New Zealand’s Flaming “A” Badge

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Since 1971, Ammunition Technical Officers (ATOs) and Ammunition Technicians (ATs) of the New Zealand Army have proudly worn the Flaming “A” Badge, a symbol of the dangerous and skilful nature of the AT trade. The AT trade evolved from managing powder magazines in the 19th century to managing the full range of ammunition and explosives available to the modern New Zealand Army. The Flaming “A” Badge is more than a symbol of the dangerous and skilful nature of the AT trade but an acknowledgement to those who wear it of their trade’s long and proud whakapapa.

In early Colonial New Zealand, Ammunition and explosives were imported from the United Kingdom and Australia. To safely store and distribute powder and shot, Powder magazines were established at Wellingtons Mount Cook and Auckland’s Mount Albert, with specialist expertise required for the handling and storing of these stocks provided by qualified and experienced individuals from the British Military Stores Department and Royal Artillery and Engineer officers. As the Imperial Forces completed their withdrawal from New Zealand in 1870, full responsibility for New Zealand’s Magazines and Ammunition was passed to the Defence Stores Department.

From 1873 the powder magazines at Mount Albert and Mount Cook were replaced by new facilities at Auckland’s Mount Eden and Wellingtons Kaiwharawhara, both of which remained in use through to the 1920s. Supporting the dispersed Militia and Volunteer Forces, magazines were maintained by the Defence Stores Department at most provincial centres.

With the formation of the permanent Garrison Artillery in 1884, Frederick Silver and Robert George Vinning Parker, Sergeant Majors with considerable experience in the Royal Marine Artillery and Royal Garrison Artillery, then serving as constables in the Armed Constabulary, were transferred to the Garrison Artillery as instructors. Providing a solid base of experience, Silver and Parker were instrumental in mounting much of New Zealand’s Garrison artillery, compiling books and manuals and, in conjunction with the Defence Storekeeper managing the stocks of Artillery ammunition.

With the government’s encouragement, Major John Whitney established Whitney & Sons as an ammunition manufacturing company in Auckland. With additional investors, this company became the Colonial Ammunition Company (CAC) in 1888, the first ammunition manufacturer in New Zealand and the first in Australasia. Entering a contract with the New Zealand Government to produce Small Arms Ammunition (SAA), the deal was that the government provided the powder with the CAC providing the components for manufacturing complete cartridges. The Government retained the right to inspect and conduct quality control inspections on each batch before acceptance by the New Zealand Forces. The testing regime was a simple one which consisted of testing only a small percentage of a batch by test firing. The test results were based on the performance of this percentage that the ammunition is accepted or rejected.

With the production of .577 Snyder Ball Ammunition underway by 1890, the first testing, inspection and acceptance of the initial batches were conducted by Major John Pirie of the New Zealand Militia. Formerly a Major in the Guernsey Militia, Major Pirie immigrated to New Zealand, becoming the Auckland District Musketry Instructor in 1881 and conducting inspections of manufactured Ammunition until July 1891. From July 1891, ammunition inspection was passed to the Officer Commanding the Auckland District, Major Goring. In 1893, Lieutenant J E Hume of the Permanent Militia was responsible for examining ammunition. Hume held this responsibility in addition to his other duties until 1898.

On 6 February 1898, a formal request was placed on the United Kingdom for the recruitment of a suitable Warrant Officer from the Royal Artillery to “Take charge of the testing operations of SAA and the supervision of the manufacture of the same”. Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor Arthur Duvall, Royal Garrison Artillery of the Artillery College, was selected as the Small Arms Testing officer for the New Zealand Forces. To be promoted to 3rd Class Master Gunner on appointment, it was to be a three-year engagement at a rate of Nine Shillings a day with free quarters or a £50 per annum housing allowance. Arriving in New Zealand in July 1898, Duvall was soon at work at the CAC premises at Mount Eden in Auckland. Extending his engagement every three years, Duvall completed twenty years of service with the British Army in 1911. Taking his discharge in New Zealand, Duvall was immediately attested into the New Permanent Staff as an Honorary Lieutenant on 26 April 1912 and then promoted to Honorary Captain on 1 April 1914.

In 1902, Silver was discharged from the Artillery and was appointed as the Assistant Defence Storekeeper. While taking on the duties of Assistant Defence Storekeeper, Silver also retained responsibility for managing all the Artillery’s stores and ammunition. Following the implementation of the Defence Act 1909 and subsequent reorganisation, Silver transferred from the Defence Stores to the office of the Director of Artillery. He was appointed as Quartermaster (Honorary Lieutenant) into the post of Artillery Stores Accountant, retaining responsibility for all artillery stores and ammunition. Retiring in June 1913, Silver was replaced as Artillery Stores Accountant by Parker, who was promoted from Warrant Officer to Quartermaster (Honorary Lieutenant).

With the Colonial Ammunition Company in Auckland manufacturing SAA, thus allowing a measure of self-sufficiency, the same could not be said for artillery ammunition which all had to be imported from overseas. Parker conducted a cost-benefit analysis to assess the virtues of locally made-up artillery ammunition compared to imported items. Parker estimated that by cleaning and refilling casings, inspecting and refurbishing propellant bags, and manufacturing new ones as required, annual savings of £3,333 (2022 NZD$633,605) could be made. To achieve these savings, a recommendation that a specialist Royal New Zealand Artillery Ordnance Corps Section be established to manufacture and modify ammunition was made. General Godley approved the proposal in mid-1914, and on 1 March 1915, authority was granted under New Zealand Defence Forces General Order 90 to raise the New Zealand Army Ordnance Section with effect from 1 April 1915.

On 31 May 1917, regulations constituting the New Zealand Army Ordnance Department (NZAOD) and New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (NZAOC), backdated to 1 February 1917, were approved and published in the New Zealand Gazette of 7 June 1917, concluding forty-eight years of service provided by the Defence Stores Department,

Administrative control of the New Zealand Artillery Ordnance Section was passed to the NZAOC, and Parker was commissioned as Captain in the NZAOD as the Inspector of Ordnance Machinery. However, his time in this post was short, as he retired on 30 September 1919.

On 10 January 1918, Duvall was transferred from the Permanent Staff to the NZAOD, graded as an Ordnance Officer Class 3 with the rank of Captain as the Proof Officer SAA. The post of Proof Officer SAA was to be a continuous appointment in the New Zealand Army ammunition supply chain until 1968, when the CAC shifted its operations to Australia, ending its long relationship with the New Zealand Army.

Experience during the 1914-18 war highlighted the need for specialist officers trained in the technical nature of ammunition. Undertaking several courses of instruction in the United Kingdom, Captain William Ivory, RNZA, returned to New Zealand at the end of 1919 to assume the role of Inspecting Ordnance Officer (IOO). Lieutenant A de T Nevill, RNZA, took the post of Acting IOO in 1925 to allow Ivory to undertake regimental duties within the RNZA, with Ivory reassuming the position of IOO on 2 January 1927. On Ivory’s retirement in 1933, Lieutenant Ivan Roberts Withell, RNZA, assumed the appointment of IOO, a role held until his death on 31 August 1946.

On the formation of the NZAOC in 1917, the Royal New Zealand Artillery (RNZA) Ordnance Section at Fort Ballance passed to NZAOC control, continuing with its task of storing, repairing, and refurbishing ammunition under the control of the RNZA. With The Kaiwharawhara Magazines closed in the early 1920s, Watts Peninsular on the north end of Wellingtons Miramar peninsular became the first large-scale ammunition depot of the NZAOC. The ammunition infrastructure consisted of 19 magazines, one store and a laboratory spread out across the peninsula at Shelly Bay, Kau Point, Mahanaga Bay, Fort Ballance and Fort Gordon. These were not purpose-built ammunition magazines but repurposed submarine mining and coastal artillery fortifications dating back to the 1880s. In the case of Kau Point and Forts Ballance and Gordon, the large six- and eight-inch disappearing guns had been removed in the early 1920s, and the gun pits roofed over, becoming ad-hoc magazines. This accommodation was far from ideal as temperature and moisture control could not be adequately controlled, resulting in potential damage t ammunition stocks.

A smaller Ammunition section was also maintained at Mount Eden in Auckland until 1929, when along with some staff from Fort Balance, the Mount Eden Ammunition Section was transferred to New Magazines at Hopuhopu Camp. Envisaged to be the principal ammunition depot for New Zealand, eleven magazines and a laboratory were constructed between 1925 and 1927. Built into the hillside to contain any blasts, the magazines were made of concrete, with double walls forming an inspecting chamber. The intent of the inspection chamber was for sentries to observe thermometers and adjust the ventilation to maintain the stock at optimal temperatures by consulting a chart.

The NZAOC Ammunition sections were civilianised in 1931 when nearly all of the NZAOC military staff were transferred to the Public Service as civilian staff at a lower rate of pay or placed on superannuation as the result of government budgetary restraints.

When New Zealand entered the Second World War in September 1939, the responsibility for ammunition was shared between the RNZA and the NZAOC.

  • The Director of Artillery was responsible to the General Officer Commanding for.
    • The provision and allocation of gun ammunition,
    • The receipt, storage, and issue of gun ammunition and explosives other than small-arms ammunition
  • The Director of Ordnance Services, assisted by the IOO and the SAA Proof Officer, were responsible to the Quartermaster-General for.
    • The inspection and repair of gun ammunition,
    • The provision, receipt, storage and distribution of small arms ammunition.

NZAOC Ammunition facilities and personnel shared by the RNZA and NZAOC in September 1939 consisted of.

  • The IOO, Captain I.R Withell, RNZA
  • The Proof Officer, SAA Mount Eden Auckland, Honorary Lieutenant J.W Fletcher, NZPS
  • 19 Magazines, 1 Store, and an Ammunition Laboratory at Fort Ballance managed by
    • an RNZA WO1 seconded to the NZAOC
    • five members of the NZAOC civilian staff
  • 11 Magazines and an Ammunition Laboratory at Hopuhopu Camp managed by
    • an RNZA WO1 seconded to the NZAOC and
    • two members of the NZAOC civilian staff.
  • Single SAA Magazines at Trentham and Burnham Camps.

From 1940 as the New Zealand Army moved from a peacetime to a wartime footing, the Ammunition trade grew exponentially as new infrastructure was constructed to accommodate the extensive range of ammunition required for training and home defence, with Modern Explosive Store Houses built at.

  • Burnham – 8 Magazines
  • Ohakea – 6 Magazine
  • Papakura (Ardmore)- 28 Magazines
  • Hopuhopu and Kelms Road – 55 Magazines
  • Waiouru – 45 Magazines
  • Makomako – 39 Magazines
  • Trentham (Kuku Valley) – 22 Magazines
  • Belmont – 62 Magazines
  • Glen Tunnel – 16
  • Mount Somers – 10
  • Fairlie – 9
  • Alexandra – 9

In 1942 a conference of the QMG, DQMG2, AQMG5, COO, DCOO and IOO reset the wartime policy and organisation of New Zealand Military Ammunition services in which,

  • The COO and the Ordnance Ammunition Group were responsible for the management and storage of ammunition
  • the Chief IOO (CIOO) was responsible for all technical management and inspection of ammunition.

With the role of the IOO branch now defined, from January 1943, the establishment of the IOO Branch was steadily increased to more robust levels.

From mid-1945, discussions started taking place on the post-war shape of the NZAOC. Some thought was given to returning the NZAOC to its pre-war status as a predominantly civilian organisation. Reality prevailed, and the future of the NZAOC was assured as a permanent component of the post-war Army.

