Backing for Victoria Cross claim

Haane Manahi

A Whangarei man hopes the experience of his war-hero uncle will help a group seeking the Victoria Cross for a Maori Battalion soldier.

Brian Taylor's uncle, Sergeant-Major Peter Wright of the Coldstream Guards, was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in 1943 but nine months later King George VI changed this to the VC.

Mr Taylor hopes this precedent will help the whanau of Sergeant Haane Manahi, who was nominated for the VC but given the DCM instead.

In 1943, Sergeant Manahi led a small band of Maori soldiers up a 300m-high rocky outcrop in Tunisia, capturing an enemy stronghold.

The act was described by Lieutenant General Sir Brian Horrocks as "the most gallant feat of arms I witnessed in the course of the war".

A field marshal and three generals recommended Sergeant Manahi for the VC.

This week, the Waitangi Tribunal released a report urging the Government and the Manahi Victoria Cross Committee to work on a joint submission asking the Queen to reconsider the case.

The committee has campaigned for over 20 years towards this end.

Mr Taylor's uncle won his VC for his actions near Salerno, Italy, in September 1943 when he attacked three enemy Spandau (gun) posts.

Following the awarding of the DCM, a senior British officer contacted the Army Council and urged it to reconsider the decision.

The King heard during a visit to Italy of Sergeant-Major Wright's valour, prompting the change to a VC.

Mr Taylor would like to see the Manahi case reconsidered.

He said a precedent had been set, and as the actions and bravery of his uncle and Sergeant Manahi were very similar, the Manahi case deserved to be looked at again.

However, the formality of Buckingham Palace and the time that had elapsed made a change unlikely.

"Being a pom myself and knowing how poms look at things ... chances of getting it changed now are very slim."

Mr Taylor spent many holidays with his uncle on his farm in Suffolk.

He said that like Mr Manahi, his uncle was a humble man who rarely spoke of the war or his exploits.

Mr Taylor said the award brought great pride to his family. He fully understood why it was important to the Manahi family and Te Arawa.

A Maori Battalion soldier, Moananui-a-kiwa Ngarimu (Ngati Porou and Te Whanau-a-Apanui), was awarded the VC posthumously in 1943 for bravery in Tunisia.