In response to a request from Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, the American commander of the South Pacific Area, the 3rd Division moved to New Caledonia on garrison duty while the American forces previously stationed there fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal. Conscious that his division was the only sizable non-American unit in a theatre of operations having an overall American command structure, Barrowclough requested, and received, a charter that allowed him to seek instructions from the New Zealand Government if he felt the division was to be involved in operations that could result in significant casualties.