The Proposed establishment of NZAOC Ammunition units saw the first widespread use of Ammunition Examiner (AE) as the ammunition trade name. AEs had existed in the British Army since 1923, evolving from the trade of Military Laboratory Foreman that had been established in 1886. Although the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) authorised the use of a specialist AE badge consisting of an ‘AE in Wreath’ in 1942, permission to wear this badge was not granted to New Zealand AEs.

RAOC Ammunition Examiner Trade Badge 1942 to 1950 with ‘homemade’ Brass Version.

The first New Zealand AE were in the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary (2NZEF), where New Zealand Ordnance Corps (NZOC) AEs were included as part of the 2nd New Zealand Division NZASC Ammunition Company establishment. Little information is known about the 2NZEF AEs. They were likely recruited from within 2NZEF, given some rudimentary training by the RAOC and set to work.

From 1 June 1945, the Artillery Headquarters element responsible for managing Gun Ammunition, the Ammunition and Equipment Section, was transferred to the control of the Chief Ordnance Officer (COO), ending the RNZA roles in the management of ammunition that had existed since the 1880s and the employment of Parker and Silver. As a result of the transfer, 11 Officers and 175 Other Ranks of the Royal New Zealand Artillery were absorbed into the NZAOC establishment.

On 15 November 1945, the QMG directed that the care, maintenance, accounting and storage of all ammunition and explosives was the responsibility of the COO. Under the COO, these duties were to be undertaken by

  • The IOO Section
  • The NZAOC Ammunition Section

Under the CIOO, the IOO Section was responsible for.

  • The control of all work on ammunition for all purposes other than accounting and storage,
  • Maintenance of Ammunition and explosives in stock in a serviceable condition and ready for use,
  • Provision of personnel for inspection and repair and for working parties to carry out repairs,
  • Provision of all equipment and stores required for the inspection and repair of ammunition,
  • Provision and accounting for Motor Transport necessary for the transport of stock for inspection and repair,
  • Administration and control of Repair Depot Trentham,
  • Maintenance of buildings at Repair Depot Trentham.

The NZAOC Ammunition Section was responsible for.

  • The accounting, storage and care of ammunition and explosives,
  • Maintenance or magazines areas and of buildings and services connected with the storage of ammunition and explosives,
  • Administration of personnel of the IOO Section, while attached to ammunition depots concerning pay, rations, quarters, clothing and discipline,
  • Transport arrangements for the movement of ammunition not connected with the inspection and repair of ammunition at depots.

The provision of suitably trained personnel was a constant problem for the CIOO. A course for IOOs was conducted over November/December 1945 to provide sufficient Officers to fill the IOO establishment. Graduates included

  • Captain John Gordon Renwick Morley
  • Captain Gerald Arthur Perry
  • Lieutenant Heaphy
  • Lieutenant W.G Dixon
  • Lieutenant Eric Dudley Gerard

On 1 September 1946, Army Headquarters “Q” Branch underwent a significant reorganisation which included the formation of the New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (NZEME) and the reorganisation of New Zealand’s Ordnance Services under the Director of Army Equipment (DAE) which became the senior NZAOC appointment.

Under the DAE, Ordnance Services were divided between the,

  • COO, responsible for Headquarters New Zealand Ordnance Services, including the Provision Group
  • CIOO, responsible for the IOO Group

On the retirement of the incumbent DAE, Lieutenant Colonel C.S.J. Duff, DSO, RNZA, on 3 July 1947, the appointment of DEA was renamed Director of Ordnance Services (DOS), with Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Huia Andrews, RNZAOC, appointed as the first post-war DOS on 1 October 1947.

By 1949 the Ammunition organisation had further evolved, combining the IOO and NZAOC Section into a single ammunition organisation, with

  • The CIOO and staff providing DOS with the required technical advice on ammunition
  • District IOOs appointed to each District Headquarters as the Ammo advisor to the District DADOS
  • District Ammunition Sections now renamed as
    • Northern District Ammunition Depot
    • Central District Ammunition Depot
    • Southern District Ammunition Depot
  • Army Ammunition Repair Depot
  • Army Ammunition Supply Depot

To facilitate the further reorganisation and refinement of the Ammunition functions, the DOS hosted the first conference of Senior Ammunition Officers at Trentham Camp from 21-24 June 1949.

RNZAOC IOOs and AEs 1949

With the role of Inspection Ordnance Officers and Ammunition Examiners now embedded into the structure of the New Zealand Army, The Ammunition trade remained an under-resourced trade, struggling to fill its establishments despite having a high operating tempo. Typical activities supported during the 1950s included,

  • Continuous inspection of wartime ammunition held depots
  • Disposal of surplus and obsolete ammunition by
    • Dumping at sea
    • Destruction within depots
    • Sale to the public (SAA natures)
    • Transfer to allied nations
  • Supply of Ammunition to support Compulsory Military Training
  • Disposal of Blinds and unexploded Ammunition discovered in wartime training areas
  • Trials and introduction into service of new natures of ammunition
  • Technical Ammunition support to the Fiji Military Forces

In the United Kingdom, a competition was held in 1948 to design a new badge for RAOC Ammunition Examiners, with a design by Major Leonard Thomas Herbert Phelps accepted. Rumoured to be based on the Elizabeth Arden Cosmetics Company logo, the new Ammunition Examiner badge, consisting of a 3″ x 2″ Red, Black and Gold Flaming Grenade superimposed with the Letter A in the body of the Grenade signifying the AE trades position as an “A” Class trade, and was the first three-colour trade badge in the British Army.

Elizabeth Arden lipstick

In 1950 The British Army Dress Committee gave authority for AEs of the rank of Sergeant and above to wear the ‘Flaming A’ Trade Badge as a ‘Badge of Appointment’. However, it took time for this badge to be approved for wear by New Zealand’s Ammunition Trades.

Large ‘Ammunition Examiner’ Badge c1950, Brass and Anodized ‘Flaming A’ Badges. https://raoc.websitetoolbox.com/post/ammunition-technicians-badge-1566875?highlight=ammunition%20technician%20badge

In 1959 a comprehensive review of army dress embellishments was conducted to provide a policy statement on the wear embellishments such as

  • Shoulder titles
  • Formation Patches
  • Service Badges
  • Badges of Appointment
  • Instructors Badges
  • Skill-at-Arms Badges
  • Tradesmen’s badges

In reviewing Badges of Appointment, it was found that in comparison with the British Army, some badges of appointment worn by the British Army were also approved for wear by the New Zealand Army. Worn below the rank badge by WOs and above the chevrons by NCOS, examples of British badges of appointment worn by the New Zealand Army included,

  • Gun, worn by WO2s, SSgts and Sgts of the RNZE
  • Grenade, worn by WO2s, SSgts and Sgts of the RNZA
  • Hammer and Pincers, worn by WO2s, SSgts and Sgts of the RNZEME
  • Lyre, worn by Bandsmen

In the case of the RAOC AE flaming “A” badge, it was felt that there was merit in supporting the use of the same badge for wear by RNZAOC ammunition trades, and the adoption of the flaming “A” badge was recommended.

Despite the many recommendations for the army dress embellishment review, the only decision was to adopt shoulder titles and formation patches. The Army Dress Committee invited the Adjutant General to prepare a paper on dress embellishment and draw up a policy on Badges of Appointment, Instructors Badges, Skill-at-Arms Badges and Tradesmen’s badges. The wait for a badge for AE’s was to continue.

As the RNZAOC organisation matured in the late 1950s, it became apparent that the system in place of having separate Ordnance, Vehicle and Ammunition Depots located in the same locations but under different command arrangements was impracticable and not an efficient use of resources. Starting in 1961, a reorganisation was undertaken to consolidate administrative, accounting and store functions under one headquarters. The restructuring resulted in only one RNZAOC depot in each district, which consisting of,

  • Headquarters,
  • Stores Sub-Depot,
  • Ammunition Sub-Depot,
  • Vehicle Sub-Depot
  • Traffic Centre.

To achieve this, all the existing District Ammunition Depots became sub-depots of a District Ordnance Depot, designated as.

  • Ammunition Sub-Depot, Northern Districts Ordnance Depot (NDOD) – Ngāruawāhia,
  • Ammunition Sub-Depot Central Districts Ordnance Depot (CDOD) – Linton,
  • Ammunition Sub-Depot Southern Districts Ordnance Depot (SDOD) – Burnham

Ammunition Sub-Depots now consisted of:

  • Ammunition Inspection Section.
  • Ammunition Repair Section.
  • Non-Explosive Store.
  • NDOD Ammunition Areas.
    • Ardmore
    • Kelm road
    • Ngāruawāhia
  • CDOD Ammunition Areas
    • Waiouru
    • Makomako
    • Belmont
    • Trentham
  • SDOD Ammunition Areas
    • Burnham
    • Glentunnel
    • Fairlie
    • Mt Somers

In 1960 the RAOC renamed their Ammunition Trades, and concurrent with the 1961 reorganisation, the RNZAOC decided to align the Ammunition Trade with the RAOC and adopt the same trade names, making the following changes.

  • Chief Inspecting Ordnance Officer became Chief Ammunition Technical Officer
  • Senior Inspecting Ordnance Officer became Senior Ammunition Technical Officer
  • District Inspecting Ordnance Officer became District Ammunition Technical Officer
  • Inspecting Ordnance Officer became Ammunition Technical Officer
  • Ammunition Examiner became Ammunition Technician

Up to 1961, Ammunition Technical Officers (ATOs) were usually only employed in Ammunition-related duties. However, as a result of this reorganisation, ATOs were now used across all of the RNZAOC and, as such, were required to balance their regular duties with their Ammunition responsibilities.

1968 saw further reorganisation with the Main Ordnance Depot at Trentham was renamed 1 Base Ordnance Depot and the District Ordnance Depots renamed

  • Northern District Ordnance Depot to 1 Central Ordnance Depot
  • Central District Ordnance Depot to 2 Central Ordnance Depot
  • Southern District Ordnance Depot to 3 Central Ordnance Depot

A significant aspect of the 1968 reorganisation was the Disestablishment of The Small Arms and Proof Office co-located at Mount Eden when the CAC closed down, ending the ammunition trades’ long relationship with the CAA. Additionally, the Ammunition Proof and Experimental Centre operations at Kuku Valley was closed down, and its operations moved to the new Joint Services Proof Establishment at Kauri Point in Auckland.

Keen to provide the Ammunition trade with a suitable trade identifier Major D.H Rollo, the CATO, sent a message to the New Zealand Defence Liaison Staff in London in September 1968 requesting the following information from the UK Chief Inspector of Land Service Ammunition (CILSA) on the RAOC AT Badge

  • Do other ranks and officers wear it
  • Conditions of entitlement to wear
  • Cost of badge
  • Possibility of procuring samples
  • Any other pertinent details which may guide in adopting a similar badge

By the end of November 1968, through the New Zealand Defence Liaison Staff, the UK CILSA provided the following information on the RAOC AT badge to the New Zealand CATO,

  • Worn by all Ammunition Technicians on No 1 and No2 Dress. It is not worn with any other form of dress.
  • Price
    • No1 Dress – 7/6d each,
    • No 2 Dress – 5.1/4d each
  • Samples of each badge to be provided

Armed with this information that the RAOC badge was only approved for wear by ATs and not ATOs, CATO raised a submission to the 77th meeting of the Army Dress Committee in April 1969 for approval to introduce the Flaming “A” badge for New Zealand ATs. However, it was not a robust submission and was declined because it was contended that there was not sufficient justification for the badge, with the following reasons given.

