J. Broughton; L/Cpl L. S. Goss; Pte A. L. Harris.

Absent:
L/Cpl E. G. Kinzett; Pte J. T. Allen; Pte E. W. Clarke.

Expansion — October 1943 to February 1944

As wartime demand increased, the depot’s establishment grew. By 30 October 1943, it had risen to three officers and 95 other ranks, with a posted strength of two officers and 88 other ranks.

On 1 November 1943 the establishment was revised to three officers and 92 other ranks.

29 Feb 1944

By 29 February 1944, the posted strength stood at two officers and 83 other ranks.

5 April 1944 No2 Sub Depot

Unknown Military Unit 2
No 2 Ordnance Sub Depot. Group of soldiers – Elmar Studios, 459 Main Street, Palmerston North circa 1942 to circa 1945, No Known Restrictions

The Fire — 31 December 1944

On the evening of 31 December 1944, the superintendent of the Palmerston North Fire Brigade, Mr Milverton, was tracing faults in the city’s general fire alarm system. The fault led him to the Showgrounds, where he determined that vibrations from heavy motor traffic were causing false activations on the loop serving the site. As a temporary measure, he disconnected the Showgrounds loop from the alarm system, marked the alarm boxes as out of order, and informed the military authorities.

At approximately 9.30 pm, Sergeant W. C. Luffman, the Senior NCO of the Showgrounds guard, completed his patrol and found nothing unusual. During his next patrol at 10.30 pm, he discovered the cookhouse copper empty and red-hot, with the gas flame still burning beneath it and a piece of wall timber alight. Luffman turned off the gas, returned to the main gate, and with Private Wagstaff used a stirrup pump to extinguish the burning timber. After confirming the fire was out, Wagstaff filled the copper with cold water, checked the surrounding ironwork, confirmed it was cool, refilled the stirrup pump, and left it beside the copper as a precaution.

At 11.35 pm, Privates Wagstaff and Collins — the Ordnance night watchman — were directed to inspect the wall of the adjacent Ordnance Store, opposite where the earlier fire had occurred. Luffman returned to the kitchen, found everything in order, and returned to the guard house at approximately 11.55 pm.

Shortly before midnight, Luffman noticed a glow in the sky near the Ordnance Depot. He went immediately to the guard house telephone to call the Fire Brigade. There was no response — the Showgrounds alarm connection had been disconnected earlier that evening. Local residents had already spotted the fire and raised the alarm independently. Luffman heard the fire engines approaching before he could make contact.

On arrival, firefighters found the building adjoining the cookhouse — the Ordnance Store — fully alight, with flames breaking through the roof. Three motor engines attended. It was not until midday on New Year’s Day that the last embers were finally extinguished.

The row of six private dwellings on Waldegrave Street, which backed directly onto the Showgrounds, was saved, though it required substantial water to prevent the fire spreading to them. The A&P Association’s administrative offices were also preserved. Halls 1, 2, and 3 were destroyed. Halls 4 and 5 survived. It was, at that time, the largest fire the Palmerston North Fire Brigade had ever fought.

pnorth showgrounds
The aftermath of Dec 1944 Showground fire. Evening Post

Aftermath and Inquiry

An inquiry was conducted in March 1945 by Captain Keegan as the officer responsible for the depot. The estimated loss from the fire was £225,700, equivalent to approximately NZ$18.6 million in current values. Keegan noted that a significant portion of the stock had been salvaged, and that while substantial quantities of clothing and general stores were destroyed, the losses were not as catastrophic as the scale of the fire initially suggested.

One specific claim warrants attention. A belief has persisted in some accounts that the majority of Charlton automatic rifles held at Palmerston North were destroyed in the fire. The contemporary record does not support this. Keegan’s testimony to the inquiry does not identify Charlton rifles as a significant component of the fire losses, and the enduring claim appears to derive from later secondary accounts rather than from the inquiry itself.

Initial suspicion that the fire might have been set deliberately to conceal thefts from the depot was examined and dismissed. Keegan presented detailed accounting evidence showing that over the depot’s two years and nine months of operation, thefts and losses from all sources totalled only £627 — approximately NZ$52,000 in current values. During the same period, surpluses valued at £1,600 were identified, meaning the depot had actually over-accounted for stock rather than under-accounted. There was no financial motive consistent with deliberate arson.

Detective F. Quin of the New Zealand Police testified to extensive investigations into the fire’s cause. No evidence of sabotage, incendiary devices, or external interference was found. The individual who had left the cookhouse copper running unattended could not be identified.

The timing, though devastating in terms of materiel loss, was fortunate in one respect. By December 1944 the threat of invasion had passed, the Home Guard had been stood down, and the bulk of Territorial and Home Defence forces had been demobilised. The military capacity of the depot had already contracted from its wartime peak, and the loss of the stores had limited impact on ongoing operations.

