The New Zealand Staff Corps was a corps of professional officers in the regular
New Zealand Military Forces
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which, in peacetime, administered the
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...
. During the
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
s, many members of the corps commanded battalions and brigades in the
New Zealand Expeditionary Force
The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...
s sent overseas. The corps was disbanded in 1947.
Background
For much of the 19th century, New Zealand lacked a modern army. By the mid-1880s, following a series of "Russian Scares", in which it was feared Russia was the most likely military threat to the country, the forerunner to the
New Zealand Military Forces
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, the New Zealand Permanent Force, was established. The Permanent Force numbered no more than a few hundred men at any one time, and New Zealand's local defence needs depended on the militia, known as the Volunteer Force.
The Volunteer Force had a number of defects, the first of which was the quality of its men. Although they funded their own equipment and trained on their own time, the equipment was often of low quality and time spent training was insufficient. Officers were elected by their men but generally lacked professional military training, and were often compromised when giving orders to men that elected them to command. Co-operation between the Volunteer Force and the Permanent Force was lacking. By 1905, the constraints of New Zealand society and increasing work commitments began to impact on the number of willing volunteers. The commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces at the time,
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
James Melville Babington
Lieutenant General Sir James Melville Babington (31 July 1854 – 15 June 1936) was a British Army officer and a renowned leader of cavalry, making a name for himself for his actions in the Second Boer War. He was Commander of the New Zealand De ...
, considered the Volunteer Forces to be an inefficient fighting force.
Following the
Imperial Defence Conference in 1909, it was recognised there was a need for increased military cooperation between the Dominions of the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
. Each Dominion was expected to be capable of raising an expeditionary force with units organised along the lines of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
. It was quite clearly apparent that the current system, based on the Volunteer Force, would fall well short of what would be required.
The passing of a new Defence Act in 1909 saw the introduction of compulsory military training and the replacement of the Volunteer Forces with a Territorial Force. Military Districts were also created, with each district having responsibility for defined areas having a specified number of Territorial Force units. This was expected to considerably increase New Zealand's military capability to around 30,000 men, with 10,000 being able to rapidly mobilise as an expeditionary force in an emergency.
Formation and military service
![Lord Kitchener, 1910](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Lord_Kitchener%2C_1910.jpg)
In 1910,
Lord Kitchener was invited by the New Zealand government to visit and advise on the country's defence arrangements. At the conclusion of his visit he made a number of recommendations, one of which was the establishment of a New Zealand Staff Corps. This corps was to consist of a cadre of regular officers of the New Zealand Permanent Forces which would provide professional guidance and administration of the units of the newly formed Territorial Force. At the time, the New Zealand Permanent Forces had no more than 30 officers. This was insufficient for the needs of the Territorial Force and it was envisaged that the Staff Corps would consist of 100 officers.
Some officers of the New Zealand Staff were to be graduates of the
Royal Military College in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, to which ten cadets were to be sent annually. To make up the numbers, Major General
Alexander Godley
General Sir Alexander John Godley, (4 February 1867 – 6 March 1957) was a senior British Army officer. He is best known for his role as commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and II Anzac Corps during the First World War.
Born in ...
, the new commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces, held a training camp in early 1911. Prospective officers who had applied for the New Zealand Staff Corps were assessed and trained and eventually 41 were selected to join the 22 regular officers. Most joined Territorial units as
adjutant
Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...
s, with some as area or military district commanders.
During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, many of the officers of the Staff Corps volunteered for and served in key leadership positions in the
New Zealand Expeditionary Force
The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...
(NZEF), often as battalion and brigade commanders. One such officer,
Charles Melvill
Major General Charles William Melvill, (9 September 1878 – 15 September 1925) was a soldier who served with the British Army for several years before joining the New Zealand Army, New Zealand Military Forces. He participated in the World War ...
, later rose to be commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces in 1925. However, having Staff Corps officers in command of battalions was not Godley's intention when forming the NZEF in 1914; preference was to be given to Territorial Force officers.
The deaths of several members of the corps during the war resulted in the depletion of the Staff Corps following the cessation of hostilities. To fill the gaps, many former Territorial Force officers who had acquitted themselves well with the NZEF during the war were invited to join. Budgetary cuts in 1922 reduced the corps to 75 officers, and the number of staff officers dwindled further to 55 during the 1930s. As in the previous war, many officers of the Staff Corps volunteered for the
2NZEF, serving as battalion and brigade commanders during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Disbandment
After the war, greater integration between the professional military and the Territorial Force saw the need for the New Zealand Staff Corps diminished. It was disbanded in 1947, and training and administration of the various Territorial units devolved to officers with local units of the New Zealand Military Forces.
Notes
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References
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Military history of New Zealand
Administrative corps of New Zealand
Military units and formations established in 1911
Military units and formations disestablished in 1947