74 years since the outbreak of the Korean War

Tuesday 25 June marked 74 years since the outbreak of the Korean War. To mark the occasion a National Commemoration was held at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park. New Zealand was involved militarily in Korea from 1950 to 1957. Forty-five men lost their lives serving in New Zealand forces, 33 of them during the war.

The 2nd/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment celebrated its half-century anniversary over Matariki weekend with a charter parade through Christchurch’s central city and a ‘Welcome home’ event at Burnham Military Camp.

The parade drew large crowds as the battalion marched with regimental colours through Christchurch, joined by the NZ Army Band and unit veterans. The parade was inspected by Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger, before reading the historical charter document, acknowledging the unwavering support of the city in difficult times.

The charter formalises the relationship between the city of Christchurch and the South Island’s only Regular Force infantry unit.

The 2nd/1st Battalion has been among the first to respond to incidents and disasters in Christchurch and the South Island, in particular the Christchurch Earthquake in 2011.

Current Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Sam Smith, says thousands of battalion members had served in New Zealand and on overseas deployments, including Bosnia, East Timor, Afghanistan, Solomon Islands and Iraq.