  • Other trades in the Army were equally deserving of such a badge
  • The low standard to qualify for the badge

The Dress Committee agreed to reconsider the matter if further justification could be supplied.

By 1969 developments in the United Kingdom and the troubles in Northern Ireland saw the unofficial wearing of the RAOC AT badge by ATOs, and by 1971 an ATO badge consisting of a small ‘Flaming Circle’ without the superimposed A was introduced in the June 1971 DOS Bulletin.

Ammunition Technical Officer’s Badge c1971 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/626107/2017-03109.pdf

Moving forward from Major Rollo’s initial submission, New Zealand’s CATO, Major Bob Duggan, reconsidered the earlier proposal and, on 13 July 1970, through the DOS, submitted the following for a combined AT/ATO Badge,

CONSIDERATIONS

6.            R & SO Vol II provides for the wearing of qualification badges, and a study of that publication reveals that a large proportion of Army Corps already have these. Many badges require less effort for qualification than would the exacting trade of Ammunition Technician. In addition, and supporting the acceptance of an ATO/AT Badge, these technicians are frequently required to deal with other services and members of the public.

7.            The low standard required to qualify for this badge has been reconsidered in light of information obtained on similar standards received from overseas. In addition, it was never the intention to cheapen the significance of this badge in the RNZAOC or those of any other Corps. The standard required to qualify for the ATO/AT badge would now be as follows:

a. Technical Officers who have practised for a minimum of one year.

b. All Ammunition Technicians, regardless of rank, who have qualified in all ways for four stars in their trade.

8.            The Public Relations side of the duties of ATO/Ats, as mentioned in paragraph 6 above, is further explained. This aspect concerns the collection and disposal of stray ammunition and explosives as well as involvement with the Police and other Government Departments in bomb scares. The average annual number of items, all natures and types of stray ammunition which have been collected over the last three years is 5750, which represents approximately 450 calls by ATOs or four-star ATs. ATO/ATs are requested by Police Stations throughout New Zealand

a. To visit many private homes to identify-stray ammunition.

b. Assess whether or not the items are in a dangerous state, and

c. Remove such items for disposal. If an item is in an armed state, it could mean disposal in situ’.

9.            The request is therefore not for a trade badge, but one of recognition and identification as to the dangerous and skilful nature of their specialist work.

With the Support of the Army Q Branch, the Army Dress committee approved the introduction of the AT Badge for qualified RNZAOC ATOs and ATs on 31 May 1971

The New Zealand AT badge adopted in 1971 was identical to the RAOC AT Badge. The criteria for being awarded was for Officers to have completed one year of practical experience after graduating from the ATOs Course in Australia or the United Kingdom. For ATs to qualify, they were required to be qualified in all aspects of the trade, which could take up to six years.

The New Zealand AT Badge was approved to be worn with the following orders of dress;

  • No 2 Dress Mess Kit, No 3 Dress Summer Mess Kit. On the left lower sleeve, 165mm above the bottom of the cuff
  • .No 4A Dress Service Dress. On the left lower sleeve, 165mm above the bottom of the cuff, except with warrant officers, it was worn immediately above the badge of rank on the left sleeve.

The United Kingdom continues to maintain different ATO and AT badges. The Australian Army utilises an RAOC style, ATO badge with a stylised Wattle for ATOs and ATs.

Australian Army Ammunition Technical Officer/Ammunition Technician Badge. https://www.army.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-03/Army%20Dress%20Manual_0.pdf

Examples of New Zealand ATO/AT Badges

1st pattern Ammunition Technician Badge. Robert McKie Collection
1st pattern Ammunition Technician Badge Mess Kit Badge. Robert McKie Collection

On 24 May 1985, the Army Dress Committee endorsed a proposal that all New Zealand Army Qualification Badges eventually conform to a common heraldic motif as an initiative to develop insignia with a unique New Zealand flavour. The common heraldic motif consisted of the qualification badge surrounded by fern fronds providing a badge with a distinct national character.

Although a scroll could be included, if this was not necessary, the fronds continued and stopped just short of the centre point.

    Approved for adoption by the CGS on 6 November 1985, the request went out to trade sponsors to prepare drawings of the current qualification badges encompassing a surround of fern fronds for consideration by the Army Dress Committee.

    Although tasked with providing a design of the AT badge incorporating the common motif, on 1 April 1987, CATO provided a submission including the current AT Badge with the common motif, as well as an alternative design in keeping with the requirement to ‘New Zealandise’ qualification badges.

    Design provided by CATO of current badge with fern fronds
    Alternative design provided by CATO

    At the Army Dress Committee meeting on 12 May 1987, it was agreed that to ensure uniformity of design, the AT badge design incorporating the fern fronds was recommended for approval by CGS. This badge was introduced into service in 1988.

    In April 1987, the New Zealand AT Badge was approved for wear with Sumer Dress (Dacrons) on the left arm 50mm below the point of the shoulder

        2nd pattern Ammunition Technician Badge. Robert McKie Collection
        2nd pattern Ammunition Technician Badge. Robert McKie Collection
        2nd pattern Ammunition Technician Badge. Robert McKie Collection

        New Zealand ATOs and ATs matured into a highly specialised trade that, on the amalgamation of the RNZAOC into the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment (RNZALR) in 1996, had a wide range of responsibilities, including

        • The inspection, storage and maintenance of all ammunition and explosives used by the Army
        • The conduct of technical trials on new ammunition,
        • The conduct investigations into ammunition incidents and accidents,
        • The disposal of unserviceable or obsolete ammunition,
        • The management of Explosive Ordnance Devices and Improvised Explosive Devices.

        New Zealand’s Ammunition trade has progressed from storing and managing black powder magazines in the 19th century to managing the many modern ammunition natures available to the 21st century New Zealand Army. Although introduced in 1971 to recognise and identify the specialist, dangerous and skilful nature of the Ammunition trade, the flaming “A” badge is a fitting symbol of the trade’s progress.

        Reorganisation of NZ Ordnance Services 1 October 1946

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        Due to the reorganisation of the New Zealand Army Headquarters “Q” branch and the formation of the New Zealand Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (NZEME), new establishment tables for the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (NZAOC) were approved for use from 1 October 1946.

        Under discussion since 1944, the 1 October 1946 Establishments provided the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps with a framework within the interim post-war New Zealand Army that woud allow future growth.

        Responsibility for the NZ Army’s Logistic Functions fell to the Quartermaster-General who delegated responsibility for Ordnance Services to the Director of Army Equipment (DAE).

        Under the DAE the NZ Army Ordnance Services were organised as;

        • Headquarters NZ Ordnance Services
          • Headquarters
            • Chief Ordnance Officer (COO) & Staff
          • Provision Group
        • Main Ordnance Depot, Trentham
        • Three District Sub-Depots
          • No 1 Ordnance Sub-Depot, Hopuhopu
          • No 2 Ordnance Sub- Depot, Linton
            • Sub-Depot Waiouru
          • No 3 Ordnance Sub-Depot, Burnham
        • Inspection Ordnance Group, comprising:
          • Headquarters, Trentham
          • Ammunition Repair Depot, Kuku Valley
          • IOO Section Northern Military District (NMD), Hopuhopu
          • IOO Section Central Military District (CMD), Trentham
          • IOO Section Southern Military District (SMD), Burnham
        • Ordnance Ammunition Group
          • NMD Ammunition Section HQ, Hopuhopu
            • Ammunition Section, Hopuhopu
            • Ammunition Section, Ardmore
            • Ammunition Section, Kelm Road
          • CMD Ammunition Section HQ, Trentham
            • Ammunition Section, Belmont
            • Ammunition Section, Makomako
            • Ammunition Section, Waiouru
          • SMD Ammunition Section HQ, Burnham
            • Ammunition Section, Glentunnel
            • Ammunition Section, Mount Somers
            • Ammunition Section, Fairlie
            • Ammunition Section, Alexandra

        Once on Chunuk Bair

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        One of the New Zealand military’s functions is to assist civilian organisations where no viable civilian resources are available.  One such example of this support was in 1991 when the NZ Army provided expertise and personnel to help produce the movie, Chunuk Bair.  

        The high point of the New Zealand effort at Gallipoli was the capture of Chunuk Bair, a key feature on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Captured by the Wellington Battalion under Lieutenant-Colonel William Malone on 8 August 1915, the New Zealanders would hold the position against violent counterattacks by a motivated and well-led opponent until relieved by British Battalions on 9 August. The latter were driven off Chunuk Bair in a counterattack led by Mustafa Kemal on the early morning of 10 August.

        ‘The Battle of Chunuk Bair, 8 August 1915, by Ion Brown’, URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/battle-chunuk-bair-8-august-1915-ion-brown, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 23-May-2014

        The anti-Vietnam protest movement of the 1960s and 70s had caused anything related to the ANZAC legend to become unpopular in New Zealand, with ANZAC day commemorations mainly attended by veterans and serving military personnel. The 1981 Australian movie Gallipoli, with its powerful anti-British theme,was released and considered an ‘event of national significance in Australia. This spike of interest across the Tasman was a turning point and provided the springboard for New Zealand playwright Maurice Shadbolt to provide his contribution in enhancing the notion of Gallipoli as the birthplace of New Zealand as a nation with the events at Chunuk Bair as a source of national pride.

        Shadbolt’s play Once on Chunuk Bair would open to much praise from the theatre gong public on ANZAC Day 1982 at Auckland’s Mercury Theatre and would reinforce Shadbolt’s view that Chunuk Bair marked the birth of the nation freed from the shackles of British Colonialism. Once on Chunuk Bair gave the battle of Chunuk Bair the same national significance to New Zealand that the Australians place on their magnificent debacle at Lone Pine and the Nek. Despite a short theatrical run, Shadbolt’s play would become popular in schools and universities as it was taught and performed as part of the educational experience in a similar way that the Australians use the movie Gallipoli.

        With the 75th anniversary of Gallipoli observed in 1990, a shift in public consciousness toward Gallipoli was revived, and Once on Chunuk Bair was made into a movie during 1991. Produced on a low budget and aimed at a New Zealand audience. The Army Museum provided much technical advice, uniforms and props, with the Army also providing significant assistance to the production, including expertise in explosives and many Men as extras. RNZAOC ammunition technical officer (ATO) Ian Juno would be listed in the credits as providing the special effects, and a sizable quantity of soldiers from 1 Base Supply Battalion would feature in many scenes as extras.

        With production compressed within four weeks, many of the Large-scale battle scenes were filmed on Wellington’s south coast, a near facsimile of the terrain of Gallipoli, with the more detailed scenes filmed in a specially constructed set at the Avalon studios.

        Chunuk.jpg

        Although the final product was disappointing and did not have the same polished attributes as the earlier Australian movie Gallipoli, it complements Christopher Pugsley’s 1984 TVNZ documentary Gallipoli: The New Zealand Story, the Voices of Gallipoli in establishing the Gallipoli Campaign and the Chunuk Bair battle as the cornerstones of the national identity.

        Belmont’s Chemical Weapon Stockpile

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        Of all the Ammunition magazine areas constructed in New Zealand during the Second World War, the Belmont magazine area nestled in the hills north of Wellington between the Hutt and Porirua was the largest and closest to a large population area. In the early 1970s, following the removal, disassembly for scrap, and destruction of its stocks, Belmont’s life as a magazine area concluded with the land reverting to civilian use.   As with any retired military facility kept out of the public eye during its operational life, urban legends and rumours thrive about secret tunnels and forgotten caches of buried military material.  In this respect, Belmont is no different as items such as empty 3.7-inch Anti-Aircraft projectiles are occasionally discovered, fuelling such rumours. Although there is little evidence to support the stories and urban legends, Belmont does have some secrets from its wartime past. The most significant is that Belmont was the home to the bulk of New Zealand’s chemical weapon stockpile.

