Military Administration

Camp News, Volume 1, Issue 20, 26 April 1940, Page 4

Military Administration

NETWORK OF ACTIVITY COVERING DISTRICT Though it is the fountain-head of Army activity for the larger part of the North Island, little is known by the general public of the headquarters of the Central Military District, located in the defence building in Buckle Street. Wellington. Here are stationed the officers and personnel, military and. civil, responsible for the training and administration of the' district, both expeditionary force and Territorials, and embracing the mobilization camps al Trentham and Palmerston North and the training camp at Waiouru. Wellington. the Hutt Valley, the Wairarapa. Manawatu. Hawke's Bay , Taranaki. 'Wanganui and the Poverty Bay dis tricks all come under this command, whose farthest point is Taumarunui. In peacetime there was a staff of only six, military and civil. Today there are

more than 80. Civil staff work, ordinary public service officers’ hours plus the extra demands of urgent circumstances, while the officers and men attached to the Army work all hours of the day and night, according to the needs of the moment.

The whole directional activity centres round the officer commanding the district. Colonel R. A. Row, D. 5.0., N.Z.S.C.. and from him are delegated to various senior officers and in turn their assistant officers and civil staffs, the duties relating to the complete training, equipment, provisioning, health services and administration of all troops in the district, special force and Territorials. The organization can be likened to a great tree, in which the trunk is the O.Q. for the district, the limbs those officer's next in seniority to him and the branches the officers next in rank and their army and civil staffsThe complete tree spreads itself over the military activity of the whole district. From these headquarters are issued all instructions for the training of troops, of vital import being that, of the special force men at Trentham and Palmerston North, and the O.C. and his staff officers arc responsible for seeing that training is carried out. In turn, the O.C. is responsible to the Chief of the General Staff. Major-Gen-eral J. E. Duigan. C. 8., D.S.O. Like-

wise, the commanders of the other two military districts. ’ Northern (Atcklj Province 1 and Southern (South Island) are similarly responsible to Majoi-G.cn oral Duigan. ■ ~ n . As New Zealand is divided into three military districts, so these aie in turn divided into areas in charge o area officers, and the areas, in their place, are split into sub-areas undei assistant area officers.' for instance, Wellington and the Hutt Valley com prise Area 5 of the Central Military District and Petone is the head quarters of the sub-area (Hutt Valley). Headquarters’ Duties. District headquarters is divided into three sections, A (administrative). G (training*) and Q (quartermastering), all responsible to the O.C. for the dis trict, next to whom comes the G.5.0.l (general staff officer), Lieut.-Colonel 11. M. Foster, N.Z.S.C. There is a' present no G.S.O. 11, but there is a G.S.O. 111, Captain R. B. Schulze These . general staff officers’ responsi bilities are training and anything allied with it, and camp courses, territorial and expeditionary force. Under administrative and quarter mastering comes the A.A.Q.M.G. (assist ant Adjutant Quartermaster-General). Major Henry. N.Z.S.C., and his next

officers are the D.A.A.G. (Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General), Captain C. Devery, D.C.M., and the D.A.Q.M.G (Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General), Captain W. A. Breach. ‘Q’’ has attached to it supply and transport with a district supply and transport officer, Captain Jenkins. D. N.Z.S.C., and his next officers are the assistant district supply olii cer, Lieutenant J. Hoffman, and assistant district transport officer, Lieuten ant J. Hollows. Another section of “Q” responsibility is the district works office, under Captain Jones, who is responsible for buildings. “Q" work, in short, embraces supplies, transport, buildings and equipment for the district. There is also the district artillory officer, Major Muscroft-Taylor, N.Z.S.C., concerned with the training and administration of artillery through the general staff. Health and Transport. On the health side comes the Assis tant-Director of Medical Services, Lieut.-Colonel M. B. M. Tweed. responsible for the medical staffing of the district in respect of all troops, the hygiene of buildings ,and proper feeding. . The Assistant-Director of Dental Services,.Major Davies, is responsible, within the district, for the dental treatment of men of the expedi-

tionarv force and personnel. There is a District Accountant, Mr. Il M Fougere, whose staff admin Gt s camp pay and accounts for the district, territorial and special force. . Attached to each section is also a civil staff. Also attached to transport are the Army Service Corps drivers and sup ply personnel. There is also the Signal Depot, whose men operate the telephone exchange and include a num her of dispatch riders. There are also orderlies for miscellaneous duties. Thirty vehicles are attached to the district headquarters for the carriage of supplies and the general transport of territorial and special force units One of the big jobs is the feeding of the guards at the vital points round the city and district. This is done from district headquarters where there is a cookhouse. Twice a day hot meals ,ire taken to these guards, kept warm by hot-boxes; a dry ration is issued for lunch. This organization of Central District Headquarters is identical with 'hat of the headquarters for the two other military districts of New Zealand, and gives an idea of the jobs associated with the training, equipping, provisioning, transport and health of the Army in a military district.