Rob, the understanding of the NZ Army Ordnance Corps prior to its official formation in June 1917, is IMO best described as a “temporary” formation as needed, whereas after June 1917 the NZAOC were a “permanent” corps of the NZ Military Forces.
From 1911 until 1917 each NZ Regiment was divided into Company’s or Squadrons (8 or 9 Company’s in an Infantry Regiment). As the camps evolved each Company would have its own Company Quartermaster-Sergeant and each Regiment/Corps would have a Regimental Quartermaster-Sergeant, and every District/Ordnance-Base would have a Quartermaster-Sergeant Major. (All would have been chosen “with due regard to their business ability and to their occupations when civilians”)
By 1918 the Company Quartermasters and Regimental Quartermasters were absorbed into the NZAOC.
In regards to Brigadier King and Major Levien they are both key players when it comes to understanding the manufacture and supply of badges to the New Zealand Forces.
Brigadier King certainly had a part to play in removing NZ badge maker P Robert as the NZ Governments preferred supplier and replacing them with British made badges in 1917.
Major Levien as can be seen in the service summary in post #28, places him in a position where he would have certainly been involved with supplying the NZEF NZAOC with their corps badges.
But more importantly it is a cost analysis of badge supply to the NZ Government by Major Levien in April 1917, which highlighted J. R. Gaunt as being “exorbitant” in price and contracts being offered to other badge suppliers.
The following is the cost analysis of badge supply to the NZ Government by Major Levien.
The following is the accompanying letter dated 25th April 1917 by Captain Norman Joseph Levien that was sent to Brigadier-General Richardson who was the Commandant of the NZEF in UK.
The following letter dated 30th April 1917 by Brigadier-General Richardson NZEF was sent to Headquarters in Wellington.