        As the threat of war with Japan became inevitable in 1940, the New Zealand Government initiated a full mobilisation of New Zealand’s home defence forces. By early 1942 this mobilisation saw two Infantry Brigades deployed to Fiji and Three Divisions and several independent Brigades mobilised for home defence.

        This massive mobilisation initiated a rearmament program resulting in vast amounts of war material from the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States being delivered to New Zealand. Included as part of the infusion of new weapons and equipment were the required scales of ammunition required for each type of weapon system. Ammunition scales used by New Zealand were based upon the standard British scales. They included all the ammunition natures needed by New Zealand for use in the Pacific and home defence, including Anti-Tank, High-Explosive, Smoke and a stockpile of Chemical rounds consisting of,

        • 112,770 25-Pounder Chemical rounds, and
        • 10,300 4.2-inch B4 (Tear) and Y4(Blister) chemical mortar bombs.

        With consignments of ammunition due to arrive in New Zealand in late 1942, construction of the new ammunition magazine areas had been initiated in 1940, with the construction of the Belmont Magazine Area beginning in September 1942.[1]  The Belmont Magazine Area consisted of sixty-two Magazine buildings, with buildings 28 and 29 dedicated to holding chemical rounds from late 1943.

        All the 4.2inch Bombs were stored at Belmont with the recommended distribution of the 25-Pounder chemical rounds,[2]

        • 30,000 rounds to the Northern Military District
        • 30,000 rounds to the Southern Military District
        • 52,770 rounds to the Central Military District Belmont Depot

        However, records are uncertain if this distribution occurred, so it is quite probable that the entire stock of 25-Pounder ammunition was held at Belmont.

        The New Zealand Stockpile was significant as a lethal percutaneous dose of mustard was 4.5 gm. With 300 tons of the agent in the NZ stockpile, the potential lethal doses held in Belmont were approximately 60 million. To put the size of the stockpile in context, it was equal to 5% of the United States Stockpile in 1993.

        The use of Chemical Weapons was highly controlled and only to be used in retaliation if the enemy used it first. Although US forces on Guadalcanal had captured some Japanese Chemical Weapons, the NZ Deputy Chiefs of Staff were confident that there did ‘not appear to be any other or greater evidence that the Japanese propose to use gas in this area’. However, it is believed that 3 NZ Div did deploy with Chemical rounds for their 25-pounders just in case.

        If Chemical rounds were deployed with the 3 NZ Div, they were returned to New Zealand in 1944 and stored at the Kelms Road Depot at Ngaruawahia alongside the other natures of ammunition utilised by the Division.

        Following the war, the disposal of wartime ammunition became a standing task for the RNZAOC Ammunition functions as damaged, obsolete, and surplus stocks were disposed of by a variety of methods.

        Ammunition that was damaged was often disposed of by demolition; for example, the destruction of 3.7-inch Anti-Aircraft ammunition issued to units and returned to Depots took up to 1957 to complete.[3]

        The stockpile of chemical munitions was dumped at sea, with two dumping operations found in archival sources.[4]

        • Two hundred tons of chemical shells scuttled on the tug Maui Pomare at the 100-fathom line in the Hauraki Gulf in April 1946.
        • One thousand five hundred tons of 25-Pounder chemical shells and twenty tons of bombs had been dumped by the Marine Department steamer Matai off the Wellington coast by October 1946.

        Stock from the Belmont magazine area was delivered by Army personnel to the wharf at the RNZAF base at Shelly Bay in lots of 250 Tons and loaded onto the Marine Department steamer Matai. All possible safety precautions were applied with each crew member was issued protective capes, respirators and gloves. With special chutes constructed, cases of shells were jettisoned fifty Nautical miles off the Wellington coast in the Cook Strait Canyon, which reaches depths of three kilometres.[5]

        N Z Government S S Matai, on the patent slip at Evans Bay, Wellington. Smith, Sydney Charles, 1888-1972: Photographs of New Zealand. Ref: 1/2-049255-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22744146

        The dumping of the Chemical munitions was well publicised, with newspaper articles describing the disposal operation;[6]

        Stored since 1943, 1500 tons of gas shells are to be dumped at sea by the Matai.  Fuses have been removed from the 25lb shells that contain the gas, but to ensure that there is no risk to those carrying out the work, full Admiralty and War Office safeguards will, be taken. The gas is of the blister variety. The boxes containing the shells will be filled with sand to guard against possible leakages. Each box is painted with a substance that will indicate even a pinpoint of escaped gas.

        Northern Advocate, 18 September 1946

        Although the archival records that at least 15,220 tons of Chemical munitions had been dumped at sea by the end of 1946, there is no accurate reconciliation of the actual number of rounds disposed of. However, it is a reasonable assumption that New Zealand had no desire to maintain a contingency stock of Chemical weapons and that all wartime stocks were disposed of by the end of 1946.

        Notes

        [1] F Grattan, Official War History of the Public Works Department (PWD, 1948).

        [2] “Defence Works – Magazine – Belmont Hills,” Archives New Zealand Item No R22435088  (1942).

        [3] “H-19 Military Forces of New Zealand Annual Report of the General Officer Commanding, for period 1 April 1957 to 31 March 1958,” Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives  (3 July 1958 1958).

        [4] “Ammunition – Disposal of unserviceable ammunition 1945-1952,” Archives New Zealand Item No R21465842  (1945).

        [5] A Hubbard, “Chemical War: Our seabed legacy,” New Zeland Listener, 16 January 1993.

        [6] “Gas Shells to be Dumped at Sea,” Northern Advocate, 18 September 1946, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19460918.2.17.

        Major Joseph Seymour Bolton

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        Today we mark the passing of a major influence on this website,  Major Rtd Joseph Seymour Bolton (1947-2020).

        Joe authored the History of the RNZAOC that was published 1992 and it was with his blessing and encouragement that I have continued on this webpage the expansion of his original research to unpack the history of the RNZAOC.

        20171124_082624-166274243.jpg

        Joe joined the New Zealand Army as a Regular Force Cadet in the Bennett class of 1963. On completion of his RF Cadet Training,  Joe graduated into the RNZAOC on 2 May 1965.

        Joe would have a varied and interesting career as an RNZAOC Soldier and Officer, including;

        • Operational service in South Vietnam during 1970

        Vietnam 1Vietnam 2

        • Service in the Solomon Island with the first Tranch of RNZAOC ATO’s and AT’s clearing the islands of WW2 munitions.

        Solomons

        • Officer Commanding NZAOD, Singapore: 21 May 1982 to 10 May 1984

        NZAOD

        • Chief Instructor, RNZAOC School: May 1985 to December 1986
        • Chief Ammunition Technical Officer: 1986 to 1988

        In 1988 Joe was awarded the RNZAOC 20-year certificate for service from  2 May 1965 to 2 May 1988.

        In Joe’s post-military career, he would continue to maintain an interest in the RNZAOC and manage the RNZAOC mailing list, sending out notifications on the passing of a Corps member or other such important information.

        I never worked with Joe while he was serving, but got to know him when he was working a civilian in the CATO Branch. As I was working upstairs in Ops/Plans as the Policy WO,  I would often refer to Joe as the expert on ammunition policy issues. Often a short question on ammunition would turn into a lengthy conversation about RNZAOC History.  Many years later, as I was beginning to foray into RNZAOC research, we would catch up on the Rembermance Days in Palmerston North as the Poppy Places Charitable Trust, a passion of Joe’s in later years,  unveiled their distinctive street signs. It was at these brief meeting we would discuss the progress of my research and the future direction.

        RIP Joe
        Sua Tele Tonnti

        1592109768278-6ec536ce-0240-44b3-a36f-a49f34da41c6_.jpg

        Major Joe Bolton Officer Commanding NZAOD receiving the Higgins Cup RFL Trophy form the New Zealand Director of Ordnance Services LtCol T.D McBeth.

         

        Memories of Service – Ron Cross

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        Memories of Service

         

        Lieutenant Colonel Ron Cross is a military man through and through, A Regular Force Cadet, Artilleryman, Infantryman, a Graduate of the Officer Cadet School, Portsea and RNZAOC Officer, including a stint as Chief instructor of the Ordnance School from November 1972 to August 1974 and Officer Commanding of the NZAOD from April 1976 to May 1978, Ron is a  proud soldier.

        In this Memories of Service video produced by the New Zealand Returned Services Associaton.  Ron recounts the experiences that shaped his life. Joining up as a regular Army Cadet, Ron served in both the Malayan conflict and the Vietnam War. From the comedy of preparing for jungle warfare in snow-covered hills around Tekapo to the tension of being fired on at close range on the roads of Vietnam, Ron’s vivid recollections are captivating.

        Click on the attached link to view the video:

        https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/memories-of-service-ron-cross-2017

        The evolution of NZAOC ammunition responsibilities 1939-1945

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        With Japan expanding into China and war clouds brewing over Europe, Defence in New Zealand had by 1938 started to pull itself out of the years of forced inactivity and neglect that had been the hallmark of the early 1930s. By mid-1939, re-equipment and rearmament were underway, with many new weapons in the process of being introduced into service with more on order. With so many new armaments coming into service alongside the existing inventory, there was also ammunition which required correct storage and accounting. Responsibility for ammunition management was divided between the Royal New Zealand Artillery (RNZA) and the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (NZAOC). To meet the growing needs of the New Zealand Army, both organisations rapidly expanded in manpower and infrastructure from having a minimal ammunition capability in 1939, finally combining to form a single NZAOC organisation charged with responsibility for managing New Zealand Army ammunition depots in 1945.

        Pre War Situation

        Fort Ballance

        On the formation of the NZAOC in 1917, the Royal New Zealand Artillery (RNZA) Ordnance Section at Fort Ballance passed to NZAOC control. Becoming the NZAOC Ammunition Section, it continued with its task of storing, inspecting, repairing and refurbishing  Ammunition as a uniformed branch of the NZAOC under the control of the RNZA.  Located at Watts Peninsular on the north end of Wellingtons Miramar peninsular, the ammunition infrastructure consisted of 19 magazines, one store and a laboratory situated across the peninsula at Shelly Bay, Kau Point, Mahanaga Bay, Fort Ballance and Fort Gordon. These were not purpose-built ammunition magazines but repurposed submarine mining and coastal artillery fortifications dating back to the 1880s. In the case of Kau Point and Forts Ballance and Gordon, the large 6 and 8inch disappearing guns had been removed in the early 1920s, and the gun pits roofed over to become ad-hoc magazines. This accommodation was far from ideal as temperature and moisture control were not able to be adequately controlled, resulting in potential damage to ammunition stocks.[1][2][3]

        watts map
        Fort Ballance Ammunition Area

        HopuHopu Camp

        A smaller Ammunition section was also maintained in Auckland during the 1920s, along with some staff from Fort Ballance Ammunition Section were transferred to the New Magazines at HopuHopu Camp [4] on the competition of their construction in 1929.[5] Envisaged to be the principal ammunition depot for New Zealand, eleven magazines and a laboratory were constructed between 1925 and 1927.  Built into a hillside, the magazines were constructed of concrete, with double walls, which formed an inspecting chamber. The intent of the inspection chamber was for sentries to observe thermometers and, by consulting a chart, adjust the ventilation to maintain the stock at optimal temperatures. Entirely reverted into the hill and faced by an embankment, the Hopuhopu magazine s designed in such a way so that if there were an explosion, the effects of any blast were contained.[6]

        20180412_164813-190082474.jpg
        HopuHopu Camp Ammunition Area 1945. Public Works Department

        The NZAOC Ammunition sections were disestablished in 1931 when nearly all of the NZAOC military staff were transferred to the Public Service as civilian staff at a lower rate of pay or placed on superannuation as the result of government budgetary restraints. [7]

        When New Zealand entered the war in September 1939, The responsibility for ammunition was shared between the RNZA and the NZAOC;[8]

        • The Director of Artillery was responsible to the General Officer Commanding for;
          • The provision and allocation of gun ammunition,
          • The receipt, storage, and issue of gun ammunition and explosives other than small-arms ammunition
        • The Director of Ordnance Services, assisted by the Inspecting Ordnance Officer and the SAA Proof Officer, were responsible to the Quartermaster-General for;
          • The inspection and repair of gun ammunition,
          • The provision, receipt, storage and distribution of small arms ammunition.

