Sir Robert Gillies: Rotorua tangi of 28 Māori Battalion veteran expected to bring many mourners

Sir Robert (Bom) Gillies in 2022 and in the 1950s.

He was a national taonga - the last man standing.

Now Rotorua, Te Arawa and the rest of the country are preparing to mourn Sir Robert Nairn Gillies, known as Tā Bom - a humble man who refused to accept he was a war hero.

The 99-year-old, who was the last surviving member of the 28 Māori Battalion, died on Thursday afternoon surrounded by family at his home.

The usually sharp and fit hard worker had suffered failing health in the past few months after a car accident.

On Friday, his immediate whanau mourned in private before his body is taken to two marae at Ōhinemutu in Rotorua on Saturday.

Mokopuna Dr Jeremy Tātere MacLeod said the whānau was deeply moved by the outpouring of love for his grandfather.

“He was a revered national treasure, and to our whānau, he was also a beloved father, koroua, and uncle ... His passing leaves a tremendous gap in our lives, and it saddens us that we must now let go of plans to celebrate his 100th birthday next February.”

MacLeod said he was a living link to the stories, sacrifices, and mana of his generation.

“His life connected us to the history of the 28 Māori Battalion and their valiant service to protect Aotearoa.”

He said Kiwis had a duty to ensure their legacy endured.

“The day they are no longer spoken about will be a great travesty.”

Sir Robert Gillies, who was the last surviving member of the 28 Māori Battalion. Photo / Andrew Warner

MacLeod told Te Ao Māori News his grandfather’s health had deteriorated after a car accident a few months ago.

He said if it were not for that, he believed his grandfather would have reached his 100th birthday on February 14.

Gillies’ nephew, Hemi Rolleston, told the Rotorua Daily Post his uncle had been to Italy twice during the past year - in September last year to re-trace his wartime steps and in May as part of a delegation for the 80th commemoration of the Battle of Monte Cassino.

He said during both of those trips, his uncle had an admirably sharp mind and body.

Thousands will gather in Rotorua in the coming days to honour the veteran.

At 1pm on Saturday his body will arrive at Paratehoata-Te Kōhea Marae (Tūnohopū). He will lie in state for an hour before being taken to Te Papaiouru Marae (Tamatekapua).

The newly-crowned Māori Queen, Ngā Wai hono i te pō, will lead the Tainui waka’s arrival at 4pm.

His funeral service will be on Tuesday.

Service to his country

Sir Robert Nairn Gillies served with the 28 (Māori) Battalion from 1943 to 1945.

He was a member of B Company, joining at the end of July 1943 and serving through the gruelling Italian campaign including the debilitating and costly Battle of Monte Cassino.

While fighting in the Italian campaign, he was wounded at Orsogna in December 1943. He continued serving until the end of the war.

As a teen, he tried twice to enlist with the army but eventually lied about his age because “everyone was doing it”. When he was 17, he got in.

Gillies told the Rotorua Daily Post in 2016 they marched into the hills, made camp, dug trenches and “suddenly we were fighting the Jerries ... it was scary, terrible”.

He said the deadly Battle of Monte Cassino “would never have happened if we’d gone around it, Churchill and his cronies didn’t have a proper plan for Italy, it was just to divide the German troops there”.

“Our engineers were building a bridge across the River Rapido, the Jerries could hear the hammering, we were one span short when they brought their tanks out, we were pummelled,” he said.

Chief of Army Major General Rose King said in a statement Gillies’ passing was a personal loss for his whānau, fellow veterans, the army and the wider community.

“He accepted, albeit reluctantly, the responsibilities bestowed on him as the last remaining member of 28 (Maori) Battalion and he was tireless in his efforts to ensure that those he served alongside – and the whānau of those he served with – continue to be acknowledged today.”

In 2009, Sir Robert was awarded Italy’s highest civilian honour, the Cavaliere or Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, which he accepted on behalf of all those who served in the battalion.

Sir Robert Gillies and Willie Apiata VC stand with the roll of honour and the 28 Māori Battalion banner. Photo / NZ Defence Force

He expressed this sentiment again in 2022 when he was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Māori and war commemoration – an award he had previously turned down.

Gillies said at the time: “There are many soldiers who did more and who have never been recognised. I accept on behalf of all the boys, all my mates who served in the Māori Battalion”.

He represented the men of the battalion over many years at local, national and international memorials, including at the 70th anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein in 2012, and ceremonies in Italy marking the 70th, 75th and 80th anniversaries of the Battle of Cassino in 2014, 2019 and 2024.

An active member of the Te Arawa Returned Services Association, in 2021 he led the celebration for the 75th anniversary of B Company’s return to Rotorua.

Gilllies told the Rotorua Daily Post in 2016 that Anzac Day was the saddest day of the year when he thought about his mates: “... the ones who didn’t come back, the ones who did but drank themselves to death because the war was still killing them”.

Politicians pay tribute

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Gillies would be remembered for his service to New Zealand and defending the ideals Kiwis valued most.

Luxon said New Zealand owed it to him and all servicemen and women to never forget those stories.

“It was a torrid campaign, in the cold and the mud, and Sir Bom was just a teenager. It’s hard to imagine what he and his fellow soldiers endured but endure it they did, for us and our future.”

A Labour Party statement said Gillies’ exemplary service on the battlefields of North Africa and Italy earned him the respect and admiration of his fellow soldiers and the nation.

Labour defence spokesman Peeni Henare said his passing marked the end of an era.

“New Zealand is a better place because of the service and advocacy from people like Tā Robert,” Henare said.

Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell said the nation would mourn his loss.

“We saw him as a hero, but for Bom it was always about others. The only reason he’d accept honours such as the knighthood was in recognition of all his mates who went to war too, some of which still lie on foreign soil.”

Tapsell said he would be sadly missed by his family and community, and remembered for his admirable humbleness and honesty.

Māori development minister Tama Potaka described Sir Robert as a “revered figure in our nation’s history”, a guardian of our history and a champion of Māori rights.

About Sir Robert ‘Bom’ Gillies

Gillies’ father, Ture Gillies, was of Ngāti Kahungunu descent, and his mother, Maata (nee Horomona), was of Te Arawa descent.

He arrived in Ōhinemutu in Rotorua aged of 6 after their Waimarama home was destroyed in the 1931 Napier earthquake.

He attended St Mary’s Primary, Rotorua Primary and Rotorua High School. He joined a haymaking gang before getting a job at Waipa Mill working night shift.

Sir Robert Gillies in 2019.

When he returned from war, he met wife-to-be Rae Ratima at one of the infamous “Tama dances” held at Ohinemutu’s Tamatekapua wharenui.

They returned to Hawke’s Bay for about 10 years where Sir Robert worked for farmers and in the freezing works before they returned to Rotorua in 1960 when he was employed as a hammer hand.

The coming days

• Saturday 1pm: Sir Bom arrives at Paratehoata-Te Kōhea Marae (Tūnohopū)
• Saturday 2pm: Sir Bom taken to Te Papaiouru Marae (Tamatekapua)
• Saturday 4pm: Māori Queen leads a Tainui delegation
• Sunday and Monday: The marae is open to the motu as other mourners pay tribute. Poroporoaki Monday evening.
• Tuesday 11am: Funeral service followed by burial at Kauae Cemetery.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.