New Guinea Volunteer Rifles
Encyclopedia
The New Guinea Volunteer Rifles (NGVR) was an infantry
battalion
of the Australian Army
. It was initially raised as unit of the Militia in New Guinea
upon the outbreak of World War II
in 1939 and saw active service against the Japan
ese during the conflict before being disbanded in 1943. Following the war the unit was re-raised in 1951 as part of the part-time Citizens Military Force, and it served in this role until it was disbanded in 1973 shortly before Papua New Guinea's independence.
, and following the Japanese landings in early 1942 it was activated for full-time service. Between January and May, with a strength of just 500 men, the NGVR monitored the Japanese bases which had been established in the Huon Gulf
region until the arrival of Kanga Force
at Wau, being the only Allied force in the area. NGVR personnel also helped rescue 217 survivors of Lark Force
from Rabaul
in February and March 1942. The battalion then established observation posts and camps overlooking the main approaches and reported Japanese movements, all the time planning their own offensive. Later, in a series of raids NGVR inflicted significant casualties on the Japanese, and led them to believe that they faced a much larger opposing force.
On 28 June 1942, the NGVR and the newly arrived 2/5th Independent Company carried out a highly successful attack on the Japanese garrison in Salamaua, killing at least 113. The Japanese were subsequently defeated in the Battle of Wau
in January and February 1943, relieving the pressure on the NGVR. However, due to significant attrition the battalion was subsequently disbanded in late-1943, and its surviving members became part of the Australia New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU). For their actions the unit was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation by the United States.
to finance a large military capability on its own, and with a questionable need to maintain a CMF type unit in the army of an independent PNG, the PNGVR was ultimately disbanded in 1973, shortly before independence, leaving the regular Pacific Islands Regiment as the only infantry unit in the new Papua New Guinea Defence Force.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
. It was initially raised as unit of the Militia in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
upon the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939 and saw active service against the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese during the conflict before being disbanded in 1943. Following the war the unit was re-raised in 1951 as part of the part-time Citizens Military Force, and it served in this role until it was disbanded in 1973 shortly before Papua New Guinea's independence.
World War II
The NGVR was formed as a Militia battalion in September 1939 from white settlers in New GuineaNew Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, and following the Japanese landings in early 1942 it was activated for full-time service. Between January and May, with a strength of just 500 men, the NGVR monitored the Japanese bases which had been established in the Huon Gulf
Huon Gulf
Huon Gulf is a large gulf in eastern Papua New Guinea, at . It is bordered by Huon Peninsula in the north. Both are named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. Huon Gulf is a part of the Solomon Sea. Lae, capital of the Morobe Province is located on the northern coast of the...
region until the arrival of Kanga Force
Kanga Force
Kanga Force was the name given to a composite ad hoc formation of the Australian Army that served in New Guinea during World War II. Commanded by Major Norman Fleahy, it was formed on 23 April 1942...
at Wau, being the only Allied force in the area. NGVR personnel also helped rescue 217 survivors of Lark Force
Battle of Rabaul (1942)
The Battle of Rabaul, also known by the Japanese as Operation R, was fought on the island of New Britain in the Australian Territory of New Guinea, in January and February 1942. It was a strategically significant defeat of Allied forces by Japan in the Pacific campaign of World War II...
from Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
in February and March 1942. The battalion then established observation posts and camps overlooking the main approaches and reported Japanese movements, all the time planning their own offensive. Later, in a series of raids NGVR inflicted significant casualties on the Japanese, and led them to believe that they faced a much larger opposing force.
On 28 June 1942, the NGVR and the newly arrived 2/5th Independent Company carried out a highly successful attack on the Japanese garrison in Salamaua, killing at least 113. The Japanese were subsequently defeated in the Battle of Wau
Battle of Wau
The Battle of Wau, 29–31 January 1943, was a battle in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. Forces of the Empire of Japan sailed from Rabaul and crossed the Solomon Sea and, despite Allied air attacks, successfully reached Lae, where they disembarked...
in January and February 1943, relieving the pressure on the NGVR. However, due to significant attrition the battalion was subsequently disbanded in late-1943, and its surviving members became part of the Australia New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU). For their actions the unit was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation by the United States.
Post war
After the war the re-raising of NGVR was approved in July 1949, reforming as the Papua New Guinea Volunteer Rifles (PNGVR) on 17 March 1951 as a 'whites-only' reserve unit of the Citizens Military Forces (CMF) in the Australian Army. The unit had evolved into a 'mixed race' battalion in the mid-1960s, and by 1969 only one-fifth of PNGVR members were Europeans. Amid concerns about the ability of the fledgling nation of Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
to finance a large military capability on its own, and with a questionable need to maintain a CMF type unit in the army of an independent PNG, the PNGVR was ultimately disbanded in 1973, shortly before independence, leaving the regular Pacific Islands Regiment as the only infantry unit in the new Papua New Guinea Defence Force.
Battle honours
- World War II: Rabaul, Wau, South West Pacific 1942–43.
Commanding officers
- Post War
- Lieutenant Colonel N.R. McLeod (1950)
- Lieutenant Colonel E. F. Madden (1951–1953)
- Lieutenant Colonel T.W. Young (1953–1955)
- Lieutenant Colonel J.K. Lynch (1955–1957)
- Lieutenant Colonel W.H. Wansley (1957)
- Major D.H.C. Lloyd (1957)
- Lieutenant Colonel J.K. Murdoch (1958–1960)
- Lieutenant Colonel R.T. Eldridge (1960–1962)
- Lieutenant Colonel R.D. Newman (1962–1965)
- Lieutenant Colonel M.A. Bishop (1965–1968)
- Lieutenant Colonel K.E. Gallard (1968–1971)
- Lieutenant Colonel W.A. Harrington (1971–1973)