The 30th Battalion was an

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 mar ...

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

of the

New Zealand 3rd Division The 3rd New Zealand Division was a division of the New Zealand Military Forces. Formed in 1942, it saw action against the Japanese in the Pacific Ocean Areas during the Second World War. The division saw action in the Solomon Islands campaign duri ...

, raised for service 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 opposi ...

. After being raised in late 1940, the battalion undertook garrison duties in Fiji and on New Caledonia during the early part of the war, before undertaking combat operations during the latter part of the

Solomon Islands campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, ...

, landing on Vella Lavella and the Green Islands in 1943–1944. The battalion was disbanded in mid-1944 to return manpower to the New Zealand economy and to provide reinforcements to the New Zealand 2nd Division, which was fighting in Italy.

History

Formed in September 1940, and drawing personnel from the Canterbury and Otago districts, the 30th Battalion was initially assigned to the 8th Brigade, before eventually becoming part of the 14th Brigade, which served in the Pacific. Shortly after its establishment, the battalion undertook garrison duties on Fiji to defend against a possible Japanese attack, before handing over to US troops. Service on New Caledonia followed before the 3rd Division concentrated on Guadalcanal in August 1943. As the

progressed, the 3rd Division was given a combat role, and the 30th Battalion took part in its first combat operation of the war, landing on

Vella Lavella Vella Lavella is an island in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. It lies to the west of New Georgia, but is considered one of the New Georgia Group. To its west are the Treasury Islands. Environment The island of Vella Lavella is lo ...

in September 1943. In February 1944, the 30th fought another battle against the Japanese, this time on

Nissan Island Nissan Island (also Green Island or Sir Charles Hardy Island) is the largest of the Green Islands of Papua New Guinea. It is located at , about 200 km east of Rabaul on New Britain and about 200 km north-west of Bougainville. The island ...

. In mid-1944, amidst a manpower shortage in New Zealand, the battalion returned to New Zealand and was broken up to return personnel to civilian industry and to provide reinforcements for the New Zealand 2nd Division, fighting in Italy. Over 2,000 personnel served in the battalion throughout the war. Of these, three were killed in action, two died of wounds, 10 were wounded in action and three died of illness or in accidents. Members of the battalion received the following decorations: one

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

, one

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, ranki ...

, two

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...

s, and three Mentioned in Despatches. One US Legion of Honor was also awarded. For their service, the 30th Battalion received four

battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...

s: "Solomons", "Vella Lavella", "Green Islands", and "South Pacific 1942–44". In 1957, these honours were passed to the battalion's successor units: the Canterbury Regiment, the

Otago and Southland Regiment The Otago and Southland Regiment (1948-2012) was a Territorial Force unit of the New Zealand Army. It saw service from 1959-1963 during the Malayan Emergency. In 1964 the unit was renamed the 4th Otago and Southland Battalion Group. The Regi ...

, and the Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast Regiment.

Commanding officers

The following officers commanded the 30th Battalion during the war: * Lieutenant Colonel J.B. Mawson * Lieutenant Colonel J. Irving * Lieutenant Colonel H.A. Pattullo * Lieutenant Colonel S.A. McNamara

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * *

History

Commanding officers

References

Further reading