Libyan campaign, Part 1 - Colonel HG Dyer

Colonel HG Dyer was the commanding officer of the Māori Battalion after Colonel Dittmer was wounded at Sollum in November 1941.  In this recording Colonel Dyer congratulates the Māori Battalion for their efforts in the Libyan campaign.  He speaks about the reputation of the Māori Battalion, friendships forged with other units that they have fought with and remembers those soldiers lost in the campaign.

This recording is part one of a fuller broadcast made by the Māori Battalion about the Libyan campaign in 1941.

Transcript

Your leaders will tell you of the brave things that your men did in Libya.  You will proud, the Māori name has become terrible to the enemy.  In the campaign we were of course helped by other New Zealand and English units and we have made some lasting friendships.  We remember the Taranaki men who at Gazala went in to help the Ngapuhis.  Our partnership with the Royal Horse Artillery was a happy one.  Their cool courage and bold handling of their guns have endeared them to the Māori heart.  Some of our bravest and our best have not come back.  The day seems dark when we think of them.  But they are not sad.  They died as solders, honoured by friends and enemy.  They have become an enduring part of your famous race.  In years to come Māori men and women will hold their heads higher because of them.