The Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (RPIR) is 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 marine i ...
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
of the
Papua New Guinea Defence Force
The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Papua New Guinea. It originated from the Australian Army land forces of the territory of Papua New Guinea before independence, coming into bei ...
(PNGDF). The regiment is descended from the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
infantry battalions formed from native soldiers and Australian officers and non-commissioned officers in the territories of
Papua and
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
during
World War II
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 ...
to help fight against the Japanese. Disbanded after the war, the regiment was re-raised in 1951 as part of the Australian Army and continued to serve until Papua New Guinea gained its independence in 1975, when it became part of the PNGDF. Today, the RPIR consists of two
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 are ...
s and has seen active service in
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
,
Bougainville and the
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...
.
History
World War II
The regiment is descended from the Australian Army infantry battalions formed in the territories of Papua and New Guinea during World War II to fight against the Japanese, following their invasion in 1942 and the subsequent
New Guinea campaign
The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945. During the initial phase in early 1942, the Empire of Japan invaded the Australian-administered Mandated Territory of New Guinea (23 Jan ...
.
Its soldiers were primarily natives who fought under the command of Australian officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs).
[Dennis et al 1995, p. 449.]
The
Papuan Infantry Battalion
The Papuan Infantry Battalion (PIB) was a unit of the Australian Army raised in the Territory of Papua for service during the Second World War. Formed in early 1940 in Port Moresby to help defend the territory in the event of a Japanese invasion, ...
(PIB) was raised in 1940, while the
1st and
2nd New Guinea Infantry Battalion both formed in 1944 and the
3rd New Guinea Infantry Battalion in 1945. The
4th New Guinea Infantry Battalion also began forming in 1945 but was soon disbanded, and the 5th New Guinea Infantry Battalion—although authorised—was never raised. The battalions each had an establishment of about 77 Europeans and 550 native soldiers. In November 1944 they were grouped together into a single Pacific Islands Regiment (PIR).
[ A depot battalion was also established at Erap, near ]Nadzab
Nadzab Village is in the Markham Valley, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea on the Highlands Highway. Administratively, it is located in Gabsongkeg ward of Wampar Rural LLG. The Nadzab Airport is located East of Nadzab Village and was the site o ...
in the Markham Valley, at this time.
Headquarters PIR was raised on 14 February 1945, occupying the old 1 NGIB camp site at Camp Diddy at Nadzab
Nadzab Village is in the Markham Valley, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea on the Highlands Highway. Administratively, it is located in Gabsongkeg ward of Wampar Rural LLG. The Nadzab Airport is located East of Nadzab Village and was the site o ...
. They remained there until September, when they moved to Bumbu River, Lae
Lae () is the capital of Morobe Province and is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located near the delta of the Markham River and at the start of the Highlands Highway, which is the main land transport corridor between the Highl ...
. On 1 January 1946 they occupied the new headquarters site at Yunakanau, Rabaul
Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...
. The Commanding Officers of Headquarters PIR during this period were as follows:[Sinclair 1990, p. 305.]
* Colonel W.M. Edwards (1944–45)
* Colonel H.T. Allan (1945–46)
* Colonel A.M. Macdonald (1946)
Units of the regiment fought in the campaigns in Papua, New Guinea, New Britain
New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...
and Bougainville. Although often poorly equipped the native soldiers established a reputation for ferocity and tenacity in action. Indeed, PIR soldiers (both Europeans and natives) were awarded 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, typ ...
(DSO), six Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
es (MC), two George Medal
The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in circ ...
s (GM), three 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 ...
s (DCM), 20 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 (MM) and nine Mentions in Despatches (MID) and one US Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
.[Figures for awards to PIR are difficult to accurately determine as most sources are incomplete, these figures are from Sinclair 1990, p. 298 and Byrnes 1989, pp. 228–246. However, neither Sinclair or Byrnes seem to include complete lists.]
Despite this reputation there were some incidents of indiscipline—particularly on New Britain during the raising of 2 NGIB—but these were usually related to pay and conditions or perhaps to perceived 'insensitivity' on the part of Australian officers. Regardless, in an expression of the colonial politics of the time some segments of the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit
The Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU) was a civil administration of Territory of Papua and the Mandated Territory of New Guinea formed on 21 March 1942 during World War II. The civil administration of both Papua and the Mand ...
