New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade

The New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, consisting usually of four units of mounted infantry, fought in World War I and World War II. Initially a milita, under the instruction of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Henry Banks they formed the core of the New Zealand Army following successful service in the Boer Wars. During World War I, it was a part of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during the Gallipoli Campaign serving in the New Zealand and Australian Division. The brigade also served in the ANZAC Mounted Division during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. Throughout this campaign the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade consisted of the Auckland Mounted Rifle, the Canterbury Mounted Rifle and the Wellington Mounted Rifle Regiments. The Otago Mounted Rifle Regiment was sent to Europe and served on the Western Front before the Sinai and Palestine Campaign began. After World War I demobilisation the brigade ceased to exist in 1944 when individual units were absorbed into other regiments.

World War I formation
During World War I, the brigade consisted of the following units:


 * Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment
 * 3rd (Auckland) Mounted Rifles Squadron
 * 4th (Waikato) Mounted Rifles Squadron
 * 11th (North Auckland) Mounted Rifles Squadron


 * Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment
 * 1st Mounted Rifles (Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry) Squadron
 * 8th (South Canterbury) Mounted Rifles Squadron
 * 10th (Nelson) Mounted Rifles Squadron


 * Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment
 * 2nd (Wellington West Coast) Mounted Rifles Squadron
 * 6th (Manawatu) Mounted Rifles Squadron
 * 9th (Wellington East Coast) Mounted Rifles Squadron


 * 1st New Zealand Machine Gun Squadron
 * 2nd Machine Gun Squadron (formed 1918)
 * Signalling Troop New Zealand Engineers
 * Field Troop New Zealand Engineers
 * Raratongan Company
 * No. 15 Camel Company
 * No. 16 Camel Company
 * No. 2 Mobile Veterinary Section
 * N. Z. Mounted Field Ambulance
 * Anzac Mounted Divisional Train
 * Auckland M.R. Band
 * No. 4 Coy. Army Service Corps
 * 5th Company NZASC.

The following officers served as the brigade's commanding officer:
 * Brigadier-General Andrew Russell later Major-General Sir Andrew Russell, K.C.B., K.C.M.G.
 * Brigadier-General Edward Chaytor later Major-General Sir Edward Walter Clervaux Chaytor KCMG, KCVO, CB

Training in New Zealand
In New Zealand, mounted rifles reinforcements trained at Featherston Camp north east of Wellington where about 8,000 men were housed in nearly 300 buildings, including three billiard rooms, a post office, a cinema, 16 dining halls, six cookhouses and stables for 500 horses. The training programme included eight weeks of dismounted drill, two weeks of shooting, eight weeks of mounted drill and lectures on sanitation, military law and discipline, animal management and stable duties. All mounted reinforcements had to pass confirmatory riding tests before being cleared to go overseas.

Shipping of New Zealand horses
After the New Zealand Division was shipped to war, reinforcements for the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade were shipped to Sydney or Melbourne, where they embarked on Australian troopships bound for Suez. They did not take horses with them.

Campaigns

 * Gallipoli campaign
 * Sinai and Palestine Campaign