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Documents Relating to New Zealand's Participation in the Second World War 1939–45: Volume I
39 — Memorandum from the Prime Minister to General Freyberg2
39
Memorandum from the Prime Minister to General Freyberg2
The General Officer for the time being
Commanding the 2nd New Zealand
Expeditionary Force Overseas
The General Officer Commanding will act in accordance with the instructions he receives from the Commander-in-Chief under whose command he is serving, subject only to the requirements of His Majesty's Government in New Zealand. He will, in addition to powers appearing in any relevant Statute or Regulations, be vested with the following powers:
| (a) |
In the case of sufficiently grave emergency or in special circumstances, of which he must be the sole judge, to make decisions as to the employment of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and to communicate such decisions directly to the New Zealand Government, notwithstanding that in the absence of that extraordinary cause such communication would not be in accordance with the normal channels of communication indicated in the following paragraphs and which for greater clearness are also indicated in an attached diagram.3 page 32 |
| (b) |
To communicate directly with the New Zealand Government and with the Army Department concerning any matter connected with the training and administration of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force. |
| (c) |
To communicate directly either with the New Zealand Government or with the Commander-in-Chief under whose command he is serving, in respect of all details leading up to and arising from policy decisions. |
| (d) |
In all matters pertaining to equipment, to communicate with the War Office through normal channels, and through the liaison officer of the High Commissioner's office in London, the former to be the official channel. |
| (e) |
In matters of command, to adhere to the normal military channels between the War Office and the General Officer Commanding the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force overseas. |
| (f) |
To establish such administrative headquarters and base and line of communication units as are necessary for the functions of command, organisation [including training], and administration with which he has been invested. |
| (g) |
To organise, [train],1 change, vary, or group units and formations in such manner as he considers expedient from time to time. |
| (h) |
To fix and alter the establishment and composition of units and formations as the exigencies of service may in his opinion require from time to time. |
After the Third Echelon has left New Zealand no officer above the substantive rank of captain will be sent overseas without the concurrence of the General Officer Commanding.
M. J. Savage,
Prime Minister
2 This is General Freyberg's charter from the New Zealand Government.
3 Not published.
1 The references to training in square brackets in paragraphs (f) and (g) have been added at General Freyberg's request. They are not included in the text of this memorandum in the files of the Prime Minister's Department, but were later added to the memorandum at the GOC's request.