Sir Robert 'Bom' Gillies, the last surviving member of the 28th Māori Battalion, says if he knew what he knows now about going to war, he would never have enlisted – and if it were up to him, Māori would never be sent.
"Moumou noa iho te haere ki reira. Ana ngā urupā o rātou, [ka] kore rātou e hoki ki ō rātou whānau, moumou. (It wasn’t worth going. There are the graves of those who never returned to their families. Such a waste [of life])," he said.
The 99-year-old is part of a New Zealand delegation commemorating the 80th anniversary of the battles of Monte Cassino in Italy.
In 1944, Sir Bom fought as a member of the Māori Battalion’s B Company who were tasked with the assault on the town’s railway station in an effort to liberate Cassino. They successfully took the station but were forced to withdraw when German troops counter-attacked. Around 130 Māori soldiers were killed.
Eighty years later, joined by whānau and members of Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue, Sir Bom laid a wreath at the station’s memorial, taking a moment to pay his respects to his fallen comrades.
Today's visit marks his seventh pilgrimage to the site. One visit saw Sir Bom mark the 75th anniversary of the battles of Monte Cassino. When asked why he kept returning to Cassino, he said it was important to pay his respects and visit the graves.
"[Te] kite atu i ngā ingoa, kite aku hoa i waihotia i konei ([To] see their names, see my mates who remain here)," he said.
Sir Bom recalled moments of levity in amongst the brutality of battle, mostly to do with food; stealing chickens because they were fed up with the army fare, and putting down a hāngī using the wheel rims off tanks.
"Pai kē i te kohatu (Better than rocks)," he said of the wheel rims, "kaha te pupuri i te wera (they were good at holding heat)".
In 2019, he was appointed a Cavaliere (Knight) of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, accepting it on behalf of the entire battalion, and in 2022, he was knighted and received the New Zealand Order of Merit after previously declining.
Despite the accolades, when reflecting on his experience, the loss of life, and the treatment of Māori post-war, Sir Bom urged young Māori not to go to war.
"Kārekau he take o te pakanga. Pakanga, pakanga, pakanga. Kei te haere tonu. Karekau he rongo. Moumou tāngata. (There's no point to fighting. Fighting, battles, war. It still carries on. There's no peace. It’s a waste of human life)."
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