Return of the 28th (Māori) Battalion, 1946
John Pascoe, Members of the Maori Battalion returning home after World War 2, Wellington Harbour, 23 January 1946, Black and white original negative, Photographic Archive, Alexander Turnbull Library, Reference: 1/4-001635-F
Return of the 28th (Māori) Battalion, 1946
On 23 January 1946 the soldiers of the 28th (Māori) Battalion returned to New Zealand, onboard the troopship Dominion Monarch. It had been a long journey – the Battalion had begun its return from Florence, Italy, on 6 December 1945.
Arriving at Pipitea Wharf in Wellington Harbour, the Battalion was greeted by an official party led by the acting Prime Minister Walter Nash. Sergeant Major Anania Amohau led a haka, and a group of women sung a lament for the soldiers killed overseas.
Ngati Tuwharetoa men performed hakas before speeches from local leaders and former officers. After a group meal in one of the quay sheds, the troops boarded trains to return to their homes.
More images
We have loaded a group of images, most taken by John Pascoe, recording the return of the 28th (Māori) Battalion to the Flickr website.
Return of the 28th (Māori) Battalion – National Library on Flickr
The National Library's Timeframes website has several hundred images relating to the Māori Battalion. Try searching the site using the phrase "Maori Battalion".
History of the 28th (Māori) Battalion
Soon after war was announced in September 1939, Māori leaders began contacting the New Zealand parliament to offer men for both home defence and overseas service.
Calls soon followed for the establishment of a Māori unit within the New Zealand army. In October 1939 an all-Māori infantry company was formed – the 28th (Māori) Battalion. The battalion was organised on a tribal basis, with different iwi forming its four companies.
By the end of the war, the 28th (Māori) Battalion was one of the most celebrated and decorated units in the New Zealand army. Nearly 16,000 Māori enlisted for service in World War II. Of these, approximately 3,600 served in the 28th (Māori) Battalion in campaigns in Greece, Crete, Italy and North Africa. The Battalion suffered far higher than average losses: in all, 618 soldiers were killed, 1710 wounded and 267 taken prisoner or reported missing.
More resources
Māori and the Second World War – NZ History website
28 (Maori) Battalion, by Joseph Cody (1956) – NZETC website
Official website of the 28th (Māori) Battalion, Waikato Branch
Permission of the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga O Aotearoa, must be obtained before any reuse of this image
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