        NZAOC Ammunition  personnel consisted of;[9]

        • The Inspecting Ordnance Officer (IOO), Captian I.R Withell, R.N.Z.A
        • The Proof Officer, Small Arms Ammunition (SAA) Mount Eden Auckland, Honorary Lieutenant J.W Fletcher, N.Z.P.S
        • 2 Civilian Staff at Ngawahawia
        • 5 Civilian Staff at Fort Ballance

        Ammunition Facilities shared by the RNZA and NZAOC consisted of ;

        • 19 Magazines, 1 Store, and an Ammunition Laboratory at Fort Ballance managed by an RNZA WO1 seconded to the NZAOC and 5 civilian Staff
        • 11 Magazines and an Ammunition Laboratory at HopuHopu Camp managed by an RNZA WO1 seconded to the NZAOC and 5 civilian Staff
        • Single SAA Magazines at Trentham and Burnham Camps.

        1940-41

        As the New Zealand Army moved from a peacetime to a wartime footing, Ammunition responsibilities were split between the Assistant Quarter Master General (2) (AQMS(2))  and Assistant Quarter Master General (5) (AQMS (5)).[10]

        • AQMS(2)
        • With Lieutenant Colonel T.J King, Director of Ordnance Services (DOS), transferred to the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF), under the auspices of the AQMS(2), the position of DOS was parked for the duration of the war, and the responsibilities of the DOS divided as follows;
        • The Chief Ordnance Officer assumed responsibility for the supply functions of DOS, including the management of NZAOC Ammunition Sections, whose primary responsibility was SAA.
        • Ordnance Mechanical Engineer (OEM) assumed responsibility for Ordnance Workshops.
        • The Inspecting Ordnance Officer and the Proof Officer SAA came under the responsibility of the Chief Munitions Officer as the Army Inspection Department, with the technical responsibility for the management and inspection of ammunition.
        • AQMS(5)
          • The AQMS(5) was responsible for the Army Headquarters Gun Ammunition and Equipment Section.
        Ammo responsibility 1941-45

        With a significant amount of ammunition being received from overseas, it became a matter of urgency that the establishment of the NZAOC Ammunition section was increased and additional magazine accommodation constructed. Immediate relief was gained by the construction of eight magazines at Burnham Camp and the taking over of six Magazines and a Store at the Ohakea Royal New Zeland Air Force Base. Both the Burnham and Ohakea magazines had been constructed as part of a pre-war expansion plan. Ten magazines had been built at Ohakea, with their construction completed in 1940 and construction of eight magazines at a location north of Burnham Camp was started in 1940, with building completed by May 1941. [11]

        By October 1941, the NZAOC Ammunition Section establishment and Magazine situation was[12]

        NZAOC Staff at Army Headquarters

        • 1 Captain
        • 1 Lieutenant
        • 1 Other Rank

        Fort Ballance

        • NZAOC Strength:
          • 4 Military Staff
            • Lieutenant Edkins
            • Staff Sergeant Eastgate
            • Sergeant Anderson
            • Corporal Bagley
          • 10 Civilian Staff
        • Buildings: 19 Magazines, 1 Store, 1 Laboratory
        • Ammunition held: Grenades, Bombs, Pyrotechnics and explosives
        • Work Carried out: Receipt and Issue of Ammunition, preservation of ammunition held, major repair to Gun Ammunition, Manufacture of Blank Gun Ammunition

        Fort Balance continued to be utilised as an Ammunition Depot throughout the war and, in October 1942, held the following stocks as part of the Wellington Fortress area;[13]

        • 2″ Mortar – 288
        • 3″ Mortar – 280
        • 2″ Smoke Thrower – 1566
        • Grenades 36M – 312
        • 18-Pdr –  15839
        • 12-Pdr – 1035
        • 6″ – 403
        • 5″ How – 20035
        • 7″ How –  172
        • 7″ AA –  198
        • 40mm AA –  4091
        • 3″ AA –  5775
        • 2-Pdr AT –  3459

        Hopuhopu (including Mount Eden SAA Magazine)

        • NZAOC Strength:
        • 2 Military Staff
          • Warrant Officer Class One Little
          • Sergeant Waters0
        • 2 Civilian Staff
        • Buildings: 13 Magazines, 1 Laboratory
        • Ammunition held: Gun Ammunition, Grenades, Bombs, Pyrotechnics and explosives
        • Work Carried out: Receipt and Issue of all Ammunition, preservation of ammunition held, minor repair to ammunition,

        Burnham

        • NZAOC Strength: 1 Sergeant employed as part of the New Zealand Temporary Staff
        • Buildings: 7 Magazines, 1 laboratory (on magazine converted to a lab, the purpose-built laboratory was not construed until 1945)
        • Ammunition held: Gun Ammunition, Grenades, Bombs, Pyrotechnics and explosives
        • Work Carried out: Receipt and Issue of Ammunition, preservation of ammunition held, major repair to Gun Ammunition,

        Ohakea

        • NZAOC Strength: 1 Sergeant employed as part of the New Zealand Temporary Staff
        • Buildings: 6 magazines, 1 Store
        • Ammunition held: Gun Ammunition only
        • Work Carried out: Receipt and Issue of Ammunition, preservation of ammunition held, major repair to Gun Ammunition

        Further construction of magazines was planned with the War Cabinet granting expenditure in September 1941 for an extensive magazine building programme at the following locations;

        • Papakura (Ardmore)- 8 Magazines
        • Hopuhopu – 11 Magazines, 1 Laboratory, 3 Stores
        • Waiouru – 13 Magazines, 1 laboratory and 1 Store
        • Manawatu – 10 Magazines, 1 laboratory and 1 Store
        • South Island – 8 Magazines, 1 laboratory and 1 Store

        1941 Magazine Design

        Designed by the Public Works Department in consultation with Army Headquarters, six designs were utilised, known as types A to F:[14]

        • Type A – 12.19m x 6.70m, Double brick walls with a corrugated asbestos roof, with an entrance porch.
        • Type B – 12.19m x 6.70m, Double brick walls with a corrugated asbestos roof, no entrance porch.
        • Type C – 6.70m x 57m, Brick cavity walls with a corrugated asbestos roof.
        • Type D – 15.24m x 9.75m, Brick cavity walls with a corrugated asbestos roof, with an entrance porch
        • Type E – 15.24m x 9.75m, Single timber walls with exterior cement fibre boards with a corrugated asbestos roof.
        • Type F – 15.24m x 9.75m, Double timber walls with exterior cement fibre boards with a corrugated asbestos roof.

        Significant establishment changes were also proposed, with an increase of the NZAOC establishment to 3 Officers and 62 other ranks, including all civilian ammunition staff not being placed into uniform retired.

        1942

        Although New Zealand had been at war for just over two years, up to December 1941, it had been a distant European war not requiring the full mobilisation of New Zealand. The near-simultaneous attacks by Japan against Malaya and the Philippines and the speed of the Japanese advance southwards forced New Zealand onto a total war footing with the full mobilisation of the territorial army and the formation of additional Divisions for home defence and service in the Pacific.[15]

        To meet immediate requirements for storing ammunition at Waiouru, authorisations for constructing 16 temporary ammunition stores were granted in April 1942. Completed on 18 July 1942, the 9m x 6m temporary wooden ammunition stores were located south of the main camp.[16]

        1942 Magazine Design

        With the entry of Japan into the war, new magazines were approved. Due to the increased threat posed by Japan, the latest magazines were designed with the intent of providing additional protection and were known as types M, P, R1, R2 and R3;[17]

        • Type M – 7.18m wide of variable length, precast concrete walls and roof supported by interior pillars.
        • Type P – 7m or 14m wide of variable length, precast concrete walls and roof supported by interior pillars.
        • Type R1 – 7.62m wide of variable length. Concrete walls and roof supported by interior pillars.
        • Type R2 – 7.62m wide of variable length, Brick walls with a Concrete roof supported by interior pillars.
        • Type R3 – 7m wide of variable length, Concrete outer wall with an inner brick wall with a concrete roof supported by interior pillars.

        In addition to the 295 magazines constructed, numerous non-explosive stores, guard accommodation, garages and cookhouses, and external and internal roads were also built. The non-explosive stores were typically 6m x 9m, constructed of unlined timber walls with an asbestos roof. The laboratory was 13m x 6m with cavity walls with an asbestos roof.

        With construction started in early 1942, wartime conditions, competition for material and manpower priorities and the challenging and isolated locations of some of the sites meant that the final construction was not completed until late 1944.  The final tally of magazines constructed across eleven locations was[18]

        • Papakura (Ardmore)- 20 Magazines
        • Hopuhopu and Kelms Road – 55 Magazines
        • Waiouru – 45 Magazines
        • Makomako – 39 Magazines
        • Trentham(Kuku Valley) – 22 Magazines
        • Belmont – 62 Magazines
        • Glen Tunnel – 16
        • Burnham Camp – 8
        • Mount Somers – 10
        • Fairlie – 9
        • Alexandra – 9

        During the same period, magazines and other ammunition infrastructure were also constructed for the Navy, Air Force and United States Forces in many locations across the country, of which some were also utilised by the NZAOC

        The increase of Ordnance Depot Establishments

        As of 22 July 1942, the approved establishment of the NZAOC Depots was 435, consisting of 18 Officers, 47 other ranks and 370 civilians. Approval was granted on 8 August 1942 to increase and fully militarise the establishment of the NZAOC. The increase in the establishment was required to provide adequate staff for the four Ordnance Depots, with an ability to surge personnel into Advanced Ordnance Depots at Whangarei and Blenheim in support of the Home Defence Divisions. The authorised establishment for NZAOC Depots (including Ammunition Sections), was increased to be a fully militarised establishment of 1049 Officers and Other Ranks.[19]

         OfficersOther RanksTotal
        Main Ordnance Depot19556575
        Ordnance Depot Northern District4182186
        Ordnance Depot Central District38184
        Ordnance Depot Southern District4200204
        Total3010191049

        1943

        Waiouru

        • Construction of the following ammunition infrastructure was completed on 5 February;[20]
        • One type B magazine
        • Eleven type D magazines
        • Laboratory
        • Non-Explosive Store

        Followed by the completion of the following magazines in October 1943;

        • Two type D magazines
        • Four type E magazines
        • Four type F magazines
        20180412_164447808026669.jpg
        Waiouru Ammunition Area C1945. Public Works Department

        Makomako

        The construction of Makomako was completed in March 1943.[21]

        20180412_164357-1310043622.jpg
        Makomako Ammunition Area C1945. Public Works Department

        Mount Somers

        The development of Mount Somers was completed in March 1943.[22]

        Glentunnel

        Development of Glentunnel was completed in August1943.[23]

        Fairlie

        Development was Authorised in Decemberr1942, with development completed during 1943.[24]

        Alexandra

        Construction of nine 18m long R2 Type magazines, a laboratory and a non-explosive store was completed in November 1943.[25]

        Kaikorai Valley (Dunedin)

        Selected as the site of an ammunition Depot in early 1942. Seventeen temporary Wooden Ammunition Shelters and five temporary wooden explosive stores were constructed along with a quantity of supporting infrastructure, including a road aptly named “Ammunition Track”, which is the only trace left today. Possibly due to its close proximity to the coast and the threat of Japanese Air raids, the permanent Ammunition depot was built further inland at Alexandra.[26]

        Dates for the completion of the construction of the Ardmore, Ngawahiwaia, Kelm’s Road and Kuku Valley magazines are not detailed in the Public Works history but were during 1943.[27]

        Army Inspection Department adopt NZOC Badge

        Due to the close association of the Army Inspection Department with Ammunition, the Chief Munitions Officer requested the Chief Ordnance Officer in 1943 that the Army Inspection Department be granted permission to wear the Cap Badge and puggaree of the New Zealand Ordnance Corps (NZOC). Records are unclear if this request was granted.[28]

        1944

        Waiouru

        Construction of the following was completed by May 1944.

