29th Battalion (New Zealand)
| 29th Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1940–45 |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Branch | New Zealand Military Forces |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | ~700–900 personnel |
| Part of | 8th Brigade, 3rd Division |
| Engagements | |
The 29th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the New Zealand 3rd Division, raised for service during the Second World War. Serving in the Pacific, the battalion mainly undertook garrison duties and labouring tasks in Fiji and New Caledonia, but saw brief combat against the Japanese in the Treasury Islands in late 1943. In late 1944, the battalion returned to New Zealand and was broken up to provide reinforcements for the New Zealand 2nd Division in Italy. It was eventually disbanded in January 1945.
In 1941, and anticipating the entry of the Japanese Empire into the Second World War, the New Zealand Military Forces raised a formation initially known as B Force, later to be designated the 8th Brigade, for garrison duty in Fiji. It had been considered for several years that New Zealand would assume responsibility for the defence of the Fijian colony, which lacked the military capability to defend itself, in the event of war. The infantry component of the brigade was to consist of the 29th Battalion in addition to 30th Battalion.
The 29th Battalion was formed in September 1940, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel H. J. Thompson. The battalion was originally based at Hopuhopu Military Camp but a measles outbreak there forced the military authorities to shift it to Te Rapa, on the outskirts of Hamilton. Many of its personnel had been expecting to be posted to the Middle East to join the 2nd New Zealand Division but instead found themselves sent to Fiji. After travelling to Wellington by train, the battalion departed for Fiji aboard the Rangatira on 27 October 1940.
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