Frank Rennie
| Frank Rennie | |
|---|---|
| Born |
9 August 1918 Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Died | 17 November 1992 (aged 74) Bay of Islands, New Zealand |
| Allegiance |
 New Zealand
|
| Service/branch | New Zealand Army |
| Years of service | 1936–1970 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands held | New Zealand Special Air Service |
| Battles/wars |
World War II Malayan Emergency |
| Awards |
Commander of the Order of the British Empire Military Cross Mentioned in Despatches |
| Other work | Outward Bound |
Colonel Frank Rennie CBE, MC (9 August 1918 – 17 November 1992) was a career soldier in the New Zealand Army, holding every rank between private and colonel, and founder of the New Zealand Special Air Service.
Rennie was born on 9 August 1918 in Christchurch, New Zealand. At age 13 he suffered a slipped upper femoral epiphysis of the hip, which resulted in his spending nearly 20 months in hospital. Rennie later wrote in his autobiography that after spending so long bedridden believing he would be crippled, he felt compelled to "prove to myself that I could do anything most others could do", and viewed the Army as a way of achieving this. He subsequently joined the Canterbury Regiment of the Territorial Force at age 16, before joining the New Zealand Army in late 1936. After completing basic training at Trentham Military Camp Rennie was first posted to the Royal New Zealand Artillery, but did not enjoy it and was "first in the queue" to transfer to the Permanent Staff Instructors. At the completion of the training course Rennie was promoted to lance corporal, temporary sergeant.
For the first two years of the war Rennie continued as an instructor, as the instructing staff could not be spared for active service. During this time he helped select the initial officers and Non-commissioned officers for the 28th (Maori) Battalion, and was for a period 'in interregnum' the Regimental Sergeant Major of Army Schools. Rennie observed that he, "must have been the youngest to have done so and, I am sure, with the most curious assortment of ranks—I was a substantive lance-corporal, temporary sergeant, acting warrant officer first class."
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