New Zealand Division
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand Division was a World War I
infantry division
formed in Egypt
in January 1916 following the evacuation of Gallipoli. At the outbreak of war the New Zealand Expeditionary Force
contained a single infantry
brigade
which was combined with the unattached Australia
n 4th Infantry Brigade to form the New Zealand and Australian Division
which served at Gallipoli. By the end 1915, New Zealand
's contingent had expanded such that they could now field a complete division of their own. A second infantry brigade was formed from reinforcements currently in Egypt. A third infantry brigade, the "Rifle Brigade
", had arrived complete from New Zealand. The New Zealand Division was originally attached to I Anzac Corps
and departed for France
in April, 1916. Bright Williams
, who would eventually become New Zealand's oldest living veteran of that war, fought with this division.
2nd New Zealand Brigade :
3rd New Zealand (Rifle) Brigade
:
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
infantry division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
formed in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in January 1916 following the evacuation of Gallipoli. At the outbreak of war the New Zealand Expeditionary Force
New Zealand Expeditionary Force
The New Zealand Expeditionary Force was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight for Britain during World War I and World War II. Ultimately, the NZEF of World War I was known as the First New Zealand Expeditionary Force...
contained a single infantry
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...
brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
which was combined with the unattached Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n 4th Infantry Brigade to form the New Zealand and Australian Division
New Zealand and Australian Division
The New Zealand and Australian Division was formed at the start of the Battle of Gallipoli as a composite division under the command of New Zealand general Alexander Godley. At the start of World War I New Zealand had mustered insufficient infantry battalions to form their own division while...
which served at Gallipoli. By the end 1915, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's contingent had expanded such that they could now field a complete division of their own. A second infantry brigade was formed from reinforcements currently in Egypt. A third infantry brigade, the "Rifle Brigade
New Zealand Rifle Brigade
The New Zealand Rifle Brigade , affectionately known as The Dinks, was formed on 1 May 1915 as the 3rd Brigade of the New Zealand Division, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. During the first World War it fought in Egypt, against the Senussi, and then on the Western Front...
", had arrived complete from New Zealand. The New Zealand Division was originally attached to I Anzac Corps
I Anzac Corps
The I ANZAC Corps was a combined Australian and New Zealand army corps that served during World War I.It was formed in Egypt in February 1916 as part of the reorganisation and expansion of the Australian Imperial Force and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force following the evacuation of Gallipoli...
and departed for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in April, 1916. Bright Williams
Bright Williams
Bright Ernest Williams, was, at the time of his death, the last New Zealand World War I veteran out of the 100,444 New Zealanders to fight in that war....
, who would eventually become New Zealand's oldest living veteran of that war, fought with this division.
Formation
1st New Zealand Brigade :- 1st Battalion, Wellington Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Wellington Regiment (from 2nd NZ Bde, Jan 1917)
- 1st Battalion, Canterbury Regiment (to 2nd NZ Bde, Jan 1917)
- 1st Battalion, Auckland Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Auckland Regiment (from 2nd NZ Bde, Jan 1917)
- 1st Battalion, Otago Regiment (to 2nd NZ Bde, Jan 1917)
2nd New Zealand Brigade :
- 2nd Battalion, Wellington Regiment (to 1st NZ Bde, Jan 1917)
- 1st Battalion, Canterbury Regiment (from 1st NZ Bde, Jan 1917)
- 2nd Battalion, Canterbury Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, Auckland Regiment (to 1st NZ Bde, Jan 1917)
- 1st Battalion, Otago Regiment (from 1st NZ Bde, Jan 1917)
- 2nd Battalion, Otago Regiment
3rd New Zealand (Rifle) Brigade
New Zealand Rifle Brigade
The New Zealand Rifle Brigade , affectionately known as The Dinks, was formed on 1 May 1915 as the 3rd Brigade of the New Zealand Division, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. During the first World War it fought in Egypt, against the Senussi, and then on the Western Front...
:
- 1st Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
- 2nd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
- 3rd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
- 4th Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade
- Otago Mounted Rifle RegimentOtago Mounted Rifle RegimentThe Otago Mounted Rifle Regiment was a New Zealand Mounted Regiment formed for service during the Great War. It was formed from units of the Territorial Force consisting of the 5th Mounted Rifles the 7th Mounted Rifles and the 12th Mounted Rifles.They saw service during the Battle of Gallipoli,...
The only New Zealand mounted troops to serve in France
Battles
- Battle of Flers - Courcelette. 15 - 22 Sep 1916.
