Arthur Brooking discusses the Battle for Greece

One of a series of interviews conducted as part of an oral and photographic history of C Company of the 28th Maori Battalion.  The project commenced in 1994 and the Nga Taonga a Nga Tama Toa Trust (Box 399, Gisborne) hold the recordings on behalf of the descendants of C Company. 

In the full interview Arthur Brooking recounts his experiences with the Maori Battalion, from training in New Zealand in 1940 to fighting in Greece and Crete in 1941 where he was captured. He also talks about his time in Germany in a Prisoner of War camp which only ended in 1945.  

The interviewer is Taina McGregor (nee Tangaere) supported by Monty Soutar (project leader) at Hinerupe Marae, Te Araroa in January 1996.

Transcript

I kiia mai ki a mātau, "We got to board the ship to go somewhere, destiny unknown."  Yeah, yea, kāre mātau i mohio e haere mātau ki whea but it finished up ki Athens.  A, ka haere i reira, a, right up ki te wahanga hei haeretanga Mt Olympus. Na ra, te timatanga o Olympus, ka noho mātau i reira, rite tonu waenga [?] mo te toru ra, preparing to go up about 20 miles away i reira timata te Olympus Pass.  Koira, ka tangohia a [?] mātau whakaahua i reira. Tirohia te whakaahua o te rōpu Battalion Headquaters Kāre tonu au e mohio kāre oku whakaahua o taua ope [?] māku e haere.

Taua kainga Olympus Pass he pīki mangu.  Tētahi wahanga e haere i te left hand side, he haere ka mutu te rori, nē.  I reira au, me haere mātau.  Kua nohonoho haerengia mātau nga kamupene, nē.  Tae atu hoki ētahi nga kamupene o te 21st, 22nd, 23rd, yeah, te timatanga atu o taua maunga ka piki haere ka noho ko mātau te moka rawa atu 28th.  Kāti, katahi kē he huarahi, kāre he huarahi mo te pēnei nei, ka hoki kua tae kē mai te Tiamana i timata mai ki nga mea, te timatanga mai o te rori.

Kua timata te whawhai i reira, whawhai haramai mai, a...a, ka haramai, ana ka tae mai ki a mātau, oh well he pohiri tonu tēra tāima [?].

He patai: He uaua?

Ae, he uaua, he kohu taua taima i tae, te wāhi i tae mai i a mātau.  Ka mutu, ka whakāreri mātau tonu.  Piki iho te iwi i reira, piki tua kei reira e mahi ana nga waea, barb wire. D Company te mea i, the last one i reira.  Te māpu o D Company.  Ko rātau nga mea tukino nei, i taua pakanga, tuatahi, ko rātau o te Fourth [Reinforcements].

He patai: Nga Tiamana wēna?

Ko nga Tiamana i piki iho i reira.  Yeah.  Whaiwhaitia [?], i timata mua te whawhai ki raro. Piki haere mai, piki haere mai.  He rawe, he maunga kaita, he ngahere.  Ko te mea i kiia mai ki a mātau, "Katahi mo te, you know, fight to the finish."  Koira te korero.  E tama man.  Oh well, ka roa atu tera, ka tukuna mai he runner te ki mai, "me hoki, withdraw."

Kāti, kua matemate katoa ētahi o nga mea o nga trenches i a, na ra, te D Company. Kua matemate kei reira i taua taima.  He kohu hoki i taua taima.  I te hikitanga o taua kohu i reira, kua kite mai te iwi nei.  Ae.  Kāti, kāre he huarahi hoki atu, te wahi i haere mai mātau kāre he huarahi ke atu.  Kāti, te kitanga mai i a mātau, "Me evacuate."  Koinei te taima ka piki mātau taua Olympus i te po.  Ara te transport, he penei taua maunga timata mai. Olympus kei konei, ko tētahi o nga main road kei kona, ko mātau kei konei. kāre ke he huarahi ke atu.  And kāre e taea e mātau te hoki i reira, kua tae ke mai nga Tiamana kei reira.

So, ka haere mātau ki te whakawhiti moana.  Ko taku hoa, mohio atu te taima i ki mai te apiha ki a mātau, ta mātau tākuta.  I ki mai ia, "We will have to go.  But I want you and Moana to take all nga mea, medical boxes, tae noa."  Well, i haere tenei i te pō.  Te waha haere i te pō, te taha [ki a] Moana Ngarimu me ahau, ko māua nga detail mo te waha kia [?] tae atu ki tēnei taha o te Olympus nga huarahi kei reira he transport e tatari. 

