Māori Pioneer Battalion Tunnellers

Kia Maumahara Māori Pioneers - Forgotten 43

In December 1916, forty three Māori Pioneer Battalion members were sent to assist the New Zealand Tunnelling Company at Arras.

In the lead up to the Battle of Arras in 1917, the Tunnellers developed caverns under the city of Arras and prepared 12 miles of tunnels which linked the caverns together. This allowed the troops to get close to enemy trenches before emerging to charge them. The caverns which dated back to the 17th Century, could shelter around 20,000 men, had running water, electric lights, kitchens, latrines, a light rail system and a hospital. Many of the tunnels were named after the New Zealand cities and towns, such as Christchurch, Blenheim, Wellington, Auckland - a handy interactive map can be found here.

The tunnels were closed after the Second World War, and unearthed again in the early 1990s by archaeologists in Arras, who researched the underground limestone quarries beneath the town. The Wellington cavern now houses an underground museum and memorial: La Carriere Wellington, Memorial de la Bataille d'Arras .

Sue Baker Wilson has researched hundreds of military personnel files and identified 38 of the 43 Māori Pioneer Battalion who served with the New Zealand Tunnelling Company. If you know of a member of your whānau from the Pioneer Battalion, who served with the Tunnelling Company please contact us. 

Results

Displaying 1 - 38 of 38 records

10 20 50 100 500

Family name A-Z Family name Z-A First name A-Z First name Z-A Force War Service # Relevance

Record ID	Photo	Family name	First names	Force	Wars	Service #		Preliminary
C76292		Edwards	Willie	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20640
C76314		Matehaere	Tu Hawaiki	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20611
C76305		Horomona	Rewi	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20642
C76306		Jackson	Charles	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	30138
C76320		Rogan	Richard	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20675
C76324		Tawhara	Manuera	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20674
C64067		Hawira	Rangi Louis	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	16/1302
C76294		Eru Toe	Fred	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20632
C76337		Wright	Barney	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20686
C76309		Kelly	Harry	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20638
C76287		Agassiz	Louis	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20649
C76289		Barrett	Henry	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20666
C76296		Haora	John	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20647
C76308		Keepa	Hami	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20682
C50522		Matui	Tauranga	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	16/667
C76327		Teki	Turei	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20629
C64075		Kake	Jack	Army	World War I, 1914-1918, World War II, 1939-1945	16/1293, 800056
C76290		Brown	William	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20648
C52696		Pawhau	Henare	Army	World War I, 1914-1918, World War II, 1939-1945	16/825, 801447
C76331		Walker	Robert	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20652
C76301		Heperi	Richard	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20623
C33980		Kopungaiti	Tau	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	16/1207
C76288		Apanui	Paroa	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20610
C76307		Karini	Toi	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20680
C76281		Kohi	William Takoro	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20644
C34440		Morehu	John	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	16/374
C64056		Anderson	Andrew	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	16/1252
C76317		Rameka	George	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20676
C56559		Taipari	Thomas	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	16/991
C76279		Hori	Kereopa	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20673
C76310		Kepa	Pera	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20646
C8157		Kemp	Kawenata	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20678
C13308		Ruha	John	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20630
C16856		Wiki	Frank	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20665
C15988		Tuki	Manu	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	20616
C33976		Angene	Angene	Army	World War I, 1914-1918, World War II, 1939-1945	16/1205
C72731		Hale	Nathaniel	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	16/1486
C64141		Itaaka	Solomon	Army	World War I, 1914-1918	16/1033

Further reading: 

Soutar, Monty. (2019). Whitiki! Whiti! Whiti! E! Māori in the First World War. David Bateman. 

Pugsley, C. (1995). Te Hokowhitu a tu: The Māori Pioneer Battalion in the First World War. Reed Books. 

1917: Arras, Messines and Passchendale - NZ History.  

What New Zealanders Left Behind in Arras, France - WW100

The Underground War  - Auckland War Memorial Museum

New Zealand Tunnelling Corps, Otago Daily Times, 27 July 1917, Papers Past, 

Journey to Arras - A five part Documentary - NZ on Screen

New Zealand Tunnellers 

La Carriere Wellington 

Arras Tunnel, Pukeahu National War Memorial Park - Ministry for Culture and Heritage