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The last surviving member of the Māori Battalion has died.
Sir Robert Gillies, known universally as Bom (Koro Bombom to his mokopuna) passed away on Thursday, November 7, in Rotorua. He was 99.
In recent years, Sir Bom strongly advocated an anti-war stance, describing in various interviews the futility of war.
“Wars are created for power and money … war is only about killing people,” he told Julian Wilcox in an interview for The Hui last year.
“It shouldn’t be like that.”
He described the memories of his mates from the 28th (Māori) Battalion lingering, every day.
“You think about those fullas. The ones who died, almost for nothing. All the wars fought never solved anything. Nothing’s changed.
“I think back, what did they waste their lives for? If I had my time over again, what I know now, I would have stayed home. I would have been a conscientious objector. For peace.”
He wrote the same thing in an affidavit to the Waitangi Tribunal.
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