Canterbury, and Nelson-Marlborough and West Coast Regiment

The Canterbury, and Nelson-Marlborough and West Coast Regiment
Active	1964–2012
Country	New Zealand
Branch	New Zealand Army
Type	Line Infantry
Role	Light Infantry
Size	One battlegroup
Garrison/HQ	RHQ Burnham
Motto(s)	Ake Ake Kia Kaha (Forever and Ever Be Strong)
Mascot(s)	The Ram
Anniversaries	27 June 1942
Commanders
Current Commanding Officer (CO)	Lt Col G.A. McMillian
Insignia
Unit Shoulder Flash
Abbreviation	2CantNMWC

Queen's Colour

Regimental Colour

The Canterbury, and Nelson-Marlborough and West Coast Regiment was a Territorial Force (Army Reserve) unit of the New Zealand Army.

History

The regiment was formed in 1964 during the reorganisation of the army by the amalgamation of two separate regiments: the Canterbury Regiment and the Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast Regiment. In turn, those two regiments had originally been formed from the 1st (Canterbury) & 2nd (South Canterbury) and the 12th (Nelson and Marlborough) & 13th (North Canterbury and Westland) Regiments which had been initially raised in the early 1900s, following the formation of gazetted militia units in 1859.

The 1964 amalgamation saw the new Territorial Force battalion become the Second Battalion of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. This was until the later reorganisation of 1999, which saw the Territorial Force battalions split from the RNZIR to become multi-function battalion groups. The 2nd Battalion (Canterbury, and Nelson-Marlborough and West Coast) RNZIR became the 2nd Canterbury (Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast) Battalion Group, with the following sub-unit types:

• Infantry – North Canterbury Company, South Canterbury Company, Nelson Company, Marlborough Company, West Coast Company
• Artillery – 32 (Observation Post) Battery, RNZA
• Engineers – Support Company
• Medical
• Signals – Support Company
• Logistics – Logistics Company
• Brass Band

In December 2012, 2nd Canterbury (Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast) Battalion Group merged with 4th Otago and Southland Battalion Group to form 2/4 Battalion.

Battle honours

The regiment perpetuates the battle honours awarded to the 23rd, 26th, 30th and 37th Battalions, Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

• South Africa 1900–02
• First World War:
  • Somme 1916, 1918,
  • Messines 1917,
  • Ypres 1917,
  • Passchendaele,
  • Hindenburg Line,
  • France and Flanders 1916–18,
  • ANZAC,
  • Gallipoli 1915,
  • Suez Canal,
  • Egypt 1915–16
• Second World War:
  • Greece 1941,
  • Crete,
  • Sidi Rezegh,
  • Minquar Qaim,
  • El Alamein,
  • Tebaga Gap,
  • Orsogna,
  • Cassino I,
  • The Senio,
  • South Pacific 1942-44
  • Solomons,
  • Vella Lavella,
  • Green Islands

Alliances

•  United Kingdom – The Rifles
•  United Kingdom – The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshire)
•  United Kingdom – The Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling) 83rd and 87th and The Ulster Defence Regiment)
•  Australia – University of New South Wales Regiment

Further reading

• "Together Onward: A Short History of the Canterbury Regiment, NMWC, and the Second Battalion, 1845-1970", 2RNZIR, King Edward Barracks, Christchurch, 1970

External links

• NZ Army Official Website: 2 Cant NMWC

First World War, 1914–1919;

• The Canterbury Regiment, 1914–1919
• The History of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles 1914–1919

Second World War, 1939–1945;

• 23 Battalion Official History
• 26 Battalion Official History
• 30 Battalion Official History
• 37 Battalion Official History

Other