New Zealanders in the First World War – The Regiments

NZEF Units on New Zealand History Online provides information and timelines for each military unit New Zealanders fought in during the First World War. Histories of most of the New Zealand regiments which fought in the war are available.

Allen, S.S. 2/ Auckland, 1918 Being A Partial Record of the War Service in France of the 2/ Auckland Regiment During the Great War, 1920
Western Front, including Ypres, La Signy, Grevillers, Bancourt, Crevecoeur, Le Quesnoy. Foldout maps.

Allison, D. Flying Navy The Story of New Zealanders Who Flew in the Fleet Air Arm in World War I and World War II and the Roll of Honour of Those Who Died in Action and on Active Service, 2009
Service biographies and photographs of casualties. World War 1, pp. 60-7.

Burton, O.E. The Auckland Regiment, N.Z.E.F., 1914-1919, 1922
Covers campaigns in Gallipoli, Egypt, France (Armentieres, Somme, Le Bizet, Messines, Ypres, Bapaume, Rossignol Wood, Grevillers, Bancourt, Crevecoeur, Rumilly, Le Quesnoy), and Germany. Chronology, pp. 267-273. Honours and awards, pp. 274-281; casualties, pp. 282-323.

Burton, O.E. The Silent Division New Zealanders at the Front, 1914-1919, 1935
Personal reminiscences of a New Zealand Division soldier. Covers Gallipoli; France (Armentieres, Somme. Messines, Ypres, Gravenstafel, Bellevue Spur, Bapaume, Le Quesnoy); Germany.

Byrne, A.E. Official History of the Otago Regiment, N.Z.E.F., in the Great War, 1914-1918, 1921
Chs. 2-7: Egypt, Suez Canal, Gallipoli; Chs. 8 ff.: Western Front, including Armentieres, Somme, Cordonnerie, Houplines, Bois Grenier, Messines, St. Yves, La Basseville, Ypres and Passchendaele, St. Quentin, La Signy, Lys, Rossignol Wood, Baupaume, Gommecourt, Le Quesnoy; Ch. 16: Sergeant Richard Travis, VC, DCM, MM, Croix de Guerre. Honours and awards, pp. 399-407.

Byrne, J.R. New Zealand Artillery in the Field, 1914-18, 1922
Part 1: Gallipoli; Part 2: Western Front, including Somme, Fleurbaix, Messines, Passchendaele, Le Quesnoy. Honours and awards, pp. 309-314.

Carbery, A.D. The New Zealand Medical Service in the Great War, 1914-18, 1924
Section 1: Mobilisation; Section 2: Gallipoli; Section 3: Western Front; Section 4: Sinai and Palestine; Section 5: demobilisation. Casualties, pp. 521-5; honours and awards, pp. 526-530; wounded, pp. 531-5. Statistics for deaths by disease among NZEF, p. 539; statistics for deaths, wounded etc, month by month, p. 538.

Cowan, J. The Maoris In The Great War A History Of The New Zealand Native Contingent And Pioneer Battalion, Gallipoli, 1915, France And Flanders, 1916-1918, 1926
Ch.1-2: recruiting and organising Maori contingent; Ch. 3-5: Gallipoli; Ch. 6: formation of Maori Pioneer Battalion; Ch. 7-18: Western Front Messines, Flanders, Passchendaele, Le Quesnoy. Ch. 11: Cook Islanders in the field. Roll of honour, pp. 162-9; list of those who have died since discharge, p. 170; list of those who died in training, p. 171; deaths among Rarotongan contingent, p. 171. Decorations and awards, pp. 172-4.

Cunningham, W. H. et al. The Wellington Regiment, N.Z.E.F., 1914-1919, 1928
Ch. 5-12: Egypt, Suez Canal, Gallipoli; Ch. 14-52: France (Armentieres, Somme, Ploegsteert, Messines, Le Basseville, Passchendaele, Gravenstafel, Belle Vue, Polygon Wood, Rossignol Wood, Grevillers, Selle River, Bapaume, Bancourt, Havrincourt, Halpincourt, Le Quesnoy; Ch. 53: Germany. Roll of honour: p. 336, 346-398. Honours and awards, pp. 337-345.

Ellis, R.F. By Wires to Victory: New Zealand Divisional Signal Company, 1914-18, 1968
Part I: Egypt; Part II: Gallipoli; Part III: France (Armentieres, Somme, Fleurbaix, Messines, Passchendaele, Bapaume, Le Quesnoy). Honours and awards, pp. 84-5; casualties, pp. 86-7.

Ferguson, D. The History of the Canterbury Regiment, N.Z.E.F. 1914-1919, 1921
Includes Egypt, Gallipoli, Somme, Messines, Passchendaele, Polygon Wood, Bapaume, Cambrai, Le Cateau, Selle River, Sambre, and garrison duty in Cologne. Honours and awards, pp. 309-319. Deaths, pp. 320-364.