- Battle of MorvalBattle of MorvalThe Battle of Morval, which began on 25 September 1916, was an attack by the British Fourth Army on the German-held villages of Morval, Gueudecourt and Lesboeufs during the Battle of the Somme. These villages were originally objectives of the major British offensive of 15 September, the Battle of...
. 25 - 28 Sep 1916. - Battle of Le TransloyBattle of Le TransloyThe Battle of Le Transloy was the final offensive mounted by the British Fourth Army during the 1916 Battle of the Somme.-Prelude:With the successful conclusion of the preceding Battle of Morval at the end of September, the Fourth Army of Lieutenant General Henry Rawlinson had finally captured the...
. 1 - 18 Oct 1916. - Battle of MessinesBattle of MessinesThe Battle of Messines was a battle of the Western front of the First World War. It began on 7 June 1917 when the British Second Army under the command of General Herbert Plumer launched an offensive near the village of Mesen in West Flanders, Belgium...
. 7 - 14 Jun 1917. - Battle of Polygon WoodBattle of Polygon WoodThe Battle of Polygon Wood took place during the second phase of the Battle of Passchendaele in World War I. The battle was fought near Ypres, Belgium, in an area named the Polygon Wood after the layout of the area...
. 26 Sep - 3 Oct 1917. - Battle of BroodseindeBattle of BroodseindeThe Battle of Broodseinde was the most successful attack of the Battle of Passchendaele. Using the "bite and hold" tactic , the Allied forces conducted an attack on well-entrenched German forces and showed that it was possible for the allies to overcome even the stoutest German...
. 4 Oct 1917. - Battle of Passchendaele. 12 Oct 1917.
- Battle of Arras. 28 Mar 1918.
- Battle of the AncreBattle of the AncreThe Battle of the Ancre was the final act of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Launched on 13 November 1916 by the British Fifth Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough, the objective of the battle was as much political as military.-Prelude:The Allied commanders were due to meet at Chantilly on 15...
. 5 Apr 1918. - Battle of AlbertBattle of Albert (1918)Battle of Albert was the third battle by that name fought during World War I, following the First Battle of Albert, and the Second Battle of Albert, with each of the series of three being fought roughly two years apart...
. 21 - 23 Aug 1918. - Battle of BapaumeBattle of BapaumeBattle of Bapaume may refer to:*Battle of Bapaume , a battle of the Franco-Prussian War*First Battle of Bapaume, a battle during the German Spring Offensive of World War I...
. 31 Aug - 3 Sep 1918. - Battle of HavrincourtBattle of Havrincourt- Notes :# - a mistake on the part either of Byng or of Repington, as it was actually the 62nd Division....
. 12 Sep 1918. - Battle of the Canal du NordBattle of the Canal du NordThe Battle of Canal du Nord was part of a general Allied offensive against German positions on the Western Front during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of the Canal du Nord and on the outskirts...
. 27 Sep - 1 Oct 1918. - Battle of CambraiBattle of Cambrai (1918)The Battle of Cambrai was a battle between troops of the British First, Third and Fourth Armies and German Empire forces during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War. The battle took place in and around the French city of Cambrai, between 8 and 10 October 1918...
. 8 - 9 Oct 1918. - Pursuit to the SellePursuit to the SelleThe Pursuit to the Selle, a portion of which is referred to as the Battle of the Selle, was a series of skirmishes between allied forces and the German Army, fought during what is known as The Last Hundred Days of World War I, and which occurred after the Second Battle of Cambrai.The pursuit began...
. 9 - 12 Oct 1918. - Battle of the SellePursuit to the SelleThe Pursuit to the Selle, a portion of which is referred to as the Battle of the Selle, was a series of skirmishes between allied forces and the German Army, fought during what is known as The Last Hundred Days of World War I, and which occurred after the Second Battle of Cambrai.The pursuit began...
. 17 - 25 Oct 1918. - Battle of the SambreBattle of the SambreThe Battle of the Sambre refers to two battles fought along the Sambre River during World War I:* Battle of the Sambre , commonly known as the Battle of Charleroi* Battle of the Sambre - the final British offensive of the war...
. 4 Nov 1918, including the Capture of Le QuesnoyLe QuesnoyLe Quesnoy is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.Le Quesnoy's inhabitants are known as Quercitains.- Economy :The town of Le Quesnoy has somehow missed much of the Industrial Revolution. Unlike the neighboring towns of Valenciennes or Maubeuge, iron/steel works did not take hold...
.