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<p><em>Maori Battalion March to Victory</em>, composed by B Company's <a href="/node/130">Anania (Nan) Amohau</a> and set to the music of an American marching song, became the Battalion's rallying cry. Here, the Band of the 5th Infantry Brigade, 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, conducted by Lieutenant C.C.E. Miller, plays the march followed by a recital-style vocal by an unnamed soloist, together with the verse. The song is then sung by the Battalion.</p><h2>Lyrics </h2><p><em>Maori Battalion Marching Song: Ake! Ake! Kia Kaha e! (Fight on fight on for ever and ever)</em></p><p><strong>1 st verse</strong></p><p>In the days that now have gone<br />When the Maoris went to war<br />They fought and fought till the last man died<br />For the honour of the tribe<br />And so we carry on<br />The traditions they have laid<br />And as we go on day by day<br />You will always hear us say</p><p><strong>Chorus</strong></p><p>Maori Battalion march to victory<br />Maori Battalion staunch and true<br />Maori Battalion march to glory<br />Take the honour of your people with you<br />You will march, march, march to the enemy<br />And will fight right to the end<br />For God, for King and Country au e<br />Ake ake Kia kaha e</p><p><strong>2nd verse</strong></p><p>A loyal band of Maori<br />Sailing for New Zealand<br />To win us freedom and peace<br />Marching shoulder to shoulder onward<br />And we will shout again<br />Ake ake kia kaha e<br />Haere tonu Haere tonu ra<br />Kia ora kia ora</p><strong>Chorus</strong><p>Live and love another day<br />For tomorrow you may be gone<br />Live and love another day<br />It's the best way to carry on<br />Join the ranks of happiness<br />You're as welcome as the flowers in May<br />Old soldiers never die<br />They only fade away</p><p>Maori Battalion march to victory<br />Maori Battalion staunch and true<br />Maori Battalion march to glory<br />Take the honour of your people with you<br />You will march, march, march to the enemy<br />And will fight right to the end<br />For God, for King and Country au e<br />Ake ake Kia kaha e</p>

<p>Track one [disc two] from <em>Ake, Ake Kia Kaha E! Songs of the 28 (Māori) Battalion</em></p>
<p><strong>Sound file</strong> from <a href="https://www.ngataonga.org.nz">Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision</a>. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.</p>

<p><em>Rukuhia rā e hoa mā te Moana</em> is a song of tribute to 2nd Lieutenant <a href="/node/1988">Te Moananui-a-Kiwa Ngārimu</a>, who was bestowed with the highest award for gallantry, the Victoria Cross, for his actions at Tebaga Gap, Tunisia, in March 1943. [Moananui-a-Kiwa is also spelt 'Te Moana-Nui-ā-Kiwa'. Both forms are correct.]</p>

<p>Track twenty one from <em>Ake, Ake Kia Kaha E! Songs of the 28 (Māori) Battalion</em></p><p><strong>Sound file</strong> from <a href="https://www.ngataonga.org.nz">Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision</a>. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.</p><p>Image: <a href="/node/3937">2nd Lieutenant Ngārimu</a> </p>

<p>It was common for Māori lyrics to be combined with easy rhythm melodic Western tunes. <em>Whakarongo ake rā</em> (Here we greet you) is based on the melody of Percy Wenrich's <em>Moonlight Bay</em>.</p>

<p>Track twenty from <em>Ake, Ake Kia Kaha E! Songs of the 28 (Māori) Battalion</em></p><p><strong>Sound file</strong> from <a href="https://www.ngataonga.org.nz">Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision</a>. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.</p>

<p>Song: <em>Ka rongo te pakanga nei</em> (Listen to the battle).</p>

<p>Track eighteen from <em>Ake, Ake Kia Kaha E! Songs of the 28 (Māori) Battalion</em></p>
<p><strong>Sound file</strong> from <a href="https://www.ngataonga.org.nz">Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision</a>. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.</p>

<p>Brigadier <a href="/node/518">George Dittmer</a>, the 28th Māori Battalion's first Commanding Officer, reminisces during a Battalion reunion.</p><h2>Transcript</h2><p>Each one of those boys I looked upon as my boy irrespective of the Company or the sub-unit that he happened to be in.  I think that was appreciated through out the Battalion and indirectly increased my prestige if I had any with the Battalion as a whole.</p>  <p>&#160;</p>

<p>Track seventeen from <em>Ake, Ake Kia Kaha E! Songs of the 28 (Māori) Battalion</em></p>
<p><strong>Sound file</strong> from <a href="https://www.ngataonga.org.nz">Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision</a>. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.</p>

<p>The Battalion sings a favourite Māori hymn for all occasions, <em>Tama ngakau marie</em> (Son of a peaceful heart). Slight damage in the original recording can be heard in the final verse. There is also wind noise.</p>

<p>Track sixteen from <em>Ake, Ake Kia Kaha E! Songs of the 28 (Māori) Battalion</em></p>
<p><strong>Sound file</strong> from <a href="https://www.ngataonga.org.nz">Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision</a>. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.</p>

