Waikato Mounted Rifles

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The Waikato Mounted Rifles is an armoured regiment of the New Zealand Army, part of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps. The unit is a single squadron within the Territorial Force that serves in the armoured reconnaissance role.

The Current Role of the Unit is "to provide general purpose medium reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition in order to support NZLAV mounted battalion operations. It is to provide trained personnel to top up and round out Queen Alexandra's Squadron".

Waikato Mounted Rifles is descended from the 2nd and 4th Regiments Auckland Mounted Rifles, which were amalgamated in 1911 to form 4th (Waikato) Mounted Rifles.

WWI Provided 4th (Waikato) Squadron of Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade and provided reinforcements.

1921 renamed The Waikato Mounted Rifles.

1942 renamed 4th Light Armoured Fighting Vehicles Regiment (Waikato Mounted Rifles).

1944 amalgamated with 3rd Light Armoured Fighting Vehicles Regiment (Auckland Mounted Rifles), and 11th Light Armoured Fighting Vehicles Regiment (North Auckland Mounted Rifles), to form 1st Armoured Regiment.

1950 1st Armoured Regiment (Waikato), RNZAC absorbed The Waikato Regiment.

1962 amalgamated with The Wellington East Coast Regiment (City of Hastings' Own), to form Waikato/Wellington East Coast Sqn, Queen Alexandra's Regiment.

1999 transferred to 6th Battalion (Hauraki), Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment.

2002 renamed Waikato Mounted Rifles.

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Battle Honours The Battle Honours of the Waikato Mounted Rifles stem from service in South Africa and the First World War. The Second World War (1939-1945) Battle Honours were inherited from the 18th Armoured Regiment. Altogether they are:

South Africa 1900-02 Anzac Defence of Anzac Hill 60 (Anzac) Sari Bair Gallipoli 1915 Rumani Rafah Egypt 1915-17 Gaza Jerusalem Jaffa Jericho Jordan Megiddo Nablus Palestine 1917-18 The Sangro Castel Frentano Orsogna Advance to Florence San Michele Paula Line Celle Pisciatello The Senio Santerno Crossing Bologna Idice Bridgehead Italy 1943-45 Motto Libertas et Natale Solum - Liberty and Homeland

Current Role of the Unit The Squadron's role was laid down in the Chief of Army on 3 Nov 03:

"to provide general purpose medium reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition in order to support NZLAV mounted battalion operations. It is to provide trained personnel to top up and round out Queen Alexandra's Squadron". Location Squadron Headquarters 106 Rostrevor Street PO Box 212 Hamilton.

Ph 07 839 4603

This page was last reviewed on 05 February 2008 and is current.