The High Commissioner for New Zealand to Headquarters 2nd NZEF

1 June. Following from Falla:¹ Your telegram of 31 May.² Your wishes have been communicated to the War Office who have advised that training equipment is limited to an approximate scale as below, and this will be provided only after the re-equipment requirements of the British Expeditionary Force have been met; unless the contingent is in a battle area there is no prospect of increasing these scales: motor transport—minimum amount for administration only; Bren guns—lower training scale; antitank rifles—ten per battalion; mortars, 2-inch—three per battalion, 3-inch—one per battalion; 2-pounder anti-tank gun—two per regiment; field artillery–six drill-purpose guns and carriages per regiment; pistols—84 for the contingent; Engineers—lower training scale; Signals—interim training scale; Medical—hospital and field ambulance equipped to war establishment if in a troop area, otherwise field ambulance only equipped on lower training scale. The prospect of the New Zealand contingent going to Colchester is welcomed by Eastern Command as the present stage of training of the contingent will be much in advance of other units available there.