Bay of Plenty Times Weekend Inside Story Saturday,March 16, 2013 Abravebut Humblehero

14 Bay of Plenty Times Weekend Inside Story Saturday,March 16, 2013 Abravebut humblehero EPUHI Patara’s eyeshave seen horrors mostofuscan only imagine. Those sameeyes regard me now as he castshis mind James Tback70years to Italyand the ferociousfront-linefighting between the Fuller Allies and Hitler’s forces at the tail-end of He survivedthe World WarII. Brave but humble men are the most referred to as ‘‘TwoEight’’ by its horrorsofWorld admirable of all and Mr Patara is one. members,was madeupoffive battalions, Until now,hehad never spoken publicly four of which wereformed alongtribal WarIIbut Te about his wartime exploits and Iwould lines. Mr Patara was partofBCompany, not be sitting herewith him but for his featuringMaori from Rotorua, the Bay of Puhi Patara has daughter, Hinemihi. Plenty and Thames-Coromandel. ‘‘I thinkhemisseshis mates alot and He saysthe biggest battle his section nevertalked doesn’t really talk about the war much, was involved in was at Faenza in except to thosewho werethere,’’ she had November/December 1944. aboutitpublicly told me. ‘‘Ourreinforcementdid mostofour Nearly 3600 men served overseaswith fighting there. We always attackedat —until now. In the 28th Maori Battalionbetween 1940 night, the New Zealanders and the and 1945.Just 23 are still alive. British. Theyalways had search lights at this interview, The poignancy of this statistic is the backofus, shining it up in the air, like heightened by the fact it was 24 until last moonlight, so you could see where you thememberof Sunday,when Mr Patara’s friend and weregoing.Then they would shoot shells comrade, Aubrey Balzer, passed away. with red and greentracers and you the28thMaori Mr Balzer was originally from the followed them as you moved along, so Maketu area and still maintained ahome you wouldn’tend up in the wrong place. Battalionshares there. Athird Maori Battalionman and Theyfired them every few minutes to another of the remaining survivors, guideyou.’’ hisstory with Arthur Midwood, also grew up around The Germanswere defeated at Maketu. Faenza but heavy snowmade more JamesFuller Mr Patara has the dignified air of an progressimpossible. The weather closed ex-soldier. The hair,combed neatly, is in and it soonbecameclear the Maori white but impressivelyfull for aman Battalionwould havetospendthe winter closing in on the startofhis 10th decade. camped nearthe Senio river. His snowy-white moustache is trimmed ‘‘We couldn’tgoforward or anything perfectly. becauseofthe snow, we had to waituntil Raised on aPukehina dairyfarm,he the snows thawed,’’hesays.‘‘We were was one of 11 siblings borninanage camping just this side of the Senio river, whenmilkingwas donebyhand and the about acouple of milesback from the family homewas too remote to have floodbank,which is where the Germans power. ‘‘We didn’t havemuch money but were. Theyhad trenchesonthe other therewas plenty of kai around, fish,eels, side,they had dug themselves in. They things like that.Wedidn’tgohungry,’’ could see anyone from thereand there saysthe 89-year-old. was constantsniperfire and shelling.’’ He tells me one of his brothers, Mr Patara and someofhis comrades Kehukehu, nine years his senior and part wereholed up in astone house. of the Maori Battalion’s fourth ‘‘Oneofour chaps was up the top of reinforcement, was the inspiration for this house, in asort of watchingarea. I his decisiontoenlist. thinkhewas just having abit of fun, you ‘‘He wenttoGreece, Crete, and fought know, seeing whathecould see, looking in the desert (North Africa).’’ around. But he forgot they could see him, By early1944, the tide of the war had eh? The nextthing we knew, they started shelling.’’ One shell struck the top of the house. ‘‘This jokergot hit in the backside with shrapnel, rightacrosshis bum,’’ saysMrPatara, laughing hard. ‘‘Andhe shotdown the stairs, looking terrified, thinking oh crikey he was goingtodie. But it was only aflesh wound. ‘‘It gavehim afright, though, and he never wentback up thereagain.’’ In the spring of 1945,asthe snow melted, the offensiverenewed and the Americans and British bombarded the German positionsonthe banks of the Senio. The bombardment was so effectivethat afterwaitingthreehourstO go overthe top, they foundthe enemy so ‘‘bomb happy’’ (shell-shocked) that they BRAVERY:Members of the 28th simply gaveup. Maori Battalion wererenownedfor However, the melting snowhad theircourage. Te PuhiPatarasays broughtsome unexpected problems he is proudtohave served. regardingprisoners. PHOTO/STEPHENPARKER 120313SP7 ‘‘It was all mud.The tankswere getting stuckand we had to fightour way across it. We wereall muddy and RELAXING:TePuhiPatara swung afterAllied victoriesinNorth whiskered and grubby looking and a So, did Mr Patara kill any Germans? mates, they got