New Zealand (Māori) Pioneer Battalion
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The New Zealand Pioneer Battalion (NZPB), later known as the New Zealand (Māori) Pioneer Battalion or New Zealand Māori (Pioneer) Battalion, was a battalion of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) that served during the Great War. The battalion was formed in Egypt in March 1916 upon New Zealand Divisional Orders of 20 February, and drawn from surplus officers and other ranks of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles (NZMR), the Otago Mounted Rifles (OMR) and the New Zealand Native Contingent (NZNC) then serving in Egypt with the New Zealand Infantry Brigade. It consisted of Māori, Pākehā and Pacific Islanders.[2]: 70 [3] "By the end of the war, 2227 Maori and 458 Pacific Islanders had served in what became known as the Maori Pioneer Battalion. Of these, 336 died on active service and 734 were wounded. Other Maori enlisted (and died) in other units."[4]
New Zealand (Maori) Pioneer Battalion | |
---|---|
Active | 1915–1919 |
Disbanded | 1919 |
Country | New Zealand |
Branch | New Zealand Military Forces |
Type | Pioneers |
Size | ~900 personnel |
Part of | New Zealand Division |
Engagements | First World War |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | George Augustus King |