(ANGAU), which had opposed the raising of native units in the first place, used these incidents to 'prove' that their formation had been a mistake all along.[
During the course of the war more than 3,500 Papuans and New Guineans served in the ranks of the PIR,][ suffering casualties (both Europeans and natives) of 65 killed, 16 missing, 75 died of other causes, and 81 wounded.][Casualties listed here are from Byrnes 1989, p. 269. Other sources commonly cite PIR casualties as 38 killed, 13 died of wounds, 10 missing believed killed, 62 killed in accidents/sickness, and 98 wounded, see Sinclair 1990, p. 306.] Losses inflicted on the Japanese included 2,201 killed, 110 probably killed, 118 wounded and 196 captured. The regiment was officially disbanded on 24 June 1946.[
]
Post-World War II
In the years immediately following the war much consideration was given by the Australian Army to re-establishing a presence in Papua New Guinea; however, there was some opposition among white settlers to the raising of native units. As an interim measure, the re-establishment of the Papua New Guinea Volunteer Rifles
The New Guinea Volunteer Rifles (NGVR) was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was initially raised as a unit of the Citizen Military Forces, Militia from white Australian and European expatriates in New Guinea upon the outbreak of t ...
(PNGVR) was approved in July 1949, re-forming as a 'whites-only' reserve unit of the Citizen Military Forces
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen ...
(CMF). In November 1950, after considerable debate, the raising of a locally recruited regular battalion was also authorised.[ Consequently, in March 1951 the Pacific Islands Regiment was reformed, with an initial strength of one battalion. The regiment remained a unit of the Australian Army until ]Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
gained its independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
.
It was envisioned that the PIR would have four roles in war-time: garrisoning Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth-largest island in Papua New Guinea, with an area of , measuring around . Manus Island is covered in rugged jungles w ...
and other similar areas; patrolling the land border with Dutch New Guinea
Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea ( nl, Nederlands-Nieuw-Guinea, id, Nugini Belanda) was the western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingdo ...
(later Indonesian West Irian); and acting as a delaying force if required; and providing detachments for Australian units deployed to PNG. One company was based at Port Moresby
(; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...
, while others were based at outstations at Vanimo
Vanimo is the capital of Sandaun Province (West Sepik) in north-westernmost Papua New Guinea and of Vanimo-Green River District. It is located on a peninsula close to the border with Indonesia.
Religion
Its Holy Cross Pro-Cathedral is the epi ...
(from October 1952), Los Negros
Los Negros ('The Black Ones') was a criminal organization that was once the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel and after a switch of alliances, became the armed wing of the Sinaloa splinter gang, the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel. In 2010 it went indepe ...
(1954, but later abandoned for Cape Moem), and at Kokopo
Kokopo is the capital of East New Britain Province in Papua New Guinea. It is administered under Kokopo-Vunamami Urban LLG. The capital was moved from Rabaul in 1994 when the volcanoes Tavurvur and Vulcan erupted. As a result, the population of ...
. The establishment of the regiment was initially limited to 600 men.
In December 1957 riots broke out in Port Moresby
(; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...
between soldiers and civilian, which had to be broken up by police. Ultimately 153 soldiers were fined and 15 discharged, while 117 civilians were also convicted. As a result of this incident the organisation of the PIR was reviewed and henceforth Australian officers would be required to serve between four and six years with the regiment, and a number would be returned as senior officers later in their careers, thereby avoiding the previous situation in which officers with little experience serving with PNG soldiers would be posted to the regiment.[
In 1960 when the ]Pentropic division
The Pentropic organisation was a military organisation used by the Australian Army between 1960 and 1965. It was based on the United States Army's pentomic organisation and involved reorganising most of the Army's combat units into units based on f ...
was introduced into the Australian Army, PIR remained the only infantry battalion organised on the old establishment.[ Meanwhile, a further outbreak of indiscipline occurred in January 1961, this time over discriminatory pay scales. Although the disaffected soldiers were largely removed, pay scales were increased, and efforts were made to break up the regional and tribal concentrations of soldiers within subunits.][ In 1961 the PIR was awarded the battle honours of the PIB and NGIBs. By 1962 the battalion numbered 75 Australians (officers and SNCOs) and 660 PNG soldiers.][
During the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation (1962–66) the regiment patrolled the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border and although there was only one shooting incident between the PIR and Indonesian troops, a number of incursions took place and these patrols—which were often conducted in rugged terrain—placed considerable demands on Australia's already limited defence resources.] Amid growing Australian concern about Indonesian intentions the PIR began training for guerilla operations, and in September 1963 a second battalion was authorised, subsequently being raised in 1965. A third battalion, although proposed on a number of occasions, was never formed.[ The strength of regiment rose to 185 Australians and 1,188 PNG soldiers. Papua New Guinea Command was subsequently formed in 1965, thereby ending the link with Headquarters Northern Command in ]Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
.[ Meanwhile, a proposal to send a rifle ]company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
to fight in Vietnam was resisted by the Australian Army.
In 1970, Prime Minister John Gorton
Sir John Grey Gorton (9 September 1911 – 19 May 2002) was an Australian politician who served as the nineteenth Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1968 to 1971. He led the Liberal Party during that time, having previously been a l ...
sought to call out the PIR to keep the peace on the Gazelle Peninsula
The Gazelle Peninsula is a large peninsula in northeastern East New Britain, Papua New Guinea located on the island of New Britain within the Bismarck Archipelago, situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
The Rabaul caldera is located on t ...
