Peno Te Haate

Ingoa whānau
Te Haate
Ingoa tuatahi
Peno
Date of death
16-Dec-43
Place of death
Italy

World War 2

Tau Rangatū
68030
Tūnga
Private
Wāhi noho
Te Mawhai, New Zealand
Whanaunga tino tata i te wā o te kuhunga
Ms R. Te Haate, Te Mawhai, New Zealand

Takupu (8)

This letter was written by Peno Te Haate to his brother Te Waro (nickname Mo or Moses). Te Waro is my Koro.Dear Mo Just to let you know that I am now in Trentham. I think we will be here for a fortnight and I am broke like the rest of the boys and I want you to go along to Smith and get me two pound that has got to last me till we get to where ever we are going to that will be Egypt. I hope you will send it before Saturday we might go away Monday or Wednesday but never mind send it along if we are gone they will be send it back. Tomorrow we got to make our will so I think I will will it to the kids and I been thinking of changeing my alottment to you. I think it is the best way so if any thing happens to me there wont be any Maori talk about my kids for I want you to be their god thafther you know what I mean I want them to say there not going from home to home. Well Mo this letter was written in a hurry I will write again tomorrow night and tell you all about our trip up here and what Trentham is like. So Mo this is all till tomorrow night. Arohanui ki a koutou katoa. Hoiano na Peno

Kia Ora Koro. I never got a chance to meet you but I have heard much about you. Reading the letter you wrote to your brother was very poignant. Especially having read it on Fathers Day. My Dad is unable to read it but I know he would be very touched by this letter. Including Aunty Ruby and Aunty Margaret. Arohanui Koro

Kia Ora Whanau, Thank You for sharing this letter with us. My grandmother was Hine Fitzell. Throughout my Kuia's young life she looked on Koro Peno as her father, although he was her uncle. I remember a photo of him hanging in her lounge when I was a child and when she spoke of him, she spoke with alot of aroha. If she were alive, she would have cried of happiness and sadness reading his letter to his brother. He Mihi Aroha ki a te Whanau.

Hello koro I found a photo of you finally. Would have loved to have met you in person but hei aha. I am your proud grandson and son to Peno Heperea Te Haate and Puti Te Haate nee (Stirling). Our thanks, thoughts and aroha go out to you and your men whom fought valiantly, so that your tamariki, mokopuna, great mokopuna and great great mokopuna can enjoy the freedom we have today. Arohanui Koro. Peno Te Haate of Te Mawhai, maunga being kakepuku, awa being puniu. Lest we forget.

Nga mihi nui ki a koutou katoa whanau whanui, Last year I made a request to NZ Archives for Peno's service records. Whanau, I encourage you to do likewise if you haven't been aware of this opportunity. The information is comprehensive and your right to see. Go to www.nzdf.mil.nz/personnel-records. I received a file of approx 50 pages and found it really informative with a real personal insight of his service - a real taonga. One of the things that made me laugh was a Registration Form For Active Service. One of the questions required him to respond to his experience with horses to which he wrote Life time. Experience with Motor-vehicles Very little. Peno was wounded in action in Takrouna, Tunisia in April 1943 and was discharged from hospital in May 1943. In October of that year, he along with the 28th Maori Battalion took part in operations in the Sangro River-Orsogna area (Italy) where he was killed in action December the 16th of that year. I will try and upload a picture of him to this site once I get one from Mum (Helen Piggott aka Hineiwetekina Te Haate). Mauri ora, Dawn PS. There is a photo of Takrouna, Tunisia on this website.

I'm just reading a book on the Maori Battalion and thought I might as well jump on line. Great to hear from you.  We must be cousins?? (How do we fit?) I became interested in Uncle Peno's story as I began researching whakapapa. His wife Aunty Rangiamohia (I knew her as Aunty Amo), used to live with my Mum's youngest sister Eleanor Te Haate.  As a kid, I never knew quiet how she fitted in and didn't make the connection until I began learning about Peno.  Are you going to get the paper's from Archive?  Your right, some of the papers are faint but overall I was really, really impressed with the work they put into providing these records for whanau.I'm not sure of Eruera Hamon and whether or not we are related.