theirwomentofollow the pub in Wellington. When we went (left)enjoysabreak in the Africa and with the Italian capitulation Maori looksterrible (fearsome) when ‘‘I’m not sure.You’rejust firingasyou them whereverwewent. You know, they over(to war)the Maori weren’t allowed fighting with Maori Battalion on September 8, 1943.But the Germans he’s like that. go forward alot of the time.It’s hardtO werethat muchinlove,Isuppose,’’ he to buy beer. colleagues in Italy. werestill stubbornly defendingterritory ‘‘We had capturedsome prisoners. tell.’’ says, raising his eyesand giggling ‘‘So whenall the formal greetingshad PHOTO/SUPPLIED 110313MB2 in Italyand the prospect of alengthy When they broughttheseGermans What he is clearer about are the infectiously.‘‘As we wereadvancing, finished,that’swhereweheaded. We campaignloomed. The Maori Battalion around, our companycommander sang heightened feelings of beingengaged in they weretheretoo, the girlfriends.’’ werejust coming out of the pub had arrived on Italian soil in October1943 out to my mate, Harry Walker,totake conflict:‘‘You feel uptight, you’re on the Other diversions includedadding afterwards, whenwesaw acop. Well, I and the call had goneout for them backtothe holding pen. lookout for snipers in the tall buildings variety to theirdiet. had acouple of bottles in my jacket, so reinforcements. ‘‘Well, if you looked at him then he like the church spires. All you hearisa ‘‘A lot of (Italian)people had fowl, and whenwesaw him Igot afright, Ithought ‘‘I heard all my mates’ friends were would’vescaredyou,’’hesays,smiling. whoosh of abullet. we usedtogOOut and huntthem.Itmade he was goingtoput us in jail. All he said joining up so Iwent with them and joined ‘‘These young Germanswere saying ‘no, ‘‘We had to fightall the way to achange from bullybeef, that’s all we was,‘Haveagood time boys’.’’ up in Tauranga. About adozenofus no, no’. Theydidn’twant to go with him, Trieste. The Germansdidn’tjust retreat, had was bullybeef. So we usedtogOand In common with manyreturning wenttogether,all from around the Te they wereafraid. Theywere shaking.’’ you had to comealong and kick them out, pinchfowl,pigs, anything. servicemen, Mr Patara said he foundit Pukeand Tauranga area.’’ Crossingthe Senio River, the Allies clearout the homes. When you were ‘‘Onetime there, our jeep,which hardtOadjust. What he missed most Having passed his medicals, the werenow heading for Trieste but having approaching houses, you didn’t know(if brought the food,couldn’t get through. werethosebondsformed in battle. 20-year-old did not havetowait long to fightfor every inch of ground. ‘‘It was Germanswere there) until you were So the Maori boyswere looking for kai ‘‘We got backand we wereall before beingwhisked up to Auckland’s all openland,therewere hardly any firedon. You werethinking about it all and cooking it up. Well our Pakeha separated. You had spent all that time Papakura military campfor abrief spell treesexceptfor afew olivetrees and the time.’’ friends (in the otherNew Zealand together.Inthe army, you’re always before finishing threemonths’ basic vineyards. And the olivetrees wereall Eventhen,the Maori spirit and love of divisions) werelooking for theirkai too together,you do things together.Ireally training at Wellington’sTrentham blowntobits. The boysused to run in fun could not be quelled. and so the boysstarted feeding them,you missed that. Camp. By early1944, Private Patara, behind theseasifalittle thinglike that ‘‘Maori boys, whenthey’re fighting, know.’’ ‘‘When we got back, therewere only serial number 811621, was on the would protect you,’’ he says, beginning to they’re still doingsilly things to make He saysastrongcamaraderie existed one or two of us around the samearea. I HighlandPrincess, heading for war. giggle like aman who can’t waitfor the each otherlaugh. You know, you might between all New Zealanders, not just the missed my mates.’’ Having landed in Egypt, moretraining punchline of ajoke. be downinthe dumps but they would do Maori. Thatwas to the fore as the Allies The Maori Battalionwas disbanded on followed at the Kiwicamp in Maadi, ‘‘I shotuptOOne of them once. Got to something silly at the time to makeyou swept to victory.The finalmonth of the its return. Mr Patara, then 21, says he spent south of Cairo, before the troops boarded it, looked behind and all my mates were laugh.’’ war turned into apursuit as the Germans about threemore months in the army aship for Taranto,Italy.From there, they behind me. The whole section was Evenunderfire? wereforcedtoface the inevitable. Their before returningtohis family’s Pukehina weremovedtoBari, before a360-mile behind me and this littletree,’’ he rocks ‘‘Yes,’’ saysMrPatara, abroad grin surrender was announced on May 2, 1945. farm.Much of his working life was spentin

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