Oh well, i muri iho i tēnā, oh well, kei reira nga Australians take up he line kei reira, haere mātau ki tua atu i a rātau, a, ki tua atu pea i ētahi, take up mai position.  Ko tētahi o mātau wāhi i take up position there, the rearguard, near Corinth.  I reira ka mea mai a Te Moana ki a au, "E hoa, me haere tāua te kaukau."  Kāti, badly needed, a, kāti, i moe haere noa iho nga kākahu, koira tonu [to] paraikete.  Ka moe koe, ka rapa haere te wāhi ka ahua peneti [?].  Kia marangai tonu ake, ka haere te wai [?]. Kāre he paraikete, kāre he aha.  Mutu tonu to kōti ake.  Pera ano, a tae noa atu ki Greece [i.e. Crete].

He patai: He aha ou whakaaro i aua wā?  Mataku?  He aha rānei?

Kāre ano te mataku i tae mai [ki] te tangata te kaha, to tarai i te karo rā i nga matā a te Tiamana. Ahakoa kua papa iho [?], kāre ano kia whai taima rawa i te mataku. 

He patai: Ki te whakaaro? 

Arā ke nga mea kino ko nga bombs i haramai [ki] te bomb i a mātau.  Kāre i ngaro i a au he mea, pehea te tawhiti.  Rongo atu kua whio mai nga mea rā, a, ka ki mai ki a mātau, "Kia taka."

Translation

We were told, "We got to board the ship to go somewhere, destiny unknown."  Yeah, yea, we did not know where we were going but it finished up it was Athens.  So we went there and right up to the area we were to go -Mt Olympus, that is, we were based at the entrance to Olympus.  I think we were there [i.e. Katerini] three days, preparing to go up about 20 miles away where Olympus Pass begins.  That's where we took our photo [at Katerini].  See Battalion Headquarters photo  I don't know where I was when the photo was taken [?].

That place Olympus Pass was big and black.  On one part on the left hand side there was a no exit road.  That's where I was, we went there. Each company was positioned alongside each other, eh. Then further along there were other companies of the 21st, 22nd and 23rd [Battalions], yeah, from the beginning of that mountain it climbs upwards and we were right at the end, the 28th.  Well, there was no road, there was no road by which we could withdraw for the Germans were already approaching where the pass road commences.

The fighting started there and gradually spread until it reached us, oh well the boys were there to welcome it.

Question: Was it difficult?

Yes, it was difficult. There was fog at the time, the time that we arrived.  When it cleared we got ready.  The enemy climbed up [towards us].  They were trying to get over our wire, barb wire. D Company was the last one there.  The group from D Company.  They're the ones who suffered casualties during that battle, they were the first, [most of the casualties] were the Fourth [Reinforcements].

Question: Were the enemy Germans?

[Yes] Germans who had climbed up [to D Company's positions].  Yeah.  They fought each other [?].  The fighting began [?] lower down [the mountain] and it gradually proceeded upwards.  It was a great place, a large forested mountain. The thing we were told was "We had to, you know, fight to the finish."  That's what the talk was.  Man!  Oh well, some time after that a runner was sent to tell us to "withdraw."

Well some of those in the trenches were killed outright, that is, the D Company trenches. They died there at the time.  It was foggy.  When the fog lifted we could see the enemy.  Yes.  Now, there was no road by which we could withdraw other than the road by which we had arrived.  Well, when we were told we were evacuating that's when we climbed up over Olympus in the dark.  There's the transport, the mountain starts off like this. Olympus is here, the main road is there, and we are here. There was no other road available.  And we couldn't use the main road because the Germans had reached it.

So we withdrew to embark via the sea.  I remember the time my mate and I were told by the officer - the doctor.  He said to us "We will have to go.  But I want you and Moana to take all the things, medical boxes, and everything."  Well, we left in the dark.  We were carrying in the dark.  Moana Ngarimu and I were detailed to carry everything to the other side of Olympus where there were roads and where transport was waiting.  

Oh well, after that, there were Australians who picked up the line there, and we went beyond them and other units I think, and we took up new positions.  One place where we took up a position there was the rearguard, near Corinth.  There Moana said to me, "Mate, lets go and have a wash."  Well, badly needed as we slept in our clothes, they were your blanket. When you slept you sought/dug out a place with your bayonet.  When it rained the water ran [in].  You had no blanket, nothing at all.  At the end of the day, your coat was all you had.  It was like that all the way to Crete. 

Question: What were you thinking at the time?  Were you frightened or not? 

Fear had no time to take hold as you were busy avoiding the German shells.   When they exploded [?] you had no time to be afraid. 

Question: Or to think about it?

The bombs to watch out for were the bombs intended for us.  I won't forget how to judge how far away they were [?].  When you heard those things whistling we would be told, "Get down."

 

The portions of the transcript with [?] after the text were difficult to transcribe or translate.  If any user is able to determine what is being said, please contact us at [email protected]

 

Reference:

 

Nga Taonga a Nga Tama Toa Trust.  
This excerpt has been reproduced with the permission of both Arthur Brooking and his family.

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