Ammunition columns transported ammunition from shell dumps behind the lines to the gun positions. Its men used horses and mules to tow vehicles stacked with shells.
A brigade ammunition column served each of the New Zealand artillery brigades at Gallipoli. In March 1916 these were reorganised in into a single Divisional Artillery Column (DAC). The DAC’s four sections each served one of the artillery brigades, with the 2nd (Army) Brigade’s column retaining the name of ‘Brigade Artillery Column’. All served on the Western Front.
Brigade Ammunition Column, August 1914–February 1916
| Name | Unit attached to | Campaigns | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Brigade Ammunition Column | 1st New Zealand Field Artillery Brigade | Gallipoli, 1915 | August 1914–January 1916 |
| No. 2 Brigade Ammunition Column | 2nd New Zealand Field Artillery Brigade | Gallipoli, 1915 | February 1915–February 1916 |
| No. 3 Brigade Ammunition Column | New Zealand Field Artillery | Gallipoli, 1915? | February 1915– February 1916 |
| (A) Howitzer Battery Ammunition Column | 4th (Howitzer) Battery, New Zealand Field Artillery | Gallipoli, 1915 | February 1915– February 1916 |
| (B) Howitzer Battery Ammunition Column | 6th (Howitzer) Battery, 2nd New Zealand Field Artillery Brigade | Gallipoli, 1915 | June 1915– February 1916 |
Divisional Ammunition Column, March 1916–November 1918
| Name | Unit attached to | Campaigns | Dates | Further information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional Ammunition Column | 1st New Zealand Field Artillery Brigade | Western Front: Somme 1916; Messines 1917; Passchendaele 1917; Spring Offensive and Advance to Victory 1918. | March 1916–January 1919 | Unit diaries at Archives New Zealand |
| Brigade Ammunition Column | 2nd New Zealand Field Artillery Brigade | Western Front: Somme 1916; Messines 1917; Nieuport, 1917; Spring Offensive and Advance to Victory 1918 | March 1916–March 1919 | Unit diaries at Archives New Zealand |
| Divisional Ammunition Column | 3rd New Zealand Field Artillery Brigade | Western Front: Somme 1916; Messines 1917; Passchendaele 1917; Spring Offensive and Advance to Victory 1918. | March 1916– January 1919 | Unit diaries at Archives New Zealand |
| Divisional Ammunition Column | 4th New Zealand Field Artillery Brigade | Western Front: Somme 1916 | March 1916–January 1917 | Unit diaries at Archives New Zealand |
Note: this table gives the broad picture; the DAC sections were sometime broken down into smaller ad hoc units which served with sections of the artillery brigades to which they were attached.
Cloth patch, badge, shoulder title and puggaree
Cloth patch worn by the New Zealand Field Artillery’s divisional ammunition column. Cloth patches sewn on the backs of uniform jackets from October 1916 identified which unit – or part of a unit – an individual belonged to.
Cap badge: A gun surmounted by ‘NZ’ in a scroll, and a crown. Below, a scroll reading Quo fas et gloria ducunt (Where right and glory lead). Collar badges: a seven-flame grenade.
Shoulder title worn by all New Zealand Field Artillery units.
The scarlet-on-dark blue puggaree (hatband) worn by all New Zealand Field Artillery units.
Community contributions