The Waikato Regiment was a territorial

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment of the

New Zealand Military Forces , image = New Zealand Army Logo.png , image_size = 175px , caption = , start_date = , country = , branch = ...

. The Regiment was formed in 1911 as the 16th (Waikato) Regiment and provided service companies to the

Auckland Infantry Regiment The Auckland Infantry Regiment was a military unit of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) raised for service in the First World War. It saw service in the Gallipoli Campaign (1915) and on the Western Front (1916–1919). The regiment was ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Men from the Regiment also served with the

18th 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

, 21st, 24th and 29th battalions of the

2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The regiment was absorbed by the 1st Armoured Regiment (Waikato) of the

Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps The Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps (RNZAC) is the overall umbrella grouping of Regular Force and Territorial Force units equipped with armoured vehicles in the New Zealand Army. The corps was formed in 1942 as the New Zealand Armoured Corps, ...

in 1950

History

16th (Waikato) Regiment mascot and handler

The 16th (Waikato) Regiment was formed on 17 March 1911 as part of a reorganisation which saw the old

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated ...

converted into a Territorial Force based on compulsory military training. The new regiment was completely new (i.e. had no lineage to units of the Volunteer Force) and was presented with a stand of

colours Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...

in May 1914 by the

Governor of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand ( mi, te kāwana tianara o Aotearoa) is the viceregal representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and liv ...

, the

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. At the outbreak of the

in August 1914, the decision was made to form a New Zealand infantry brigade of four battalions from the existing territorial regiments. The 16th (Waikato) Regiment provided the 16th (Waikato) Company to the Auckland Battalion, which saw service in the Gallipoli Campaign. Following the evacuation from Gallipoli in 1916, the Auckland Battalion was expanded to a regiment of two battalions. The Auckland Infantry Regiment would see action on the western front, engaging in the battles of the Somme, Messines, Passchendaele, German Spring Offensive and the

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...

. A third battalion was also raised in 1917, but was disbanded in 1918 due to manpower shortages. Both the 2nd and 3rd Battalions were organised along the same lines as the 1st Battalion, each with their own 16th (Waikato) Company. The Auckland Infantry Regiment was disbanded at the end of the war. In 1921, the New Zealand territorial regiments were reorganised into larger regiments, similar to those of the First World War, with the 16th (Waikato) Regiment becoming the 4th Battalion, Auckland Regiment. The amalgamations were short lived and in 1923, the previous organisation was reverted to, although the ordinals were dropped and the 4th Battalion was redesignated as the Waikato Regiment. Another organisation occurred in 1937 when the Waikato Regiment was reduced to a depot and supplied a single rifle company to the 1st Composite Battalion. The battalion also had rifle companies from the

Hauraki Hauraki is a suburb located on the southern North Shore of Auckland, the largest metropolitan city in New Zealand. It is under the local governance of the Auckland Council. History The traditional name for the western coastline in Hauraki wa ...

and North Auckland Regiments. The composite system was abandoned in May 1939, just prior to the outbreak of the

and the territorial regiments were brought up to full battalion strength. During the

, the Waikato Regiment remained in New Zealand for home defence. A 2nd Battalion was formed in 1942 by redesignating the 9th Battalion of the National Military Reserve. The 1st Battalion became part of 1st Infantry Brigade of the 1st New Zealand Division and was expected to provide a mobile response to any invasion throughout the country. The 2nd Battalion remained stationed in the

Waikato Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...

. The territorial forces were stood down in June 1943 and the 2nd Battalion was formally disbanded in April 1944. Men from the regiment saw active service overseas with the

, 21st, 24th and 29th battalions of the

. The 18th, 21st and 24th battalions formed part of the

2nd New Zealand Division The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry Division (military), division of the New Zealand Army, New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the World War II, Second World War. The division was ...

and saw action in

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Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The 29th Battalion, was deployed to the Pacific with the 3rd New Zealand Division and saw combat at the

Treasury Islands Treasury Islands () are a small group of islands a few kilometres to the south of Bougainville and from the Shortland Islands. They form part of the Western Province of the country of Solomon Islands. The two largest islands in the Treasuries ...

. The Waikato Regiment was absorbed by the 1st Armoured Regiment (Waikato) of the

in 1950.

Battle Honours

The Waikato Regiment was authorised to emblazoned the following battle honours earnt during the First World War on their colours: The regiment also inherited the battle honours of the

(till 5th October 1942), 21st, 24th and 29th Battalions. The following battle honours were authorised to be emblazoned on the colours:

Alliances

The Waikato Regiment was allied with the following regiments: * –

West Yorkshire Regiment ) , march = ''Ça Ira'' , battles = Namur FontenoyFalkirk Culloden Brandywine , anniversaries = Imphal (22 June) The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was ...

* –

The Royal Montreal Regiment The Royal Montreal Regiment is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army based in Westmount, Quebec. It is part of the 2nd Canadian Division's 34 Canadian Brigade Group. Lineage File:RMR Colour.jpg, The regimental colour of The ...

* – 14th Battalion (Australia)

References

{{New Zealand Great War Infantry Regiments Infantry regiments of New Zealand Military units and formations established in 1911 Military units and formations disestablished in 1950