Post War Reorganisation

No 2 Sub Depot continued operating from the Palmerston North Showgrounds following the fire, drawing on replacement stock and the surviving halls. Its functions were transferred to the Main Ordnance Depot at Trentham on 14 December 1945, marking the end of the Showgrounds’ wartime ordnance role.

The New Zealand Government had acquired land at Linton in October 1941 for a military camp, with the first units taking occupation in February 1942. The Main Ordnance Depot had established a satellite Bulk Store at Linton early in the camp’s life, operating independently of No 2 Sub Depot and serving the logistical needs of units based there.

Reestablishment at Linton

On 1 October 1946, the Linton Bulk Store was formally redesignated as No 2 Ordnance Depot. The new unit assumed responsibility for units stationed in the Linton area and also took on oversight of Main Ordnance Depot sub-units at Waiouru Camp.

Sept 1946 No2 Sub Depot

Over the following five decades, the depot at Linton continued as the enduring ordnance and logistics unit in the camp, undergoing a succession of redesignations as the Army’s structure evolved:

  • Central Districts Ordnance Depot: 1948–1968
  • 2 Central Ordnance Depot: 1968–1979
  • 2 Supply Company: 1979–1985
  • 5 Composite Supply Company: 1985–1990
  • 21 Field Supply Company: 1990–1996

Today the unit continues as 21 Supply Company within the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment — the longest-standing resident unit in Linton Camp, a distinction it has held continuously since 1942.

Copyright © Robert McKie 2017


Palmerston North Detachment – NZAOC

This interesting picture held in the  Palmerston North Libraries and Community Services is of the Palmerston North Ordnance Store. Titled as being located at  327 Main Street, opposite the Empire Hotel ( The Cobb to those familiar with Palmerston North).  The occupants of this location are now Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) at what is now 527 Main Street.

NZ Army Ordnance Stores, 327 Main Street, Palmerston North circa 1930. Palmerston North Libraries and Community Services

NZ Army Ordnance Stores, 327 Main Street, Palmerston North. Palmerston North Libraries and Community Services

The building was initially known as the Lyceum Hall and, in 1914, used by the Boy Scouts as their hall.

butler postingsThe Palmerston North Ordnance Store was established early in the war to service the growing mobilisation camps in the Manawatu region, with records showing that Alfred Butler, a civilian employee of the Defence Stores Department, was transferred into the Palmerston North Ordnance Store in February 1915. Private Butler was attested in the NZAOC on its formation in 1917. Mr Frank Edwin Ford, formerly the Mobilisation Storekeeper at Nelson, was appointed district storekeeper, Wellington. Military District. Ford commenced duty and took charge of the Defence Stores, Palmerston North, on 2l June 1915.

At some stage in the early years of the war, the building was taken over by the Defence Stores Department and, by 1917, was utilised as an Ordnance Store. On 1 July 1917, many of the Defence Stores Department staff were attested for service into the newly formed New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps, with the Palmerston North Ordnance Store designation renamed “Palmerston North Detachment – NZAOC”.

Under the command of Captain F.E Ford NZAOD, the Ordnance Officer Wellington, between 1 July 1917 and 14 Dec 1921, the Palmerston North Detachment – NZAOC consisted of the following staff drawn from the New Zealand Permanent Staff, Militarised Defence Stores Department staff and returned servicemen from the NZEF.

  • NZAOC  No 132. Armourer Staff Sergeant Andrew Archibald Young, MSM.
  • NZAOC  No 209. Sergeant A.K Simpson.
  • NZAOC  No 617, Private James Richards Horace.
  • NZAOC  No 80, Private Wilfred John Mitchinson.
  • NZAOC  No 838, Lance Corporal William Robert McMinn.
  • NZAOC No 19, Private Alfred Charles Butler.
  • NZAOC  No 44, Private George Henry Gedson.
  • NZAOC  No 53, Private H Houton.
  • NZAOC  No 163, Private William Alexander Larkin.

It is unknown if this building was occupied by all the Ordnance Staff or if they were employed in different locations, but what is known is that by 1921 as the Army demobilised and wartime facilities closed. Up to its closure in 1921, the Palmerston North Detachment was primarily concerned with transferring stores to Featherston Camp and conditioning many auctions and tenders for surplus Camp Equipment and Clothing.

The Building was advertised for let by Headquarters, Central Military Command in June 1921, and by September 1921, the building had been taken over by  Universal Secondhand Depot, who at the time claimed to have in stock the most extensive supply of Modern Secondhand Furniture in the District.

Records show that by December 1921, the Palmerston North Detachment – NZAOC staff had either been posted to Featherston or Trentham Camps or had been demobilised, and it seems that with little ceremony, the  Palmerston North Detachment – NZAOC faded into History with only a single photo to remember its existence.