<p>Brigadier Frederick Hanson of the New Zealand Engineers, recorded during a Māori Battalion reunion, recounts humorous stories about landmines in North Africa and foraging for livestock in Italy.</p><h2>Transcript  </h2><p>Well I remember putting out some... we were expecting Rommel down and we were to go out and put mine fields out in the front to stop his tanks coming in on the division.  And, we had no mines though, but what we did have was a little bit of barbed wire, we ran this up, and we had the sappers going for their lives digging little holes and covering them up as though they were mines freshly laid.  And of course tanks are very afraid of mines as you know.  Well we were going on and we came in front of Māori Battalion we were still carrying on putting up the wire, just digging these little holes and one of these boys comes up and he says: </p><p>&quot;No mines?&quot;<br />&quot;No, no mines.&quot;<br />&quot;What a bloody Māori trick.&quot; (laughter from the audience). </p><p>We went onto Italy, and there the Sappers and the Māoris became much more closely associated again because of the number of pigs and geese and turkeys that were to be had.  If ever I met a Māori boy and he had a pig, I'd say: <br />&quot;Here where'd you get that?&quot; <br />&quot;Oh killed in the barrage&quot;.<br /><br />If ever I met a Sapper and he also had a pig I'd say:<br />&quot;Now where the hell did you get that?&quot;<br />&quot;Oh killed in the mine field Sir&quot;... well there you are.</p><p>I must tell you some of you perhaps were not at Rimini.  The Sappers felt very sore over this and felt that one had been put across them.  On one occasion the Māoris were occupying a house in an outpost position and as some of you will know the Italians have their pigs and their poultry all in the same dwelling.  On one side of the house was a great high brick wall the side facing the enemy with just a few iron bars there and the pigs were on that side of the house.  And as you also know the Italians, although in the front line, gathered together and sat in these houses until the battle moved on.  Well this Māori platoon was occupying this house and were patrolling outside.  They found this pig and thought it was in very desirable condition. But they could see no way of getting it from the place without the Italians knowing because the pig had to come out through where all the Italians were sitting and weeping and so on.  However, they carried on with their work.  Then one night about 10 o'clock  there was a burst of a couple of grenades outside this brick wall and then there were some shots with a tommy gun and there was a great racket going on through the room and out through this brick wall.  And then there was a call from inside, from beyond where the Italians were, the brick wall, for the stretcher bearers.  Well the stretcher bearers after awhile someone called out got them and in they came.  The poor Italians were terribly upset at this, the battle had died down a bit, but there was a bit of groaning inside. And then the stretcher began to emerge and all the Italians stood up and the women were weeping and they all bowed their heads as the stretcher with the blanket neatly covering the body of the pig passed by... (laughter from the audience)</p>  <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Track fifteen from <em>Ake, Ake Kia Kaha E! Songs of the 28 (Māori) Battalion</em></p>
<p><strong>Sound file</strong> from <a href="https://www.ngataonga.org.nz">Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision</a>. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.</p>

<p>Māori Battalion troops sing <em>Haere rā tōku aroha </em>(farewell my one true love)</p>

<p>Track thirteen from <em>Ake, Ake Kia Kaha E! Songs of the 28 (Māori) Battalion</em></p>
<p><strong>Sound file</strong> from <a href="https://www.ngataonga.org.nz">Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision</a>. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.</p>

<p>Captain <a href="/node/230">Fred Baker</a> and 2nd Lieutenant <a href="/node/2869">Ricky (Riki) Smith</a> speak on behalf of D Company, followed by Turi Waaka, Peti Nohinohi, Hori Pōmana, Hoani Hāpeta and Smith singing the chorus of <em>Wonderful mother of mine</em>.</p>

<p>Track twelve from <em>Ake, Ake Kia Kaha E! Songs of the 28 (Māori) Battalion</em></p>
<p><strong>Sound file</strong> from <a href="https://www.ngataonga.org.nz">Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision</a>. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.</p>

<p>2nd Lieutenant <a href="/node/270">Albert Bennett</a> (Te Arawa) introduces the Battalion singing a song of derision, <em>Hītara waha huka, ūpoko māro</em> (Hitler, foaming mouthed and hard-headed). The Māori words by Tuini Ngawai are set to the popular shearing song <em>Click go the shears</em>. The final line of the words proclaim 'kari ana te kauae, o te parari nei a Hītara e' ('let's punch the jaw of this bloody bugger Hitler!'). It was first publicly performed by massed Ngāti Porou school children at the Ngārimu VC hui in Ruatōria in 1943. </p>

<p>Track eleven from <em>Ake, Ake Kia Kaha E! Songs of the 28 (Māori) Battalion</em></p>
<p><strong>Sound file</strong> from <a href="https://www.ngataonga.org.nz">Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision</a>. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.</p>

<p>Major <a href="/node/2573">Wi Pewhairangi Reedy</a> sends greetings to Ngāti Porou together with a special message to Sir Āpirana Ngata hoping that the coming Christmas (1943) will be the last one the Battalion spends overseas before returning home. The tribal song <em>Ngati Porou e</em> follows. C Company men then perform a tribal haka led by Major Reedy.</p>

<p>Track ten from <em>Ake, Ake Kia Kaha E! Songs of the 28 (Māori) Battalion</em></p>
<p><strong>Sound file</strong> from <a href="https://www.ngataonga.org.nz">Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision</a>. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.</p>

<p>Members of B Company sing <em>Te rēo pōwhiri</em> (The voice of greetings) to the tune of <em>You are my sunshine</em>, composed by Jimmie Davis, and <em>Te Arawa e</em>, a song about tribal identity.</p>

<p>Track nine from <em>Ake, Ake Kia Kaha E! Songs of the 28 (Māori) Battalion</em></p>
<p><strong>Sound file</strong> from <a href="https://www.ngataonga.org.nz">Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision</a>. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright.</p>