Music Books/Songbooks: Te Hokowhitu A Tu. The Maori Pioneer ..., Tauranga in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty for sale
Notable NZ military historian Christopher Pugsley's book on the Maori participation in World War One was to provide new information and detail on the formation, training, departure from NZ and active service during the 1914-18 conflict by their Pioneer detachment. By February 1915 the first"Maori Contingent"of 500 officers and men left NZ, arriving in Egypt late in March, where it joined the New Zealand and Australian Division, but was soon despatched to Malta for further training and garrison dutries and disappointed not to have been assigned to the Gallipoli landings. As a result of the heavy losses suffered by the NZ units, the"Contingent"was sent there as reinforcements. Although employed mainly on pioneering duties,they were exposed to all the dangers of the ANZAC campaign --- shot and shell, the Turks and the many illnesses, losing 17 killed, 89 wounded and two missing, these figures not including those evacuated through sickness. As number of front line soldiers diminished surviving members of the"Contingent"were assigned to the four NZ battalions. When the Pioneer Battalion of the NZ Division was formed in Egypt early in 1916 it contained survivors from the"Contingent"plus men from the second and third contingents and the few remaining members of the Otago Mounted Rifles. When this battalion left Egypt for France (arriving there in April) it did not constitute"a fighting unit but a labour force trained and organised to work on engineering tasks, digging trenches, building roads, light railways and rhe hundred and one labouring jobs an army needs."The battalion had also absorbed 125 Niue Islanders and 45 Rarongotongans into its ranks. Having covered the formative period of the"Maori Pioneers"and the ANZAC campaign in three chapters the author turns to deployment on the Western Front, recording this in five chapters, with a further two accounting for the return to NZ, disbandment and later events. Perhaps the most important aspect of this book is to be found in the nominal rolls printed in the latter part and covering the original'Contingents"and subsequent battalion reinforcements, a total of 32 actual sailings from NZ with 2227 Maori and 458 Pascific Islanders. The rolls are followed by a list of honours and awards, casualities of the Pioneer Battalion, a Maori Roll of Honour occupying 10 pages, plus a list of decorations, notes, bibliography and author's informative text, complemented by the Battalion nominal rolls, make clear the major contribution of the Maori people to NZ forces in World War One, thus being an importantant addition to the literature of that conflict. First edition of 1995 from Reed, 147 pages, illustrated with 52 b/w photos, full page of photo portraits of Maori casualties at Gallipoli, several maps and document reproductions, colour tone illustrated end-papers. Brick red hard covers with gilt spine titles NF, internally NF, no inscriptions, Pictorial DJ also NF. Size: 30cm By 22cm
Music Books/Songbooks: Te Hokowhitu A Tu. The Maori Pioneer Battalion in the First World War
Author
Christopher Pugsley
Title
Te Hokowhitu A Tu. The Maori Pioneer Battalion in the First World War
Publisher name
Reed, Auckland
Shipping time
2 - 4 days
Publication year
1995
Edition
First edition
Binding type
Hard cover
Vendor name
BOPBooks
Vendor rating
Key words
New Zealand. World War One, Maori Pioneer Battalion, Military History, Nominal Rolls, Gallipoli, Western Front
Topic
History, World
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