With the Maori Battalion

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 281, 10 March 1941, Page 3

With the Maori Battalion

CHRISTMAS IN ENGLAND LETTER FROM CAPTAIN RANG! -JIOYAL Spending tlicir first Chrishmas overseas members of the Maori Btutalion in England did not, however, allow the festive season to pas. s without a celebration and in a letter to his people in Whakatane Captain Rangi Royal gives an interesting account of the manner in which the men endeavoured to make the occasion as happy as possible. His letter reads as follows:. —

Well Xmas has gone by and tli'-e New Year has begun and when T look back upon it one cannot help remembering it as one of changing scenes with each scene crammed with incidents both happy and sorrowful. The happy part of it was when we were home this time last year and then the final leave. The sorrowful part was when we all

parted to come away and then this Xmas being away from all that we have been used to at home—loved ones, friends tfid everybody—gaiety love and laughter all that and the home atmosphere we missed very much indeed this Xmas. It was nevertheless a good Xmas under the circumstances. We had 134 of our boys who sat down to dinner hore in our billets. All our boys who were free from actual duties in our Bn. and in pakcha units also came along to dinner. And what a dinner it Avas. The preparations for it took a couple of days but we did not disclose our hand to other Coys, till the last minute when it was too late for them to copy us. The Bn. Fund allotted each Coy £10 to pay for extras. From the Xmas parcels we got our plum puddings, cake, biscuits, Toheroas, mussels (tinned), Huahuas (pork lcereru and Titi), lollies, cigarettes and jam. The boys took what required out of their parcels and pooled the rest for the dinner. We bought turkeys, fruit (fresh), nuts, tomato sauce, soft drinks,, beer, pork, vegetables, dripping, tins of green peas and paper tablecloths. Whetu did the scrounging and I attended to the indoor arrangements. The boys all had Teave Xmas Eve except a few chosen ones (10) and we started on the job of decorating and settling the tables. We had two main dinning rooms and the officers had a small table for six of us. By ten o'clock we had our tables complete except for the hoi kai. We were the only ones with the double decked tables and decorated and laid out a la Whakaturia and Papawharenui. Empty hair oil bottles were camouflaged into flower pots and holly leaves were flowers. Our trifles were made in town by a restaurant lady who also supplitecj the bowls free; jellies made on the premises by another lady and Hor-. ton Stewart made the fruit salad. By the time the boys got back everything was set . We allowed them all a peep—they'd have a look close their eyes and then remark "we're home again boys." It was really wonderful. Our funds from NeAV Zealand had not arrived so we had a collection among a few of us and were able to collect £15 to spend in assisting to moke our , show as near as possible to what it is at home. We had to hire plates (large and small). The Colonel had a full course dinner with us and enjoyed it. He even ha:l a piece of hualiuja;,; On the way up to the dinner the other boys had to pass two pubs and before arriving (late) they formed up and then approached in a line with hands on each others shoulders and doing a haka. The Colonel's eyes nearly popped out. The other boys were just seated but a few rushed out and welcomed them with a haka also. The Padre blessed the l'ood and the feast started. There were two hangis one of

pork and one of potatoes and vegetables. While other Coys had their hangis covered at 9 o'clock we did not cover ours till 1(7.30 and it was beautifully cooked. The turkeys (4) were boiled and then browned in the oven. After the pork etc. there was no room for the other things and no one touched the plum duffs, only a few had trine and none had fruit salad and jellies. The-Colonel went around and bad n yarn with the boys, then we all sat down and had ours the same fare as the boys cxcepling that, we could not gel a look in at the "beer." The officers' dinner was postponed for p.m. and as it was a parade we all had to atlend find have another go but jmt a pick, I 'detailed Sunny and Tit to go lo the hospitals with

Whetu and I to visit two of our boys George KingL (Te Puke) and Kerehoma (I-Iorohoro) and take out a bit of the Xmas dinner and parcels. Tolieroa soup was put on for tea and being a freezer the soup went down r wcll. By midnight and leave was only tc 10.30 the whole Coy was home with everything in the way of meal cleaned up. So ended Xmas day a day full of fun and joy for the bovr—-it was apparent they enjoyed if—and for me one of worry and agony. Except for the

