horse in land warfare was slowly drawing to a close. Meanwhile, the Waikato Mounted Rifles regiment was now based at the Drill Hall in Knox Street in Hamilton and organised into four squadrons: HQ, A, B, and C. A typical squadron consisted of about 160 soldiers with their horses, broken down into four troops. Compulsory military training ceased in 1930 at the beginning of the Depression. At the same time pressure for mechanisation was growing and in 1936 it was decided that the TF would be motorised. As part of this process, each mounted rifles regiment was allowed to raise a light car and motorcycle troop. By 1937, with TF numbers dropping, the Government was forced to reduce the numbers of TF units in each military district. From now on, each district would have a composite mounted rifles regiment and a composite motorised mounted rifles squadron. In the Northern Military District, WMR provided one squadron for the horsed regiment, and one troop for the motorised squadron. In 1939 the first armoured vehicles were purchased for the Army: six Bren gun carriers. Initially two were issued to each military district; later these were recalled to become the nucleus for the 2nd New Zealand Divisional Cavalry Regiment (more commonly known as the 'Div Cav'). 1939–1945 After the outbreak of war with Germany, the TF was returned to its former size. There were some changes, mainly increasing the pre-war efforts to motorise the Army. One regiment in each mounted rifles brigade was now fully motorised, on the same basis as a British motorised battalion. In the Northern Military District this was to be WMR, and so as vehicles became available, the regiment was gradually parted from its horses. At the start of the war, the Government agreed to raise an expeditionary force to be placed at the disposal of the British Government. The Div Cav was part of this force with the majority of its personnel coming from the mounted rifles regiments, including WMR who also provided the unit's first commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel CJ Pierce, MC . The Div Cav subsequently fought with General Freyberg's 2nd New Zealand Division in Greece, North Africa and Italy, equipped variously with Vickers Light Mark III and VIb tanks, Bren carriers, Marmon-Herrington armoured cars, M3 Stuart light tanks and Staghound armoured cars. The Div Cav had the double distinction of being the first unit to be