        • Five type R1 magazines
        • Fourteen type R2 magazines
        • One type R3 magazine

        Belmont

        Construction of the Belmont Ammunition area began in November 1942 and was completed by November 1944.[29]

        Infrastructure at Belmont included;

        • Over 5 Km of roads
        • Cookhouse, Mess rooms, Ablutions, recreation room and sleeping accommodation
        • Laboratory
        • 50 P-Type Magazines 50, 60 and 100ft in length
        • 10 M-Type Magazines
        • 2 Magazines of an unknown type

        1945

        From mid-1945, discussions start to take place on the post was the shape of the NZAOC. Some thought was given to returning the NZAOC to its pre-war status as a predominantly civilian organisation. Reality prevailed the future of the NZAOC was assured as a feature of the post-war army. It was estimated that there were at least three years of work required in inspecting and refurbishing ammunition returned from units that had been demobilised, which was in addition to maintaining existing stocks of unused ammunition.[30] The proposed establishment for NZAOC Ammunition units saw the first widespread use of the terms IOO (In the context of the modern Ammunition Technical Officer) and Ammunition Examiner (Ammunition Technician). 1945 saw the completion of the ammunition infrastructure works first authorised in 1941.

        Burnham

        Construction of Non-explosive store and laboratory completed

        Transfer of Ammunition and Equipment Section to NZAOC

        Before the Defence Act of 1909, which created the framework of the modern New Zealand Army, there had long between a division of responsibilities for the Management of Ammunition. Traditionally the provision, allocation, receipt, storage and issue of Gun (Artillery) Ammunition had been an Artillery responsibility, with the Management of Small Arms Ammunition the responsibility of the Defence Stores/Ordnance Corps. 1 June 1945, the NZAOC assumed responsibility for managing all Army ammunition. The Artillery element responsible for managing Gun Ammunition, the Ammunition and Equipment Section, was transferred from the control of Army Headquarters to the Chief Ordnance Officer. As a result of the transfer, 11 Officers and 175 Other Ranks of the Royal New Zealand Artillery were absorbed into the NZAOC establishment.[31]

        Ordnance Takes Full Control

        On the 15ht of November 1945, the Chief Ordnance Officer took up responsibility for the care, maintenance, accounting and storage of all ammunition and explosives.

        Control of ammunition was to be undertaken by.

        • The IOO Section, and
        • The Ammunition Section

        IOO Section

        The IOO Section, administered by the CIOO, was responsible for;[32]

        • The control of all work on ammunition for all purposes other than accounting and storage,
        • Maintenance of ammunition and explosives in stock in a serviceable condition and ready for use,
        • Provision of personnel for inspection and repair and for working parties to carry out repairs,
        • Provision of all equipment and stores required for the inspection and repair of ammunition,
        • Provision and accounting for Motor Transport necessary for the transport of stock for inspection and repair,
        • Administration and control f Repair Depot Trentham,
        • Maintenance of buildings at Repair Depot Trentham.

        Ammunition Section

        The Ammunition Section was responsible for;[33]

        • The accounting, storage and care of ammunition and explosives
        • Maintenance or magazines areas and of buildings and services connected with the storage of ammunition and explosives,
        • Administration of personnel of the IOO Section, while attached to ammunition depots concerning pay, rations, quarters, clothing and discipline
        • Transport arrangements for the movement of ammunition not connected with the inspection and repair of ammunition at depots.

        Notes

        [1] Russell Glackin, In Defence of Our Land: A Tour of New Zealand’s Historic Harbour Forts (Auckland, N.Z.: Penguin Group (NZ), 2009, 2009), Bibliographies

        Non-fiction, 48-53.

        [2] Kiri Petersen Cathryn Barr, “New Zealand Defence Force Heritage Management Plan Forts Ballance and Gordon” (Hamilton: Opus International Consultants Limited 2009), 2-5.

        [3] Tony Walton, “Wellingtons’ Defences: A Reconnaissance Survey of the Fortifications or 1884-1945,” Archaeology in New Zealand 33 (1990): 87-99.

        [4] At different times referred to as Waikato or Ngawahawia Camp

        [5] “Modern Military Camp,” New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20324, 3 August 1929.

        [6] “Dominions Ammunition Depot,” Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 83, 8 April 1925.

        [7] Joseph S. Bolton, A History of the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (Wellington: RNZAOC, 1992), 84.

        [8] “Regulations for the Military Forces of the Dominion of New Zealand.,” New Zealand Gazette no. 32, (1927).

        [9] “Establishments – Ordnance Corps Ad1 493 / 228/2/6,” Defence Archives, Archives New Zealand  (1937).

        [10] Ibid.

        [11] F Grattan, Official War History of the Public Works Department (PWD, 1948), 529.

        [12] “Establishments – Ordnance Corps Ad1 493 / 228/2/6.”

        [13] Howard Weddell, Trentham Camp and Upper Hutt’s Untold Military History (Howard Weddell, 2018), Bibliographies, Non-fiction, 160.

        [14] Grattan, Official War History of the Public Works Department, 517.

        [15] Peter D. F. Cooke, Defending New Zealand: Ramparts on the Sea 1840-1950s (Wellington, N.Z.: Defence of New Zealand Study Group, 2000, 2000), Bibliographies

        Dictionaries

        Non-fiction.

        [16] Grattan, Official War History of the Public Works Department, 521.

        [17] Ibid., 518.

        [18] Ibid., 517.

        [19] “Establishments – Ordnance Corps Ad1 493 / 228/2/6.”

        [20] Grattan, Official War History of the Public Works Department, 521.

        [21] Ibid., 523-24.

        [22] Ibid., 528.

        [23] Ibid., 527.

        [24] Ibid., 530.

        [25] Ibid., 532.

        [26] Ibid., 519.

        [27] Ibid., 520.

        [28] “Badges and Buttons – Regimental, Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps 1936-1967, 92 /   213/12/19,” Defence Archives, Archives New Zealand  (1936).

        [29] Grattan, Official War History of the Public Works Department, 524-26.

        [30] “Establishments – Ordnance Corps Ad1 493 / 228/2/6.”

        [31] Ibid.

        [32] Ibid.

        [33] Ibid.

        The Hunter Brothers

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        nz-army-ordnance-corps-badge-2
        NZ Army Ordnance Corps Badge 1917-1937. nzhistory.govt.nz/Public Domain

        The Hunter Brothers’ service was unassuming, and when looked at as part of the broader history of the New Zealand Ordnance Corps, their service was uneventful. The only significant event of their service is that they are one of the few sets of brothers to be awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. What their service does provide is a snapshot of the activities of the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps in the 1920s

        The children of Irish Immigrants who were farming a small property near the Marlborough town of Tuamarina, John was born on the 13th of August 1880 and Thomas on the 20th of December 1881.

        John and Thomas joined what was then the New Zealand Permeant Militia, spending considerable time as Gunners in the Artillery before transferring to the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps soon after its formation in 1917. John’s time in Ordnance was spent in the Ammunition Section based out of Fort Balance on the Northern Miramar peninsular in Wellington. Thomas ordnance Service was at the Ordnance Store at Mount Eden and the then brand-new Waikato Camp (Hopuhopu/Ngawahawia Camp).

        Both brothers served for more than 30 years and, under normal circumstances, retired at 55 with a comfortable pension, but this was not to be. Due to the worldwide depression and economic recession, the Government was forced to savagely reduce the strength of the Army by using the provisions of section 39 of the Finance Act, 1930 (No. 2), where military staff could be either;

        • Transferred to the Civil service, or
        • Retire on superannuation any member of the Permanent Force or the Permanent Staff under the Defence Act, 1909, or of the clerical staff of the Defence Department whose age or length of service was such that if five years was added thereto, they would have been enabled as of right or with the consent of the Minister of Defence to have given notice to retire voluntarily.

        Using this act, on the 31st of March 1931, the NZAOC lost;

        • Six officers and Thirty-Eight Other Ranks were retired on superannuation
        • Seventy-four NZAOC staff (excluding officers and artificers) who were not eligible for retirement were transferred to the civilian staff to work in the same positions but at a lower pay rate.
        Hunter retirement letter
        Notice of Retirement sent to Serving soldiers in December 1930

        For the soldiers placed on superannuation, the transition was brutal, with pensions recalculated at much lower rates and, in some cases, the loss of outstanding annual and accumulated leave. The 31st of March 1931 was the blackest day in the History of the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps

        John Francis Hunter

        John Hunter attended the local school until Standard 5 and then spent a year at St Patricks College at Silverstream in Wellington. On leaving school, John Hunter took up a farming job in Bulls.  At Eighteen years of age, John enlisted at Alexandra Barrack in Wellington into the New Zealand Permanent Force (NZPF) and was attested as a 3rd Class Gunner into No 1 Company in Wellington on the 23 of November 1898. John Hunter Passed the Small Arms Drill Course on the 6th of January 1899, followed by the Recruits Drill Course on the 1st of May and was promoted to 2nd Class Gunner on the 1st of September 1899.

        alexandra-barracksC
        Alexandra Barracks, Mount Cook Wellington (Colourised). Credit: Alexander Turnbull Library.

        With the reorganisation of the NZPF in 1902, the small permanent artillery force was designated the Royal New Zealand Artillery (RNZA), with John Hunter remaining with the Wellington Detachment. While serving as the “Servant to the General Officer Commanding,” John Hunter unsuccessfully applied for a transfer to the New Zealand Police in 1902. John Hunter was to spend a short period detached to Lyttleton on Police duty during the New Zealand International Exhibition held in Christchurch in 1906/07. John Hunter was promoted to 1st Class Gunner on the 1st of September 1907. With the reorganisations of 1907 and 1911, John Hunter remained in the Gunnery Section of the RNZA Wellington Detachment working in the various Wellington Coast Defence Forts.

        Marrying Edith Taylor in Fielding on the 28th of January 1911, John Hunter was still based in Wellington when the Great War was declared in 1914, but at 34 years old, was then considered too old for war service.

        Since 1911 there had been concerns in Army Headquarters about the supply of Artillery ammunition and the associated costs of importing all of the required stocks to maintain training and operational needs. Studies had found that by refurbishing by cleaning, inspecting and refilling cartridge casings, and inspecting and refurbishing in-service propellant bags and manufacturing new ones as required, considerable savings could be made instead of importing new items. Recommendations were made that as part of the RNZA, a specialist Ordnance Stores Corps be established to manufacture and modify Ammunition. Ordnance Stores Corps was under the supervision of the Master Gunner and entitled to the same pay and allowances as other members of the RNZA, as they were just another section of the RNZA.