"absence without leave" and the little incident of the dinner there was nothings of any consequence. 1 was darn gla#l to get to bed that night. The one impressive part of the whole sliow was: on Xmas Eve Avhcn at 11.45 p.m. I collected what were sober enough in the billets into the officers room and went through the significance of the evening in regard to ourselves and you at home. It was the time when you were all thinking and praying for us Xmas morning here and Xmas Eve here. At midnight the Christmas in New Zealand and England meets etc. etc. etc. Read tlicm the messages from tile Bn. which was to be broadcasted home and extracts from letters received from Hemana and Dan.. The boys spoke, four representatives, and tears were streaming down their faces as they spoke. It was very sad but, it was an opportunity to get things off their chests and a! midinght we had a prayer meeting Iu Manahi being the parson. The padre was out even at that hour so we had to carry on without him. After prayers more speakers including Whetu got up and said how much better they then felt about things for they had been thinking about home all evening and wondering how their families and loved ones at home were faring. The meeting just then concluded allowed us all to meet together with one common thought and prayer as no doubt you were doing at home at the same time. They all felt settled in mind and at peace. It was peculiar how it happened. We were sitting and gazing into the fire and probably all fo;ur of us officers were thinking of home when it suddenly occurred to me that it would be a good idea.if the boys also could share in our little circle of quiet and concentrated thinking. So I aslced Whetu to contact Padre Harawira and ask him to report to our billets before midnight. Til Manahi got the boys down and when Whetu reported that the Padre had not come home, we decide to carry or. which we did. The whole week had been easy except a couple of 21 mile route marches is just a canter to us now. Rules and regulations were more or less slackened and the boys made a welter of it. To-day I gave them a lecture and told them that things are going to be tightened up all around again and as long as they played the game things would be alright. The tins of huahua and other Xmas parcels arrived during the week and have nowM been all consumed. They also were'' pooled and put oil the table for everybody. The last of them, the pipis were boiled and had for tea to-night. The ideal parcel of all parcels -which were received by the boys in the Bn. were those sent by "Doc and Rangi." Tliey sent quite a number to our boys and those Hawke's Bay boys known to them. The parcel contained tins Toheroa soup, oysters, mussels, lobster, white bait and 30 cigs. As far as our Maori boys are concerned it is ideal and could be better if instead of the soup the toheroas in a tin could be sent. They don't eat much cake or biscuits and much less the barley sugar tins that arc sent. They are wasted or given away. Coffee and mil'v tins- are. also a washout. What the boys prefer is something that they can open up

and oat, without having to mess around with Ihcm and something tlicy cannot get over here. The huahua pork was lovely and we enjoyed them very much; the pipis also were tasty and the pipi soup was very satisfying. Kia Orate maapu na rataou i mahi mai enei kai. The only kai missing from our Xmas table were eels, raw fish, kinas and pauas. Regarding Xmas greetings. Outside of Dan's letter wbich arrived Xmas Eve the Coy did not get any although one general cable was despatched. It is well, for so much money is being spent and wasted in. telegrams that-we'd mticYi ratbet it was"so. I hope you all get the broadcast. I was terribly pointed over tbat. origiiial greeting was drafted by me and

Charlie tells mc that that it was cut right down to get in a bit of pakeha stuff of no consequencc at all. I am enclosing the Copy of original "Mihi" which should have gone over and tell Dan he can broadcast that as coming from us who are ever mindful that we are Maoris and that our own people would prefer that our "Mihi" should be entirely Maori. Ka nui te pakeha hei mihi ite Pakeha. I believe it was cut down here before Charlie left here. Ko matou a tahi ra ka hiki atu i konei kite tima hei man, ia matou. Kua riro no napo (te opeo mua me nga tnputapu katoa a matou. Nga i waiho ko nga kakahu me te pu. Kaord i te mohiotia ko hea matou tae rawa, atu tenei reta kei te waahi ke ahua" ko Ihipa no reira ko nga reta ma luiri ki reira ma reira e whakau* mai kia matou. Ko te.uunga o teope Maori mai o muri ia matou ko\ reira matou.

Regarding the remittances sent over. They came the clay after, Xmas but we drew the balance yesterday making a total received of £153 12s. The boys have lield a meeting and Ngatiawa, PikiaoTuara are deciucd that their portions are to be a part of Coy Funds earmarked for their own boys., N'Whakaue ' are still fighting . over theirs. There is a faction wanting" a distribution of the whole amount and the more thoughtful ones aTe holding out for Coy Funds same as others. I am agoinst distribution as I hold that those N'Whakaue who had left NcaV Zealand as part of any expeditionary force and were away at Xmas are entitled to this fund. So Whetu and T decided that apart from expenditure for Xmas kei te mauria te moni ki runga tima hei tiaki ia ratou a whiti noa. Kaore he pei mo matou a tae.noa a ai te koreko mai e whitu ki runga moana katahi ka tea. The Tuhourangi boys are very disappointed indeed and they cannot understand why the; tribe has let them: down. Ngati Manawa and Tuhoe boys are the same. The. only explanation I can give them is that their tribal contributions-have been div.erted to the Battalion Fund. X am writing Dan as soon as 1 can get time to do so. There are so'many to write and thank that it looks as if I'll be writing for the next few weeks. Ko te rungao a matou &ai pakeha pihilceti (kua pangu mo te kai) kua tukua mo runga tima it kia tae ranei matou. He mea whawhao ki roto i nga ponaka iraro t, nga ingoa huhun noaiho ai.j He hopi he putu, ho ana r a he aha noaiho nga ngoa. Wi Button is promoted to Staff Sergeant antj reattached A'naru and transferred («n paper) to Base Pay Office and attached to us. Ruhi is back with, us now with his commission. Whetu is transferred temporarily to O.G. Headquarters Coy and is having a lot of fun at present with his raglime Coy as he calls them. B Coy is drawn on for any special jobs like that. Horton is acting Second in Command to me and is making a darn good job of it too. Very reliable indeed. Hope you have had a jolly Xmas and New Year. Give my love to all the children and the family at home. I am writing Tiiti regarding funds for the Hauraki boys but you can give them the tip to get going for they the boys do not share in any benefits from these funds we have received for the Coy.