The 166th Regiment was first deployed to North Africa as part of the British First Army in the closing months of the North African Campaign. The regiment served in Tunisia until the end of the campaign, suffering 24 members killed in action. In Tunisia the 166th supported soldiers of the French XIX Corps, specifically the Goumiers. The regiment remained in North Africa during the invasion of Sicily, not deploying to the island until the end of the campaign. The Newfoundlanders deployed to Italy in October 1943 with the British Eighth Army, where it remained until the end of hostilities in 1945. The Regiment rotated between various divisions within the Eighth Army, including the 8th Indian Division and the 2nd New Zealand Division; the New Zealanders were under the command of Bernard Freyberg who had commanded the 88th Brigade in which the Royal Newfoundland Regiment served during the First World War. During the campaign, the 166th participated in major actions such as the Battle of Monte Cassino, and numerous soldiers of the regiment received decorations for bravery. One such individual was Captain Gordon Campbell (Cam) Eaton, who was awarded the Military Cross in 1943 while serving as a forward observation officer. Eaton went on to serve in the Canadian Forces following 1949 with the reformed 166th Regiment, R.C.A., and was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and later received the Order of Canada.