13th (North Canterbury and Westland) Regiment
13th (North Canterbury and Westland) Regiment | |
---|---|
Active | 1898–1921 |
Country | First World War |
Commanders | |
Honorary Colonel | Arthur Pole Penton |
The 13th (North Canterbury and Westland) Regiment was a territorial infantry regiment of the
History
In 1859 the Governor of New Zealand defined the Christchurch Military district and by 1861 six companies had been formed in the district.[1] Over the course of the following five decades a large number of volunteer corps were raised and disbanded in Canterbury. In 1886 the Canterbury-based corps were grouped together into the 1st Battalion, Canterbury Rifle Volunteers, although the battalion was disestablished 2 years later.[2] The battalion organisation returned in 1895, this time called the Canterbury Battalion of Infantry Volunteers,[3] which was retitled as the North Canterbury Battalion of Infantry Volunteers in 1897, when the South Canterbury corps were detached and formed their own battalion.[4]
Men from the North Canterbury Battalion served in South Africa during the Second Boer War as part of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Contingents. The Battalion was subsequently awarded the battle honour "South Africa 1900-1902".[5] A further increase in size saw most of the North Canterbury-based corps split off in 1903 to form the 2nd North Canterbury Battalion of Infantry Volunteers, while the original battalion was retitled as 1st North Canterbury Battalion of Infantry Volunteers.[6][7] The oldest corps of the new 2nd Battalion was the Sydenham Rifles, formed in 1898.[8][9]
The Defence Act 1909 brought an end to the volunteer system and introduced a new territorial system of compulsory military training. As part of this reform the volunteer battalions became regiments in 1911, with the 2nd North Canterbury Battalion of Infantry Volunteers redesignated as the 13th (North Canterbury) Regiment.[9] Major-General Arthur Pole Penton was appointed Honorary Colonel of the regiment in 1911.[10]
Initially both the 13th (North Canterbury) Regiment and the
At the outbreak of the
A reorganisation of the New Zealand Military Forces in 1921 saw the seventeen territorial regiments amalgamated into four larger regiments, similar to those of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. The 13th (North Canterbury and Westland) Regiment amalgamated with the 12th (Nelson and Marlborough) Regiment to form the 2nd Battalion, Canterbury Regiment, while the 1st (Canterbury) Regiment and 2nd (South Canterbury) Regiment formed the 1st Battalion.[13] The amalgamation was short lived and in 1923 the 2nd Battalion was redesignated as the 1st Battalion, Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast Regiment.[14]
Notes
- ^ Latter 1992, p. 19.
- ^ Slater 1910, p. 69.
- ^ "Volunteer Battalion". The Press. 25 October 1895.
- ^ "The Volunteers". The Press. 2 July 1897.
- ^ Latter 1992, p. 42.
- ^ Slater 1910, p. 132.
- ^ Latter 1992, pp. 47–48.
- ^ Slater 1910, p. 100.
- ^ a b c Latter 1992, pp. 53–55.
- ^ "Defence Forces of New Zealand". Appendix to the Journal of the House of Representatives. 1911. p. 5.
- ^ Ferguson 1921, p. 2.
- ^ Latter 1992, p. 59-77.
- ^ "No. 68" (PDF). New Zealand Gazette. 21 July 1921. p. 1950.
- ^ "No. 53" (PDF). New Zealand Gazette. 21 June 1923. p. 1743.
References
- Ferguson, C. (1921). The History of the Canterbury Regiment, N.Z.E.F. 1914–1919. Auckland: Whitcombe and Tombs Limited. OCLC 904059618.
- Latter, E. G. (1992). Marching Onward: A History of the 2nd Battalion (Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast) Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, 1845 - 1992. Christchurch. ISBN 0473015676.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Slater, H. (1910). Fifty Years of Volunteering. Christchurch: Whitcombe and Tombs. ISBN 9780908327256.