1 September 1939 |
Germany invades Poland |
3 September 1939 |
New Zealand declares war on Germany |
5 January 1940 |
First echelon of New Zealand troops sails from Wellington for Egypt |
August 1940 |
Paekākāriki Home Guard established |
7 December 1941 |
Japan bombs Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, USA |
8 December 1941 |
New Zealand declares war on Japan |
15 February 1942 |
Japan captures Singapore and bombs Darwin |
6 March 1942 |
Defence Construction Council set up with James Fletcher as Commissioner |
End of April 1942 |
News that 20,000 US troops would arrive in Wellington in six weeks |
6 May 1942 |
Lt Col Twining USMC and NZ officers select camp sites |
19 May 1942 |
Twelve landowners are told that their land is required for defence purposes. |
19 May 1942 |
Building of Camp Paekākāriki commenced |
14 June 1942 |
USS Wakefield brings units of 1st Marine Division to Wellington. 4650 troops come to Camp Mackay and 2400 to Camp Paekākāriki |
22 July 1942 |
1st Marine Division leaves to capture Guadalcanal |
4 November 1942 |
Units of 2nd Marine Division arrive from San Diego, California |
26 December 1942 |
2nd Marine Division sent to Guadalcanal |
February 1943 |
Camp Paekākāriki expanded to house 5200 men. Camp Russell is built for another 4500 men |
25 February 1943 |
2nd Marine Division returns to Wellington from Guadalcanal campaign |
March 1943 |
A spell for recuperation from wounds and sickness |
April 1943 |
Regular training begins on what is now Queen Elizabeth Park |
20 June 1943 |
Disastrous beach landing exercise, with ten sailors drowned at Whareroa Beach |
30 August 1943 |
Visit from USA of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt |
1 November 1943 |
Marines leave for Battle of Tarawa (Kiribati) |
May 1944 |
War Assets Realisation Board set up to dispose of surplus buildings and equipment |
2 June 1944 |
A ‘refabrication plant’ set up at Camp Paekākāriki to dismantle larger structures for building timber and to sell huts as garden sheds and farm bunk-houses |
1945 |
569 buildings sold for removal |
