The 3rd Field Regiment,

Royal New Zealand Artillery The Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery is the artillery regiment of the New Zealand Army. It is effectively a military administrative corps, and can comprise multiple component regiments. This nomenclature stems from its heritage as an off ...

was a territorial force

Field Artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

regiment of the

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

. The unit was formed in 1921 and consisted of the field artillery batteries based in the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. The regiment remained in New Zealand during the Second World War and was tasked with training reinforcements for

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 ...

. The regiment was disbanded in 1990. In 1921 a reorganisation of the New Zealand Military Forces saw the former Canterbury, and Otago Artillery Brigades amalgamated into the 3rd Artillery Brigade of the territorial New Zealand Artillery. The Regiment consisted of 9, 10, 11 and 12 batteries. 9, 11 and 12 Batteries were formed by retitling the former B, C and E batteries, which dated back to the 1860s, respectively, while 10 Battery was a new unit. 11 battery was disbanded on 1 June 1931 and in 1937 the brigade absorbed the 14th medium and 16th light batteries and was retitled as the 3rd Artillery Brigade group. In 1940 the New Zealand artillery brigades were reconstituted into regiments in line with the contemporary reorganisation in the British

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. The former batteries then became troops within new batteries. The old 9, 10 and 16 batteries were merged into the new 5 battery, while 10 and 14 batteries merged into the new 6 battery. The regiment was equipped with a mixture of 18-pounders, 3.7-inch howitzers and 4.5-inch howitzers. In November 1941 the regiment was expanded to three batteries and the batteries were redesignated as 9, 10 and 11 batteries and was reequipped with 25-pounders. 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 remained in New Zealand as part of

5th Division (New Zealand) The 5th Division, New Zealand Military Forces, was raised in the Southern Military District during the Second World War. It consisted of the 3rd and 10th Brigades and the 11th Brigade Group. It was disbanded after the danger of invasion from Japan ...

and provided home defence as well as training for artillerymen to be sent over seas with the

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit ...

and 3rd New Zealand Divisions. In 1944 the territorial force was stood down and the regiment was reduced to a small regular force raining cadre. In 1947 the New Zealand Army corps structure was reorganised and the territorial New Zealand Artillery was absorbed into the regular Royal New Zealand Artillery. The regiment was therefore retitled as 3rd Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery. The territorial force was reconstituted in 1948 and compulsory military training returned in 1950. From 1949 the regiment's batteries were retitled as 31, 32 and 33 Batteries. The regiment continued to exist in this structure until the disbandment of 33 Battery in 1961. Later in 1971, 31 and 32 batteries were retitled as 31(B) and 32(E) batteries to reflect their earlier heritage as batteries of the

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 ...

. In 1978 the regiment retired their 25-pounders and received new

M101 howitzer The M101A1 (previously designated M2A1) howitzer is an artillery piece developed and used by the United States. It was the standard U.S. light field howitzer in World War II and saw action in both the European and Pacific theaters and during the ...

s. 3rd Field Regiment was disbanded in 1990, although 31(B) and 32(E) would continue to exist until 1999 when they were absorbed into 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 Regime ...

, and the

Canterbury, and Nelson-Marlborough and West Coast Regiment The Canterbury, and Nelson-Marlborough and West Coast Regiment was a Territorial Force (Army Reserve) unit of the New Zealand Army. Formation and recent history The regiment was formed in 1964 during the reorganisation of the army by the amalga ...

, respectively.

References

Artillery regiments of New Zealand 1921 establishments in New Zealand Military units and formations established in 1921 Military units and formations disestablished in 1990 {{mil-unit-stub