Haera ra, Tā Bom. A fitting farewell to the final soldier of 28 (Maori) Battalion.

E te papa, you have returned to your ancestors. You will not be forgotten in the hearts of Ngāti Tūmatauenga, nor lost in the legacy of Aotearoa’s military history. Rest in peace.

Ngāti Tūmatauenga the New Zealand Army and Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) have paid their final respects to Sir Robert Nairn ‘Bom’ Gillies KNZM at his tangihana in Rotorua.

Sir Robert was the last surviving member of the 28 (Maori) Battalion which fought in gruelling campaigns across North Africa and Italy during the Second World War.

Major General Rose King said the opportunity to attend Tuesday’s service and nehu (burial), to pay their respects to a man with such mana was incredibly special and poignant.

“As the last surviving member of the 28 (Maori) Battalion, Tā Bom was a precious link to a chapter of history marked by sacrifice and dedication. As we say goodbye, we remember not only a warrior but a kaitiaki - a protector of memory and tradition, whose life exemplified courage, loyalty, and aroha,” said Major General King.

The NZDF has provided support to Tā Bom’s whānau both in the lead-up to his passing, and on the ground at Rotorua’s Te Papaiouru Marae since Saturday. 

Twenty personnel from the Army’s 2nd Combat Service Support Battalion (2CSSB) have helped prepare more than 1,500 meals in partnership with staff at the marae, feeding the significant number of guests who’d travelled from around the country to pay their respects.

On Tuesday, the NZDF also provided support to Tā Bom’s official tangi service.

Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Tony Davies, supported by Chief of Army Major General King and Warrant Officer of the Defence Force, Warrant Officer Class One Wiremu Moffit, presented whānau with the manahi sword for the occasion.

The Te Arawa Sword of Gallantry - which was presented to Lance Sergeant Haane Manahi for his acts of outstanding bravery and courage in the North Africa Campaign in the Second World War - is a symbol of the enduring partnership between the Defence Force and Te Arawa Iwi.

It is also the sword used by Her Excellency Dame Cindy Kiro GNZM QSO, Governor-General, to knight Tā Bom in 2022, to which he 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.”

At the conclusion of Tuesday’s service at Te Papaiouru Marae, Tā Bom was placed onto a gun carriage, and received a traditional firing party volley.

The three-shot volley symbolised to Tā Bom’s 28 (Maori) Battalion comrades that the last of their Battalion was on his way.

“It has been a privilege to be able to play our part in not only honouring Tā Bom, but in providing support in whatever way we could to his whānau. For so many years they have graciously shared him with us, Ngāti Tūmatauenga, his Army whānau,” Major General King said.

“Our thoughts remain with them as they now come to terms with the loss of their koro, father, brother, uncle and treasured friend.”