, where the separatist Mataungan Association was illegally occupying land. He believed that the local police would be unable to maintain control if the situation turned violent. Both the Defence Committee and Defence Minister Malcolm Fraser
John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983, holding office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia.
Fraser was raised on hi ...
were opposed, and cabinet had not yet been consulted. After Fraser told him about the situation, Governor-General Paul Hasluck
Sir Paul Meernaa Caedwalla Hasluck, (1 April 1905 – 9 January 1993) was an Australian statesman who served as the 17th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1969 to 1974. Prior to that, he was a Liberal Party politician, holding min ...
refused Gorton's request. He agreed to seek the approval of cabinet, which decided that the troops would only be called out if requested by the territorial administrator; this did not eventuate.
From 1963 NCO and junior officer ranks began to be filled with indigenous personnel, with junior officers being trained at the Officer Cadet School
An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country. How OCS is run differs between countries and services. Typ ...
at Portsea in Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
. By 1970 there were 30 PNG officers serving in the PIR. Regardless until independence in 1975 the regiment was controlled from Australia, with no local influence or command, a situation which occasionally caused ill feeling towards the PIR from PNG citizens who were increasingly moving into positions of authority in the lead-up to independence.[ In January 1973 military units in Papua New Guinea were re-designated the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, while formal defence powers were subsequently transferred in March 1975.][
]
Post-independence
At the time of independence in 1975 the regiment became the main part of the new Papua New Guinea Defence Force.[ Since 1984, the Regiment's Colonel-in-Chief has been ]The Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...
. The regiment became a 'Royal' regiment in 1985, changing its name to become the Royal Pacific Islands Regiment.[ Currently, the regiment consists of two battalions:
*1st Battalion, Royal Pacific Islands Regiment — Taurama Barracks, ]Port Moresby
(; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...
*2nd Battalion, Royal Pacific Islands Regiment — Moem Barracks, Wewak
Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It is on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura. It is the see city (seat) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wewak.
Hi ...
Units of RPIR were deployed to Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
in 1980 to put down a secessionist revolt there, and were again called out in aid of the civil power in Port Moresby in 1983. The regiment has also conducted operations against the OPM (Organisais Papua Merdeka or Free Papua Movement
"Free Papua Movement" ( id, Organisasi Papua Merdeka, OPM, tpi, Fri Wes Papua Grup) is an umbrella term for the independence movement established during 1965 in the West Papuan or West New Guinea territory which is currently being administrat ...
), based in Irian Barat
Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, or Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the Melanesian island of New Guinea which is administered by Indonesia. Since the island is alternatively named as Papua, the region ...
, which were involved in fighting the Indonesian armed forces across the border. From 1989 to 1997 the PNGDF was involved in fighting the secessionist Bougainville Revolutionary Army
The Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) was a secessionist group formed in 1988 by Bougainvilleans seeking independence from Papua New Guinea (PNG). The leader of the BRA was Francis Ona who led the BRA against the Papua New Guinea Defence Force ...
(BRA) on Bougainville and Buka. More recently, following the passage of a constitutional amendment allowing the stationing of the PNGDF on foreign soil, 80 personnel joined the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands
The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), also known as Operation Helpem Fren, Operation Anode and Operation Rata (by New Zealand), was created in 2003 in response to a request for international aid by the Governor-General of ...
(RAMSI) in July 2003. PNGDF troops continued to serve in the Solomon Islands as part of the scaled down, rotational Pacific contingent until the military component of RAMSI was withdrawn in 2013.
The RPIR continues to train annually with the Australian Army, with activities such as ''Exercise Wantok Warrior'' allowing for sub-unit exchange between the Australians and the Papua New Guineans.
In 2019 the PNG Government adopted a plan to form a 3rd Battalion of the Royal Pacific Islands Regiment. It was decided in 2021 that the unit would be stationed in Hela Province
Hela is a province of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital is Tari. The province covers an area of 10,498 km², and there are 249,449 inhabitants (2011 census figures). Hela province officially came into being on 17 May 2012, comprising t ...
. A forward operating base is to be established at Tari as the first element of this plan.
Battle honours
*World War II: South West Pacific 1942–45, Kokoda Trail, Kokoda–Deniki, Nassau Bay, Tambu Bay, Finschhafen, Scarlet Beach, Liberation of Australian New Guinea, Sio–Sepik River, Kaboibus–Kiarivu and Bonis–Porton.[Byrnes 1989, p. ii.]
Notes
;Footnotes
;Citations
References
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Further reading
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{{Authority control
Military of Papua New Guinea
Military units and formations of Papua New Guinea
Pacific Islands
Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...
Infantry regiments of Australia
Military units and formations established in 1951
Military units and formations of the British Empire
Military units and formations of the British Empire in World War II
1951 establishments in Australia