B Company tales shaping up

Stories of B Company 28th (Maori) Battalion will be retold in a project involving Dr Monty Soutar, Robert (Bom) Gillies (front) and Sir Wira Gardiner (back). Photo/ Stephen Parker

It's 70 years since the end of World War II but stories of B Company Maori Battalion are on their way to being preserved for generations to come.

On Saturday trustees of the 28 (Maori) Battalion Scholarship Board got together with Sir Wira Gardiner, who will be writing the book.

Board member Lt Col (retd) Graeme Vercoe said although a long time had passed since the end of the war the stories of the soldiers and their families were relevant to this day.

The work has been under way for several years and from next month there will be a series of hui across marae to make sure stories are not lost.

Last year the board held a hui to discuss the project. Now it was ready to be launched, Mr Vercoe said.

"The 28th Maori Battalion has contributed to a portion of our national memories, from the men who served in the battalion and the fact their service had a huge impact on the shaping of the Maori community in the post-war era. The stories haven't been told in official history."

He said Sir Wira had written a book on the battalion and Dr Monty Soutar a book on C Company, called Nga Tama Toa. The aim was to cover off all four of the companies, but B Company was next.

"It's a story that could have been told 30 years ago when we still had some of our vets around and they could have told their stories themselves," Mr Vercoe said. "Today we only have three of our vets still with us. We're keen to expedite this project for them and their families. We're now going back to the community to get their engagement. It's their story we're telling and they own those stories."

He said Sir Wira would also draw on collections at the Rotorua Museum, National Library and War Archive, as well as living stories.

Mr Vercoe said the project wasn't just about the war campaign, but of the young men before they went to war and what life was like at home without them. "The impact on families and children," he said.

"It's something our future generations can go back to and relate to."

The project has received funding from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and the Ngarimu VC and 28 (Maori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Board. The book is expected to be published in 2017.

The Project

* Book to encapsulate stories of B Company 28th (Maori) Battalion.
* Three surviving veterans.
* Community to be involved in hui.
* Sir Wira Gardiner appointed research writer
* Expected to be published 2017.
* Funded by Ministry of Culture and Heritage and the Ngarimu VC and 28 (Maori) Battalion Memorial Scholarship Board.