Units of the RNZAOC

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From four Stores Depots in the main centres of New Zealand at the beginning of the 20th century, the Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps (RNZAOC) expanded and shrank to meet the operational needs of the NZ Army, Ordnance units have been deployed worldwide and across the breath and width of New Zealand.

Contents

Description of Ordnance Units

In general terms Ordnance units can be described as:

Unit naming conventions

Naming of Ordnance units within New Zealand was generally based upon the unit locations or function or unit.

Supply Depots were initially named based on the district they belonged to:

In 1968 a regional based numbering system was adopted

Some exceptions were:

When the Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps(RNZASC) became the Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport (RNZCT) in 1979, the supply functions were transferred to the RNZAOC with the 1st number signifying the location with the 2nd number been 4 for all Supply Platoons:

Exceptions were:

Unit locations New Zealand, 1907–1996

Alexandra

9 Magazines Operational from 1943. Ceased to be used by the NZ Army in 1962.

Ardmore

20 Magazines operational from 1943

Auckland

There has been an Ordnance presence in Auckland since the 1840s with the Colonial Storekeeper and Imperial forces. The Northern Districts Ordnance Depot was situated in Mount Eden in the early 1900s. In the 1940s the center for Ordnance Support for the Northern Districts moved to Ngāruawāhia, with a Sub depot remaining at Narrow Neck to provided immediate support.
RNZAOC units that have been accommodated at Auckland have been:
Stores Depot

Other Ordnance Units

Workshops

Workshop Stores Section

Belmont

Operational from 1943

Burnham

Stores Depot
1921 saw the establishment of a single Command Ordnance Depot to service all military units in the newly organised Southern Military Command. Prior to this, Ordnance stores had operated from Christchurch and Dunedin. The new Depot (later renamed the Third Central Ordnance Depot) was established in the buildings of the former Industrial School at Burnham. Re-structuring in 1979 brought a change of name to 3 Supply Company. [5] [6]
[7]

FromToOfficer Commanding
20 June 192119 December 1930Captain A.R.C White
20 December 193030 June 1934Lieutenant H.E Erridge
30 June 19342 December 1939Lieutenant D Nicol [9]

Other Ordnance Units

Ordnance Field Parks

Workshops

Workshop Stores Section

Christchurch

Stores Depot

Workshop Stores Section

Dunedin

Stores Depot

Fairlie

Nine magazines Operational 1943.

Featherston

Featherston Camp was New Zealand's largest training camp during the First World War, where around 60,000 young men trained for overseas service between 1916 – 1918. An Ordnance Detachment was maintained in Featherston until 1927 when it functions were transferred to Northern Districts Ordnance Depot, Ngāruawāhia. [10]

Glentunnel

16 magazines Operational from 1943

Hopuhopu

Hopuhopu was established in 1927 [11] and allowed the closure of Featherston Ordnance Depot and the Auckland Ordnance Depot and was intended to service the northern regions. During construction Hopuhopu was described by the Auckland Star as "Probably the greatest Ordnance Depot" in New Zealand [12] Hopuhopu closed down in 1989 and its Ordnance functions moved to Papakura and Mount Wellington.
RNZAOC units that have been accommodated at Hopuhopu have been:
Stores Depot

Ordnance Field Parks

FromToOfficer Commanding2nd in CommandPark Sergeant Major
19661969Major Marchant
19691972Captain C.J HodsonCaptain Jim Finnerty
Captain Pat Puohataua
WO2 Rex Pennell
19721975Major Ian McDonaldCaptain M.D StuartWO2 Mike Behague
19751976Captain P.E DangerfieldWO2 Nig Taurua
19761978Captain T.M.S JohnstonWO2 Barry Stuart
FromToOfficer Commanding2nd in CommandPark Sergeant Major
1978Major Ian McdonaldCaptain Mike JohnstonWO2 Kevin Cryer

Workshop Stores Section

Other Ordnance Units

Kelms Road

55 Magazines Operational from 1943

Linton Camp

RNZAOC units that have been accommodated at Linton have been;
Stores Depot

FromToOfficer Commanding2nd In CommandCompany Sergeant Major
1992May 1994Major C Tarrant
May 1994Dec 1996Major C Charlton

Ordnance Field Parks

Workshop Stores Section

Other Ordnance Units

Mangaroa

First used as a tented camp during the First World War and in the Second World War Mangaroa was the site of a RNZAF Stores Depot from 1943. The depot with a storage capacity of 25,000 sq ft in 8 'Adams type' Buildings was Handed over to the NZ Army by 1949. [17] The units that have been accommodated at Mangaroa have been:
Supply Depot