Haigh, J.B. Men of Faith and Courage the Official History of the Royal New Zealand Chaplains Department, 1983
Part 2: World War 1. Includes nominal roll of chaplains, roll of honour and decorations awarded to New Zealand chaplains.

Luxford, J.H. With the Machine Gunners in France and Palestine, 1923
Service of the New Zealand Machine Corps. France (companies of the Corps): Somme, Messines, Le Basseville, Gravenstafel, Passchendaele, Baupaume, Cambrai, Selle River. Palestine (NZ Machine Gun squadron): Romani, El Arish, Magdhaka, Gaza, Rafa, Jerusalem, Jericho, Moab. Honours, including citations, pp. 237-243; deaths, pp. 244-255.

Millen, J. Salute to Service A History of the Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport and Its Predecessors 1860-1996,1997
Chapters 5-13: World War 1.

Moore, A. B. The Mounted Riflemen in Sinai and Palestine, 1920
Battles covered include Suez Canal, Romani, Kata, Bir El Abd, El Wrish, Magh Daba, Rafa, Gaza, Beersheba, Ras El Nag, Ayun Kara, Jericho, Jordan Valley, Jerusalem, Ain Es Sir, Amman, Es Salt.

Neill, J.C. The New Zealand Tunnelling Company, 1915-1919, 1922
Western Front. Mine warfare, trenches, tunnels, dugouts. Includes battles of Arras and Cambrai. Nominal roll, pp. 145-155; killed and wounded, pp. 156-8; honours and awards, p. 158-9.

Nicol, G.G. The Story of Two Campaigns Official War History of the Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment, 1914-1919, 1921
Covers Gallipoli and Sinai-Palestine, with chapters on battles in which regiment took part. Foldout maps and illustrations. Roll of Honour, pp. 245-254; lists of wounded, pp. 255-263.

Official history of the New Zealand Engineers during the Great War, 1914-1919, 1927
Covers Gallipoli, Armentieres, Somme, Passchendaele, Palestine, Mesopotamia and Persia. Roll of honour, pp. 305-8; honours and awards, pp. 309-312; list of officers, pp. 313-4.

Pomeroy, M. Kiwi Kiwi Cameliers A Nominal Roll of the Men of the 15th & 16th New Zealand Companies of the Imperial Camel Corps in the Great War, 1914-18, 2009
Alphabetical listing of soldiers, with biographical and service details.

Powles, C.G.(ed.) The History of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles, 1914-1919, 1928
Egypt, Suez Canal, Palestine (battles of Romani, Rafa, Gaza, Jerusalem and Jericho). Deaths, pp. 257-262; decorations, pp. 263-4; chronology, pp. 265-7.

Pugsley, C. Te Hokowhitu A Tu The Maori Pioneer Battalion in the First World War, 1995
Includes discussion of Gallipoli, France and the Somme. Nominal rolls, pp. 85-130; roll of honour, pp. 131-140; honours and awards, pp. 141-2.

Regimental history of New Zealand Cyclist Corps in the Great War, 1914-1918, 2004
France, including Messines, Gravenstrafel-Passchendaele, Ypres, Somme, Arras-Mons. Nominal rolls, pp. 122-139; roll of honour, pp. 117-8; honours, pp. 119-121.

Robertson, J. With the Cameliers in Palestine, 1938

Stowers, R. Waikato troopers: history of the Waikato Mounted Rifles, 2008
World War I, pp. 65-172, including Gallipoli, Sinai and Palestine.

Wilkie, A.H. Official War History of the Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment 1914-1919,1924
Part 1: Egypt and Gallipoli; Part 2: Palestine (Romani, Bir El Abd, El Arish, Jerusalem, Jericho, Rafa, Gaza, Beersheba, Ras El Nagb, Ayun Kara, Jordan Valley, Es Salt). Honours and awards, pp. 242-3; casualties, pp. 244-9, 253-260; wounded, pp. 249-252.

In our catalogue

• World War, 1914-1918 – Regimental histories – New Zealand
• New Zealand. Army. New Zealand Expeditionary Force, 1^st

Online resources

NZEF Units
Information from New Zealand History Online about each military unit New Zealanders fought in during the First World War.

Austin, W. S. Official History of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade,1924 on the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
Ch. 1-3: Egypt, Senussi, Suez Canal; Ch. 5: Armentieres; Ch. 6: Somme; Ch. 8-9: Messines; Ch. 10-11: Ypres; Ch. 12: Ancre; Ch. 14: Bapaume; Ch. 15: Scarpe; Ch. 16: Havrincourt and Epehy; Ch. 17-18: Cambrai, Crevecoeur, Le Cateau, Selle River; Ch. 19: Le Quesnoy; Ch. 20: Germany. Detailed maps and illustrations, including battle plans. Honours and awards, pp. 481-9; Roll of honour, pp. 490-524, including biography of Harry Townsend Fulton, pp. 490-3; Appendices include training programme, dress regulations, 3rd Field Ambulance, origin of term “Digger". Chronology, pp. 581-7.