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Commanding Officers, Honours, Awards and People of the 22 Battalion
Commanding Officers
The 22 Battalion had 10 Commanding Officers between December 1939 and August 1947. There is information about some of them here:
| Lt-Col L. W. Andrew, VC | 10 Jan 1940-7 Feb 1942 |
| Lt-Col J. T. Russell | 7 Feb 1942-6 Sep 1942 |
| Lt-Col T. C. Campbell | 6 Sep 1942-18 Apr 1944 |
| Lt-Col D. G. Steele | 18 Apr 1944-11 May 1944 |
| Lt-Col H. V. Donald | 11 May 1944-22 Nov 1944 |
| Lt-Col A. W. F. O'Reilly | 22 Nov 1944-24 Mar 1945 |
| Lt-Col H. V. Donald | 24 Mar 1945-7 Aug 1945 |
| Maj R. H. Spicer | 7 Aug 1945-19 Oct 1945 |
| Lt-Col W. B. Thomas | 19 Oct 1945-29 Nov 1946 |
| Lt-Col G. M. McCaskill | 29 Nov 1946-7 Aug 1947 |
Roll of the 22nd Battalion Men
A complete roll of all men who were posted to the 22nd Battalion does not exist. However, one of the "originals" - Pte John Bowker - compiled a list of the "orignials" who sailed from Wellington on the Empress of Britain on 2 May 1940. John's Roll can be viewed here.
"Borax" - the Battalion Mascot
"Borax", a small black and white terrier, was adopted by the Battalion during early 1940 in Trentham. He applied to enlist, but was declined. Nor was he provided with an official regimental number. When the Battalion sailed in May 1940, Borax was smuggled aboard but was found a few days later. However he accompanied the Battalion to England where he was provided with a regulation uniform and turned out on parades. More information about Borax is here
Honours and Awards
Many members of the battalion were decorated, and these are listed in the Official History publication. Regretably, that list omits the George Cross awarded to Lance Corporal David Russell for his actions as a prisoner of war in Italy, presumably because he was not an active member of the Battalion at the time.
Victoria Cross
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Last updated: 15/12/10