Ordnance Field Parks

FromToOfficer Commanding2nd In CommandPark Sergeant Major
19631966Major Colin FrenchCaptain Mick HuntWO2 Ted Paterson
WO2 Ted Sweet
19661968Major C.J.C MarchantCaptain Max NewmanWO2 Bob Plumber

Mako Mako

39 magazines operational from 1943

Mount Somers

Palmerston North

Trentham

Stores Depot

Commanding Officers MOD/BOD/1BSB/5LR

FromToNameCorpUnit
22 June 19401947Lt Col E.L.G BrownNZAOCMOD
1 April 195012 September 1955Capt D.F.A RoderickRNZAOCMOD
9 September 195521 July 1958Maj O.H BurnRNZAOCMOD
21 July 19581 May 1959Maj G.J.H AtkinsonRNZAOCMOD
1 May 19599 May 1962Maj H.P WhiteRNZAOCMOD
9 May 196223 June 1965Maj G.J.H AtkinsonRNZAOCMOD
23 June 196520 March 1967Maj J.B GlassonRNZAOCMOD
1 August 197625 June 1969Maj M.J RossRNZAOCMOD/BOD
23 June 196910 August 1970Maj I.G RossRNZAOCBOD
1 July 197019 August 1974Maj W.M CampbellRNZAOCBOD
12 August 197415 September 1975Maj R.L CrossRNZAOCBOD
15 September 197522 Niv 1976Maj A.J CampbellRNZAOCBOD
22 November 197622 November 1978Lt Col H.R HigginsRAOCBOD
6 July 19796 July 1981Lt Col D.R WoolmerRAAOC1BSB
6 July 198120 November 1983Lt Col T.D McBethRNZAOC1BSB
15 November 198322 January 1986Lt Col G.M CorkinRNZAOC1BSB
13 January 198631 August 1987Lt Col K.D HansenRNZAOC1BSB
31 August 198711 January 1988Lt Col E.W.G ThomsonRNZAOC1BSB
11 January 19886 ec 1990Lt Col P.P MartynRAAOC1BSB
17 December 19901993Lt Col L.J GardinerRNZAOC1BSB
19938 December 1996Lt Col D.H WhatmuffRNZAOC1BSB/5LR

Ordnance School

Workshops

Workshop Stores Section

Ordnance Field Parks

YearOfficer CommandingPark Sergeant Major
1963Major John GlassonWO2 Brian Gush

Other Ordnance Units

Waiouru

Ordnance Sub Depots were established at Waiouru in 1940 [27] eventually growing into a stand-alone Supply Company.
RNZAOC units that have supported Waiouru have been;
Stores Depot

Workshop Stores Section

Wellington

The Board of Ordnance originally had a warehouse in Manners Street, but after the 1850 earthquake severely damaged this building, 13 acres of Mount Cook were granted to the Board of Ordnance, starting a long Ordnance association with the Wellington area.

Stores Depot

Workshops

Unit locations overseas, 1914–1919

Few records trace with any accuracy New Zealand Ordnance units that served overseas in the First World War. Although the NZAOC was not officially created until 1917 [33] The New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps was constituted as part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) in 1914 for overseas service only and in 1919 its members demobilised, returned to their parent units or mustered into the New Zealand Army Ordnance Department (Officers) or New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps(other Ranks)on their return to New Zealand.

Egypt

Fiji

Germany

Samoa

United Kingdom

Unit locations overseas, 1939–1946

Egypt

Greece

Italy

Fiji

New Caledonia

Solomon Islands

Tonga

Unit locations overseas, 1945–1996

Japan

Korea

No Standalone units but individual RNZAOC personnel served in 4 Ordnance Composite Depot (4 OCD) RAOC. [37]

Malaya

No standalone RNZAOC units, but individual RNZAOC personnel may have served in the following British and Commonwealth Ordnance units:

Singapore

Somalia

The RNZAOC (with RNZCT, RNZEME, RNZSig, RNZMC specialist attachments) contributed to the New Zealand Governments commitment to the International and United Nations Operation in Somalia(UNOSOM) efforts in Somalia with:

South Vietnam

During New Zealand's commitment to the war in South Vietnam (29 June 1964 – 21 December 1972). The Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps did not contribute a standalone unit but provided individuals to serve in New Zealand Headquarters units, Composite Logistic units or as part of Australian Ordnance Units including: [40] [41]

See also

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