The Canterbury Infantry Regiment was a military unit of the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

(NZEF) raised for service in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. It saw service in the Gallipoli Campaign (1915) and on the Western Front (1916–1919). The regiment was formed by grouping together companies from four different territorial regiments based in the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

Military district.

History

The regiment was formed in 1914 as the Canterbury Battalion. The battalion consisted of four rifle companies, with each company raised from one of the territorial regiments of the Canterbury military district, namely the: *

1st (Canterbury) Regiment The 1st (Canterbury) Regiment was a territorial infantry regiment of the New Zealand Military Forces. It was formed in 1911 from various volunteer corps raised during the second half of the nineteenth century. Men from the regiment saw combat in ...

2nd (South Canterbury) Regiment The 2nd (South Canterbury) Regiment was a territorial infantry regiment of the New Zealand Military Forces. It was formed in 1911 from various volunteer corps raised during the second half of the nineteenth century. Men from the regiment saw comb ...

* 12th (Nelson) Regiment * 13th (North Canterbury and Westland) Regiment Each company retained the name and

cap badge A cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as ...

of its parent territorial regiment.

Notes

; Footnotes ; Citations

References

* {{New Zealand Great War Infantry Regiments Infantry regiments of New Zealand Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919