Linton Military Camp is the largest
New Zealand Army base and is home to the Headquarters 1(NZ) Brigade. It is located just south of
Palmerston North
Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...
.
History
The land that the present Linton Military Camp stands on was purchased by the Government in 1941 for use as a camp for Territorial and other home defence forces, with the first units taking up occupation in tented accommodation in February 1942, with the first prefabricated huts erected in August 1942. Unlike Burnham and Papakura, Linton was not initially intended to be mobilisation camp and as such was provided with minimal facilities. As the war intensified and the threat from Japan increased and the use of infrastructure in Palmerston North for defence purposes stretched to the limit, the decision was made to bring Linton up to the same standard as Burnham and Papakura. Deliberately designed as a precaution against air attack Linton camp was designed with nine Battalion Blocks, with only eight being completed each with a;
* parade ground,
* accommodation
* cookhouse,
* mess building, and
* ablutions.
Wartime construction was completed in 1945, and included;
* 182 Permanent buildings,
*521 two-men huts,
*155 four-men huts,
*480 eight-men huts,
* a power plant,
* water and sewage reticulation,
* rifle ranges,
* assault courses
* magazines.
*
Railway siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighte ...
.
Alternative Names
Linton Camp was accepted in general usage from 1943, with the names Camp Manawatu or Camp Kairanga used earlier. Camp Ravenswood or Camp Whitmore were considered as new names in the 1960s, but uses of theses names never eventuated.
Demographics
Linton Camp, which covers ,
had a population of 1,668 at the
2018 New Zealand census
Eighteen or 18 may refer to:
* 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19
* one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018
Film, television and entertainment
* ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the sho ...
, an increase of 333 people (24.9%) since the
2013 census, and a decrease of 84 people (-4.8%) since the
2006 census
6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number.
In mathematics
Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...
. There were 372 households. There were 1,164 males and 504 females, giving a sex ratio of 2.31 males per female. The median age was 23.9 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 306 people (18.3%) aged under 15 years, 984 (59.0%) aged 15 to 29, 363 (21.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 15 (0.9%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 70.3% European/Pākehā, 40.5% Māori, 10.4% Pacific peoples, 3.1% Asian, and 7.4% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
The proportion of people born overseas was 10.1%, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 62.6% had no religion, 28.1% were Christian, 0.4% were Muslim, 0.2% were Buddhist and 5.4% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 135 (9.9%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 63 (4.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $46,900, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,017 (74.7%) people were employed full-time, 102 (7.5%) were part-time, and 39 (2.9%) were unemployed.
Current units based at Linton
1st (New Zealand) Brigade
HQ 1 (NZ) Brigade commands the NZ Army's field forces day to day (less special forces) and prepares them for operations.
* Headquarters, 1st (NZ) Brigade
Combat Units
* 1st Battalion,
Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is the parent administrative regiment and corps of regular and reserve infantry battalions in the New Zealand Army. It was originally formed in 1947 with a singular Regular regiment and multiple reserve r ...
** Alpha Company
** Victor Company
** Whiskey Company
** Support Company
** Combat Service Support Company
*
Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles
Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles (QAMR) is an armoured regiment of the New Zealand Army and forms part of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps. The regiment was formed in 1864 and is currently an armoured cavalry unit equipped with NZLAV.
Hist ...
** Wellington East Coast Squadron
** NZ Scots Squadron
** Waikato Mounted Rifles Squadron
** Support Squadron
Combat Support Units
* 16th Field Regiment,
Royal Regiment of 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 ...
** 161 Battery
** 163 Battery
*
2nd Engineer Regiment
**HQ Squadron
**2 Field Squadron (Combat Engineers)
**25 Engineer Support Squadron
**Emergency Response Squadron
*
1st Command Support Regiment
** Headquarter, 1st Command Support Regiment,
Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals
The Royal New Zealand Signals Corps (RNZSigs) provides, co-ordinates and operates the communications networks of the New Zealand Army. The role of RNZSigs is to support other Arms by providing Communication Information System required for Comman ...
** 2nd Signal Squadron
** 25 Cypher Section
Combat Service Support Units
* 2nd Combat Service Support Battalion,
Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment
The Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment (The Duke of York's Own), is the New Zealand Army's main military Logistics and combat service support (CSS) element. It is the largest regiment in the NZ Army.
History
Prior to 1996, the logistic su ...
** Headquarters, 2nd Combat Service Support Battalion
** 10th Transport Company
** 21st Supply Company
** 2nd Workshop Company
** 5th Movements Company
** 38 Combat Service Support Company
* 2nd Health Services Battalion (New Zealand)
** Headquarters, 2nd Health Services Battalion (NZ)
** 2nd Health Support Company
** General Support Health Company
** Logistics Support Company
* Linton Regional Support Centre (Linton Military Camp)
Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command
Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) trains and educates Army's personnel; develops leaders; establishes training standards; manages doctrine; integrates lessons learned and training support across the Army.
* Mission Command Training School
* Collective Training Center
* Land Operations Training Center (Palmerston North)
* School of Military Engineering
Lockheed Martin New Zealand
Lockheed Martin New Zealand provides logistics services for the NZDF including Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul, Managed Fleet Utilisation and warehousing.
* Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul team
* Managed Fleet Utilisation team
*Ration Pack Production Facility
Other Units
*Joint Military Police Unit Linton
*Joint Logistic Support Agency service center
*Human Resources service center
Incidents
A building belonging to the Ordnance Depot was gutted by fire on 18 February 1953
On Saturday 9 June 1956, fanned by an easterly breeze, a fire destroyed the Linton Military Camp cinema.
In October 2012, a series of shots were fired by an armed soldier, believed to be under the influence of alcohol, he then barricaded himself inside a house on the base. The
NZ Police
The New Zealand Police ( mi, Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa) is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintaini ...
Armed Offenders Squad
The Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) are specialist part-time units of the New Zealand Police based around the country available to respond to high risk incidents using specialist tactics and equipment.
The AOS was established when front-line pol ...
responded as well as the
Military Police
Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...
. After a five-hour siege, the police originally reported the man was apprehended, but later revealed he had committed suicide.
Barracks
Linton Camps barracks are named after New Zealand Recipients of the Victoria Cross.
See also
*
Burnham, New Zealand
*
Hopuhopu Camp
*
Papakura Military Camp
Papakura Military Camp is a New Zealand Army military camp located in the Auckland suburb of Papakura North, in northern New Zealand. It is the home of the New Zealand Special Air Service.
Geography
The camp was established on the outskirts of ...
*
Trentham Military Camp
Trentham Military Camp is a New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) facility located in Trentham, Upper Hutt, near Wellington. Originally a New Zealand Army installation, it is now run by Defence and accommodates all three services. It also hosts Jo ...
*
Waiouru Military Camp
Waiouru Military Camp is a camp of the New Zealand Army in the central North Island of New Zealand near Waiouru.
All New Zealand Army soldiers complete their initial basic training, the All Arms Recruit Course (AARC), at Waiouru Military Camp. ...
References
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Installations of the New Zealand Army
Military installations established in the 1940s
Palmerston North
Populated places on the Manawatū River