        Although envisaged in 1911, the formation of this Ordnance Stores Corps had an extended gestation period, and it was not until mid-1914 that General Godley, the Commander of the New Zealand Forces, approved the proposal and work could begin in establishing the Artillery Ordnance Stores Corps. Orders were placed on Great Britain for the required machinery, components and most importantly, cordite, with some of the machinery received in good time, the remainder was promised to be delivered as soon as possible by the British suppliers. Given that war had broken out, setting up this capability and securing New Zealand’s immediate supply of Artillery was of the utmost importance.

        The new Corps was to be another uniformed section of the RNZA, such as the Field Artillery or Electric Light Company. It was to be under the administration and control of the OC RNZA and not the Quartermaster General, and on 1 March 1915, authority was granted under New Zealand Defence Forces General Order 90 to raise the New Zealand Army Ordnance Section with effect 1 April 1915.  Located at Fort Ballance at Mahanga Bay on Wellington’s Miramar Peninsula, the section’s primary duties were assembling ammunition components for the artillery, with care and upkeep of the magazines becoming part of their responsibilities. John Hunter Transferred into the RNZA Army Ordnance Section on the 1st of July 1915.

        fort-ballanceC
        Fort Ballance (including associated positions at Fort Gordon) (Colourised). Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand,

        With the Formation of the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (NZAOC) on the 1st of February 1917, the RNZA retained operational day-to-day control of the Ammunition Section, with the NZAOC taking up administrative control of its personnel. The personnel of the Ammunition Section, including Gunner John Hunter, transferred into the NZAOC on the 15th of March 1917. On the 8th of February 1917, John Hunter was awarded the New Zealand Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

        RMS Niagara
        RMS Niagara

        December 1917 saw John Hunter’s experience as a gunner called upon when he was seconded to the NZEF as an Acting Corporal. Embarking on the RMS Niagara on the 13th of February 1918 as Corporal Gunner of the Gun Crew. Returning to New Zealand in September 1918 and replaced by Naval gunners, John Hunter spent a short time with the RNZA in Featherston Camp before re-joining the NZAOC in February 1919. Interestingly the RMS Niagara on which John Hunter served and disembarked in September 1918 is the vessel attributed by some sources as the source of the 1918 influenza pandemic that had a devastating effect on New Zealand.

        Returning to his duties at the Ammunition Section at Fort Ballance, John Hunter was the newest member of the Ammunition Section and was identified as the only suitable understudy for the then NCO In-Charge Sergeant J Murray and was promoted to Lance Corporal on 1 November 1919. 1921 saw John Hunter awarded; the New Zealand Efficient Service Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal and was also issued with his war service medals; the British War Service 1914-1918 Medal and the Victory 1914-1919 Medal.

        Promoted to Temporary Corporal on the 1st of January 1921, John Hunter was made the NCO I/C at the Ammunition Laboratory at Shelly Bay. By August 1921, on the retirement of Sergeant Murray, Hunter was promoted to Corporal and appointed as IC of the Ammunition Section.

        The immediate post-war years into the mid-1920s were a busy time for the NZAOC Ammunition Section. The Kaiwharawhara Powder Magazines close to the city were closed. The Mahanga Bay facilities expanded from the original magazine and laboratory building on the foreshore to include Fort Balance, Fort Gordon and the Kau Point Battery as their guns were decommissioned. With armaments removed, gun pits covered over with roofs and turned into additional magazines, the once impressive forts went from being Wellington’s premier defensive location to quite possibly the first large-scale ammunition depot of the NZAOC, a role held until 1929 when purpose-built facilities were constructed at Hopuhopu Camp in the Waikato.

        He was promoted to Sergeant on the 1st of July 1922, further promotions followed on the 1st of June 1926 when he was promoted to Staff Sergeant and then again on the 1st of June 1929 when promotion to Staff Quarter Master Sergeant (Warrant officer Class 2) was gained.

        After spending most of his 32-year career on the Miramar Peninsular of Wellington. Warrant Officer Class Two John Hunter was discharged from the Army on the 31st of March 1931 at the age of 52 under the provisions section 39 of the Finance Act, 1930 (No. 2) where members of the military were forced to retire under superannuation at a much lower rate than they should have usually been entitled too. WO2 John Hunter also lost;

        ·         21 days approved annual leave

        ·         22 days accrued leave

        John Hunter’s forced retirement in 1931 might not have been his final Military service. Census and voter lists from 1935 to 1954 list his occupation as Solder, with the Census and voter from 1957 as retired. Further examination of service records is required, but an assumption is that given his ammunition experience, he was re-engaged in a lesser rank and continued in the military during the war years into the mid-1950s.

        Records show that John and his wife Edith had no children and remained at the same address at 57 Kauri Street Miramar until his death on the 23rd of March 1967 at the age of 87 and is buried at Karori Cemetery, Wellington

         Thomas Alexander Hunter

        Completing school at Standard 4, Thomas entered the workforce and worked as a Grocers Assistant at Foxton before enlisting into the NZPF. At 18, Thomas attested into the NZPF on the 2nd of August 1900. Thomas completed the Recruit Drill and Arms Cours at Alexandra Barrack in Wellington and was posted to the Artillery as a Pre-Gunner for his probation period. On completion of probation on the 1st of February 1901, Thomas was posted to the No 1 Company in Wellington.

        With the reorganisation of the NZPF in 1902, the small permanent artillery force was designated the Royal New Zealand Artillery (RNZA), with Thomas Hunter remaining with the Wellington Detachment. With the reorganisation of 1907, Thomas continued working in the Gunnery Section of the RNZA Wellington Detachment in the various Wellington Coast Defence Forts.

        On the 10th of May 1908, Thomas married Maude Taylor at Newmarket in Auckland and was posted to the RNZA Auckland detachment on the 16th of November 1908. Thomas’s first child Edward was born on the 15th of February 1909. Further Children followed with the Birth of Bernard on 20 February 1910, Bambara on 28 March 1911 and Veronica on 21 November 13

        Thomas was transferred into the Field Artillery Section on the 1st of August 1911 and back into the Gunnery Section on the 1st of May 1912. When the war was declared in 1914, Thomas was 33 years old and considered too old for war service. Thomas was stuck with tragedy in September 1915 when his daughter Bambara died due to illness.

        Like his brother, Thomas was seconded to the NZEF in February 1918 as an Acting Corporal. Embarking on the SS Makura as gun crew. Returning to regular duty in June 1918, when the Army gunners were replaced by Naval gunners.

        New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal
        New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal, 1887-1917, New Zealand, by George White. Gift of Mr Dollimore, 1956. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (NU006152)

        Awarded the Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas Medal in December 1918, with the formal presentation on the 1st of February 1919. Thomas was promoted to temporary Bombardier on the 1st of February 1920, attaining Full Bombardier rank on the 1st of February 1921. Further recognition of his service followed with the award of the Meritorious Service Medal on the 21st of November 1921 and the New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal on the 6th of February 1922. Thomas was also presented with British War Service 1914-1918 medal and the Victory 1914-1919 Medal.

        With many of the Coastal Defenses nearing the end of their usefulness, (Fort Victoria, where Thomas had one stage been attached to, had only ever fired one proofing round and was promptly taken out of action because of complaints from its neighbours who had suffered many broken windows) resulted in the decommissioning of many of the older batteries. As Thomas was then the senior Bombardier in the Auckland region, instead of being forcibly made redundant, he was transferred to the NZAOC and posted to the Ordnance Store at Mount Eden on the 31st of July 1922. Living at Devonport at the time, the move to the new position at Mount Eden worried Thomas. As Mount Eden was then a Suburb on the far side of Auckland, the travel costs were a concern to Thomas. The strain on his family was also a concern, his children were beset with ill health, with one child passing away due to illness in 1915 and another with infantile paralysis. To make matters worse, Thomas was forced to reduce rank to Lance Corporal on the 1st of August 1922.

        Auckland Gun
        Disappearing Gun, North Head Auckland. Robert McKie Collection

        The early 1920s were a busy time for the Mount Eden Ordnance Store. After the First World War, the New Zealand Territorial Army undertook a major re-equipment project with two Infantry Divisions and one Mounted Brigade’s worth of equipment arriving from the United Kingdom. Initially stored at Trentham and Featherston Camp, with a purpose-built Ordnance Store to service the Northern region under construction at Ngawahawia, storage space was at a premium. With Featherston Camp closing down, the Mount Eden Ordnance Store had to receive, sort and distribute much of the equipment for the Northern Region units well over its storage capacity, as well as providing support to the territorial Army Annual Camps.

        By 1928 The development of Ngaruawahia Camp was now in its final stages, with the large Ordnance Store building completed and the stores from the Ordnance Depot at Mount Eden progressively being transferred to it. Two high-explosive magazines were completed, with an additional three high-explosive magazines and a laboratory, and the provision of mains and equipment for fire prevention nearing completion. With the removal of stores to Ngaruawahia Camp, the buildings at Mount Eden were no longer required, so they were disassembled and re-erected at Narrow Neck Camp.

        Thomas was promoted to Temporary Corporal on the 1st of February 1926, followed by promotion to Sergeant on the 1st of March 1928. Up to June 1929, Thomas was the NOC IC Camp Equipment, but with the Ordnance Depot now at Ngawahawia, Thomas was transferred onto the Small Arms Proof Office staff, allowing him to remain at Mount Eden.

        After spending the majority of his 30-year 141-day career in Auckland, Sergeant Thomas Hunter was discharged from the Army on the 31st of March 1931 at the age of 49 under the provisions section 39 of the Finance Act, 1930 (No. 2), where serving members of the military were forced to retire under superannuation at a much lower rate than normally entitled too. Sergeant Thomas Hunter was fortunate that before the notification of the redundancy on the 17th of December 1930, he had already applied for and had approved the use of his annual and accrued leave.

        Moving on from a life in the military, Thomas settled at 88 Sandringham Road and took up the trade of confectioner. Thomas passed away at 84 years of age on 5 October 1965.

        Copyright © Robert McKie 2018

        Ammunition Technician Origins

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        From the formation of the New Zealand Ordnance Corps in the early years of the First World War, the Corps has been the primary agency for supplying and maintaining weapons, munitions and other military equipment. An essential commodity requiring specialised skills, munitions were the responsibility of the Ammunition Technician Trade group. The requirement for the safe storage, inspection and distribution of munitions has existed in New Zealand from the earliest years. It was not until the 1890s, with the manufacture of advanced Small Arms Ammunition types in New Zealand, that a specialist was employed to conduct the proof testing and oversee small arms ammunition production. This article will examine the initial manufacture of Small Arms Ammunition in New Zealand and the specialist who laid the foundations for the modern Ammunition Technician Trade.

        For many years in early Colonial New Zealand, ammunition and explosives were imported from the United Kingdom and Australia. Powder magazines were established in the main centres, and Magazine keepers were appointed. Any specialist expertise required for the handling and storing these stocks was provided by qualified and experienced individuals from the British Military Stores Department (Until 1870) and Royal Artillery and Engineer officers attached to the New Zealand Forces, who provided expertise on an as-required basis.

