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The 22nd Battalion of New Zealand was the longest serving of the NZ Infantry battalions. There are many types of publications relating to the Battalion. Scanned copies of some of these are available here.
The Official History written by Jim Henderson and published by the War History Branch in 1958. The book is available in electronic format and can be read online here.
In early 1946, “TP” or “Tired Terry” as he was affectionately known by the Battalion (due to his continual complaints about tiredness) was commissioned by the War History Branch to write the official history of the 22nd Battalion.
TP was the obvious choice, he was a journalist by trade and he had been the Battalion’s Intelligence Officer since joining the Battalion in 1943. He was well-known and well-liked by the veterans. But his career as a sports journalist and his
young family slowed progress. Eventually Jim Henderson (an artillery gunner or "nine-mile sniper" to the infantry) was contracted to write the history, which he did.
Parts of TP's draft are available here.
Several members later wrote about their experiences. Here is a bibliography of books written by men of the 22nd Battalion.
It is a long way from New Zealand to Great Britain and to the battle theatres of North Africa, Italy and Europe. And a long way home again. Everyone (and everything that went with them) travelled by ship, voyages lasting several weeks
and taking the people (men and women) to foreign places many had never heard of. Large passenger liners were taken up into military service for this role, but were given "code" names for each voyage - His Majesty's Transport (HMT) X25
for instance. Many of these voyages resulted in a short publication or keep-sake that some of the men indeed did keep, or posted home.
A few of these shipboard booklets are available here.
After the war the 22nd Battalion Association was formed, to keep men informed and to organise local and national reunions. Several branches published regular newsletters but not many survive.
Copies of a few newsletters are available here.
I have made available all 50 of the Official History books in various e-reader formats, including for the iBook and Kindle.
Go to this page and select the format you require.
Last updated: 25 January 2023
