Bom Gillies

Sir Robert Nairn "Bom" Gillies (14 February 1925 – 7 November 2024) was a New Zealand soldier who served with B Company, 28th (Māori) Battalion, during World War II. He was the last surviving member of the Māori Battalion, and was knighted on 31 December 2021.

Biography Born in Hastings in the Hawke's Bay on 14 February 1925, Gillies was Māori, of Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue and Ngāti Kahungunu. His father, Ture Gillies (Ngāti Kahungunu), and mother, Maata Horomona (Te Arawa), moved to Ōhinemutu pā when Robert was six years old when their home in Waimārama was affected by the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake. Gillies was a trustee of the 28th Māori Battalion B Company History Trust from 2013, and was active in the Te Arawa Returned Services Association.

Honours

Gillies was awarded an Italy Star, Africa Star, New Zealand War Service Medal and a War Medal 1939-1945. In the 2022 New Year Honours, Gillies was appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to Māori and war commemoration. He had previously declined the honour, but accepted it on behalf of all those who had served, saying: ''There are many soldiers who did more and who have never been recognised. I accept on behalf of all the boys, all my mates who served in the Māori Battalion. - Bom Gilles

Gillies died in Rotorua on 7 November 2024, at the age of 99. His tangihanga was held at Te Papaiouru Marae in Ōhinemutu. His body was then taken via Tūnohopū Marae to Kauae Cemetery in Ngongotahā, where he was buried alongside his wife.