        In 1885 the Russians repositioned elements of their naval fleet into the North Pacific, establishing a naval base at Vladivostok, creating for British Imperial possessions the “Russian Scare” of 1885. It was thought that Tsar Alexander had ambitions to expand his empire. Feeling vulnerable at the edge of the British Empire, the New Zealand Government embarked on a programme of fortification construction. It urgently sought independent sources of supply for ammunition to become independent of the need to rely upon Britain. With the government’s encouragement, Major John Whitney established Whitney & Sons as an ammunition manufacturing company in Auckland. With additional investors, this company became the Colonial Ammunition Company (CAC) in 1888, the first ammunition manufacturer in New Zealand and Australasia. Entering a contract with the New Zealand Government to produce small arms ammunition, the deal was that the government provided the powder with the CAC providing the components for manufacturing complete cartridges. The Government retained the right to inspect and conduct quality control inspections on each batch before acceptance by the New Zealand Forces. The testing regime was a simple one which consisted of testing only a small percentage of a batch by test firing. The test results were based on the performance of this percentage that the ammunition is accepted or rejected.

        reduced_1_W01057_mm
        Colonial Ammunition Company works on the lower slopes of Mount Eden in Normanby Road, Mount Eden, 1902.
        Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1-W1057.

        With the production of .577 Snyder Ball Ammunition underway by 1890, the first testing, inspection and acceptance of the initial batches were conducted by Major John Pirie of the New Zealand Militia. Formerly a Major in the Guernsey Militia, Major Pirie immigrated to New Zealand, becoming the Auckland District Musketry Instructor in 1881. Conducting inspections of manufactured ammunition until July 1891. From July 1891, ammunition inspection was passed to the Officer Commanding the Auckland District, Major Goring. In 1893, Lieutenant J E Hume of the Permanent Militia was responsible for examining ammunition. Hume continued to hold this responsibility in addition to his other duties until 1898.

        By 1896 the New Zealand colony was mainly equipped with the .450 calibre Martini-Henry series of rifles and carbines. Ammunition was still provided under contract with the Colonial Ammunition Company but with additional stocks produced by the Kynoch ammunition company in the United Kingdom. The conditions of the original contract with CAC remained extant, with the Government responsible for providing the powder and the CAC the components. As this system had been in place for some time, it was recognised that this division of responsibility was flawed. There had been many incidents of ammunition failure, but due to this procurement division, it was often difficult to attribute fault to any specific party. It was recommended by the Defence Department to Parliament that the CAC should be responsible for the entire end-to-end process for the manufacture of complete cartridges and that the Government retained the right to examine and test all components (powder, caps and cases) and complete cartridge cases. Testing was to be conducted by an official with the required training and experience for such work. No such individual existed in the colony at the time, so one needed to be recruited.

        Ballistic Chronograph
        Ballistic Chronograph

        During 1896/97, units from all over New Zealand continued to complain about the quality of the ammunition supplied to the Defence Force by CAC. Although CAC was contracted to be the sole supply source of small arms ammunition, powder and components were still provided from the United Kingdom. The powder passed the same tests as powder supplied for manufacturing UK-manufactured ammunition. CAC continued to argue that the powder was not good and attributed the failures of the ammunition chiefly to that cause. Lacking the expertise to test the powder in New Zealand, five hundred rounds from each batch manufactured in 1896 were sent to the United Kingdom for proof and examination by Government experts. The proofing process attributed that the failure of the ammunition was not due to the powder but to irregularities in manufacture. With few facilities then available in New Zealand for the correct proofing of the specification of finished ammunition, testing equipment, including velocity instruments such as Ballistic chronographs, were ordered from the United Kingdom. As there was no individual in the Colonial Forces who possessed sufficient knowledge to set up and operate these instruments, it fell onto the Chief of the Defence Force to, as far as possible, personally supervise and set up the testing apparatus providing the necessary instruction until a suitably qualified individual could be recruited from the United Kingdom.

        The CAC refused to accept the return of suspect stocks as they argued that, as per the current contract, it had passed the required tests and been approved by the Government, ending their responsibility. The ammunition in store was to be used up and replaced by a competent and serviceable supply. It was accepted that the testing officers had done their testing conscientiously and that the percentage of rounds tested had been under the terms of the specification. But as the colony’s very existence might one day be at stake, every step needed to be taken to ensure a supply of reliable ammunition. As the Government was bound by contract to obtain their supply of small-arms ammunition from CAC, the following recommendations were made.

        • CAC should supply their own powder and all component parts,
        • Production of the current “rolled case” pattern of ammunition was to be ceased as this type had ceased to be used by other Imperial forces, and by switching production to the more reliable “solid drawn” would bring New Zealand Forces into line with the rest of the Imperial Forces.
        MH BALL
        Plate illustrating the Rifle Ball Mark III construction from “Treatise on Ammunition 1887”.

        On the 67th of February 1898, a formal request was forwarded to the United Kingdom for the recruitment of a suitable Warrant Officer from the Royal Artillery to “Take charge of the testing operations of Small Arms Ammunition and the supervision of the manufacture of the same”.

        On 6 April 1898, Quartermaster Sergeant Instructor Arthur Duvall, Royal Garrison Artillery of the Artillery College, was selected and took up the offer to be the Small Arms Testing officer for the New Zealand Forces. To be promoted to 3rd Class Master Gunner on a three-year engagement at a rate of Nine Shillings a day with free quarters or a £50 per annum housing allowance. Duvall arrived in New Zealand in July 1898 and was soon at work at the CAC premises at Mount Eden in Auckland.

        Under the administrative command of the Officer Commanding No 1 Company Permanent Militia, Auckland Duvall was immediately put to work. With the introduction of the .303 Martini Enfield rifles in 1898, CAC started production of the Mark II C and Mark IV .303 rounds. Providing a level of expertise never available before, Duvall held the CAC to account and provided the Defence Force with a reliable product.

        Coming under the command of the New Zealand Permanent Militia Headquarters in 1903, Duvall had his engagement with the New Zealand Forces extended by an additional three years in 1903 and then another three years in 1907. Duvall oversaw the introduction of the .303 Mark IV round in 1904.

        CAC MAchinery
        Machinery for the production of Military ammunition, CAC Factory Auckland 1903
        c224c5d0-4982-4457-ad42-58a7a7ef4ffa
        Bullet-making machinery at the Colonial Ammunition Company’s works, Mt Eden. Auckland War Memorial Museum, DU436.1243 C718.

        Completing Twenty years of service with the British Army in 1911, Duvall took his discharge and was immediately attested into the New Permanent Staff as an Honorary Lieutenant on 26 April 1912 and then promoted to Honorary Capitan on 1 April 1914.

        Honorary Captain Duvall oversaw the manufacture and testing of Small Arms Ammunition in Auckland, ensuring New Zealand was self-sufficient in the supply of Small Arms Ammunition. Moves were underway at Fort Ballance in Wellington to provide New Zealand with some self-reliance with artillery ammunition with the formation of the New Zealand Army Ordnance Section of the Royal New Zealand Artillery in 1915. The RNZA Ordnance Section was responsible for the refurbishment by cleaning, inspecting and refilling QF Casings, inspecting and refurbishing service propellant bags, and manufacturing new ones as required, resulting in considerable savings made instead of importing new stock.

        On 10 January 1918, Duvall was transferred from the Permanent Staff to the New Zealand Army Ordnance Department, graded as an Ordnance Officer Class 3 with the rank of Captain. His appointment as Testing Officer Small Arms Ammunition was renamed as Proof Officer, Small Arms Ammunition, as part of the Ordnance Corps Technical branch.

        On the 4th of July 1919, Duvall arrived at the premises of the CAC at about 930 am. After speaking to a member of his staff Mr B.E Lambert, Duvall then retired to the laboratory. At approximately 1040am, Duval was found in the laboratory, deceased, lying on his face with a service rifle across his body. In the Coroner’s report published on 16 July 1919, the coroner found that the cause of death was a gunshot wound, self-inflicted, while in a state of nervous depression]. Duvall was interred with military honours at Purewa cemetery on 5 July 1919.

        Despite the sudden death of Duvall, The Small Arms and Proof Office remained an essential component of the New Zealand Army ammunition supply chain until 1968, when the Colonial Ammunition Company shifted its operations to Australia, and the Army ended its long relationship with the Colonial Ammunition Company.

        Administrative control of the New Zealand Army Ordnance Section of the Royal New Zealand Artillery was passed to the New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps upon its formation if 1917. Technical control of Artillery ammunition remained with the RNZA until 1946 when responsibility for all ammunition was handed over to the Inspection Ordnance Officers Branch of the NZAOC. The Inspecting Ordnance Officers Branch, which had only consisted of a few staff officers during the interwar period, rapidly expanded during the Second World War with Ammunition Depots established at Ngaruawahia, Waiouru, Makomako, Kuku Valley, Belmont, Mount Sommers, Alexandra, Glen Tunnel (Hororata) and Fairlie. The ordnance Ammunition trades consisted of.

        • Inspecting Ordnance Officers (Officers) and
        • Ammunition Examiners (Other ranks).

        These roles remained extant until 1961 when the following changes were made following UK practice.

        • Chief Inspecting Ordnance Officer became Chief Ammunition Technical Officer.
        • Senior Inspecting Ordnance Officer became Senior Ammunition Technical Officer.
        • District Inspecting Ordnance Officer became District Ammunition Technical Officer.
        • Inspecting Ordnance Officer became Ammunition Technical Officer.
        • Ammunition Examiner became Ammunition Technician.

        Over the next thirty years, the ammunition trades matured into a highly specialised trade that, on the amalgamation of the RNZAOC into the RNZALR in 1996, had a wide range of responsibilities, including:

        • The inspection, storage and maintenance of all ammunition and explosives used by the Army.
        • The conduct of technical trials on new ammunition.
        • The conduct investigations into ammunition incidents and accidents.
        • The disposal of unserviceable or obsolete ammunition.
        • The management of Explosive Ordnance Devices and Improvised Explosive Devices.

        By 1996 the Ammunition trade had progressed from rudimentary black powder magazines in the 19th century to the management of many modern ammunition natures. Although many individuals had been involved in the handling and storage of ammunition up to the appointment of Arther Duvall in 1898, Duvall stands out as the first individual specially trained and employed solely in the field of ammunition management and, as such, deserves recognition as the founding member of what became the Ammunition Technician Trade.

        Copyright © Robert McKie 2017

         

        Bibliography

        Primary Sources

        Archives New Zealand/Te Rua Mahara o Te Kawanatanga Wellington Office
        Military Personnel Files D.1/420/1 Arthur Duvall – Captain, New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps

        New Zealand Gazette
        Testing-Officer for Small-arms Ammunition appointed. New Zealand Gazette No 17 Page 412 28 February 1895

        Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives (AJHR)
        1896 H-19 Report on the Defence Forces of New Zealand
        1897 H-19 Report on the Defence Forces of New Zealand
        1898 H-19 Report on the Defence Forces of New Zealand

        Auckland Star
        “THE LABORATORY FATALITY,” Auckland Star, p. 4, 5 July 1919.
        “CORONER’S INQUEST,” Auckland Star, vol. L, no. 168, 16 July 1919.

        Secondary Sources

        IPENZ, “Engineering Heritage of New Zealand,” IPENZ Engineers New Zealand, 11 December 2017. [Online]. Available: http://www.ipenz.org.nz/heritage/itemdetail.cfm?itemid=2228. [Accessed 12 December 2017].
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        J. Osborne and P. Cregeen, “Martini Enfield Rifle MK I, I,” New Zealand Arms Register, 21 October 2010. [Online]. Available: http://www.armsregister.com/arms_register/arms_register_documents/nzar_63_martini_enfield_mki.pdf. [Accessed 13 December 2017].
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