Huge funding for new books on our most documented WWII unit

[Dave Homewood]

Have you seen this?
www.mch.govt.nz/news-events/news/m%C4%81ori-battalion%E2%80%99s-legacy-be-preserved

“the Ministry of Education is contributing $700,000 ”

"The Ministry for Culture and Heritage is contributing $400,000 in kind"

"The Board is also contributing $50,000 per company district"

Total $1,250,000 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will all the other Battalions, Squadrons, Ships and other combat units that did just as much in WWII get the same level of funding for their histories to be recorded in new books?

[nuuumannn]

I think it's time a more comprehensive history of 75 Sqn should be written.

[ironlich]

If you ever get a chance to go to the Gisborne museum they will tell you how the 28th battalion pushed the Germans back to Berlin. Although they played their part I think it is a real shame that they over shadow every other New Zealand force in World War Two.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

Sept 4, 2014 16:22:00 GMT 12 ironlich said:

If you ever get a chance to go to the Gisborne museum they will tell you how the 28th battalion pushed the Germans back to Berlin.

And that was just C Company. You should have seen what A, B and D did....

Seriously though....the 28th must have done something right. One Victoria Cross, seven Distinguished Service Orders, one Member of the Order of the British Empire, twenty-one Military Crosses and three bars, thirteen Distinguished Conduct Medals, fifty-one Military Medals, one British Empire Medal, and one US Silver Star. Quite a list for a single battalion.

[Dave Homewood]

But the other Battalions also did things right and had comparable "scores" in the medal tallies. As a couple of examples:

20 Battalion had:
- Two Victoria Crosses
- One Bar to the Victoria Cross
- Six Distinguished Service Orders
- Four Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Nine Military Crosses
- Four Distinguished Conduct Medals
- Thirteen Military Medals
- One British Empire Medal
- One Greek Military Cross
- One Soviet Medal for Valour

Apart from the excessively large number of Military Medals, that it pretty comparable. And...

21 Battalion had:
- One Distinguished Service Order and Bar (which is one step from a VC)
- Five Distinguished Service Orders
- One Member of the Order of the British Empire
- Seventeen Military Crosses
- Thirteen Distinguished Conduct Medals
- Forty-Seven Military Medals
- One British Empire Medal
- One Greek Military Cross
- One George Medal

There were plenty of heroes in all the battalions.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

I was once taught by an old-school unionist, Dave, that one should never slag off other workers because they have got something that I haven't got.

Instead I should work towards gaining the same wage increases or working condition improvements for myself and my fellow workers.

So using that principle, I would never have a go at any particular military unit just because they have managed to gain funding to tell their story.

Instead, if you feel another particular unit or units deserve the same, then work towards them getting the same instead of trying to take down the unit who has managed to gain that funding.

[Dave Homewood]

Firstly, I have not slagged off anyone, and I resent that remark. I simply made a comparison of the medal tallies to show that other battalions (I picked two at random) were also packed with heroes, not that you ever hear about them.

Secondly, the figure of $1,250,000 is an absolutely incredible sum of funding for a book project. The books will never make back anything like that amount and they will be so costly few will be able to afford them anyway.

How on earth $700,000 is being diverted from the Ministry of Education is mind boggling when they are closing schools that they say cannot be afforded. And $400,000 from Ministry of Culture and Heritage must also be a record for such a project.

There can't be anything new in this project, virtually all the members of the battalion are dead, with probably less than ten still living now. So everything will have to come from the many already recorded sources on film and in written archives (most of which were previously also funded by the tax payer). No new ground can be found at this late stage.

Anyone who does a little research would find that it is a fact that they were no more special than any of the other battalions of the 2nd New Zealand Division. All the battalions saw action, and in equal measure. And frankly of the front line infantry in any of the battalions of the 2nd Division, and of the Engineers, and the medics and others who were right up there in the heat of battle, I am convinced they were ALL supermen - not just those infantrymen who served in Two-Eight. All of the battalions saw their share of hell in equal measure.

As for "if you feel another particular unit or units deserve the same, then work towards them getting the same instead of trying to take down the unit who has managed to gain that funding." Ummm seriously I have been trying, and trying... and so have others I have worked with who are also striving to record the stories of our veterans. Quite frankly no-one is interested in funding anything unless the project is connected with 28 Maori Battalion.

When we were filming veterans all round NZ we tried to source funding and couldn't even get a mere $1000 or a few hundred here and there from the Government to help with the costs of filming, travel, accommodation and other costs involved. The RSA isn't interested in offering funding either as a national body. All the places that seem the obvious choice to seek funds from are like brick walls when you actually try.

I have been recording our New Zealand veterans for over twelve years covering the stories of Air Force, Army, Navy, Fleet Air Arm and Home Front veterans, without a cent of funding, bulk or otherwise, forthcoming from any Government department.

Also when I was involved in organising the reunion of Mosquito aircrew and groundcrew members in 2012 at Ardmore, the Department of veteran's Affairs who's remit is to assist with such things as part of their purpose for existing, and who's many boxes we ticked completely, offered the princely sum of $1.00 per veteran who attended to help us make the reunion happen! The time wasted applying and the correspondence back and forth cost more than that! What a complete joke. How does $1 help a veteran get to a reunion?

This case today is a prime example of what is so bloody wrong with this country. Most people have to struggle and work their fingers to the bone while a small select few sit back on a gravy train that keeps on flowing with cash.

The one and a quarter million dollars for this project comes on top of the reportedly over half a million dollars in taxpayers funds they already had just to build for their website.

If you can suggest how I need to go about things differently to hit such a jackpot as this, Bruce, please suggest away. But I doubt anyone working on the other battalions and squadrons and ships would be given jack shit by these departments for their efforts to be quite frank.

[ironlich]

What would the books of Wally Ingham, Jack S. harder and David Allison be like if the they had that sort of money? C coy 28th is also getting there own wing built in the main Gisborne museum. The sort of funding they get is over the top. The museum I've worked at like most really on door takings sure GR8, 30 squadron and 31 squadron weren't the big medal winners for the war but they done there part and some payed the ultimate price. Even a few thousand dollars would go a long way on displays that I would normally pay for my self

[kiwipathfinder89]

Wow - that will probably be the most expensive book I'll see in my lifetime…

[pjw4118]

I have to agree with Dave, and dont forget the odd RNZAF book produced gratis of Wellington money that really missed the mark.I support any history project but the cost needs to be relative to the importance.
Dave , I think its more being around that inner circle where good contacts spring the funds.
What really gets me are the people who often do these projects , are not that knowledgeable about the subject, and to keep it a closed shop they will not look for those with key data.
Errol would have more experience than most about hard graft, publishing and its returns.
Maybe Dave work up a huge project, target the top names , and enlist a few politicians who want the kudos .

[corsair5517]

Late on this, but that is beyond appalling; over NZ$1,000,000 for a book on one unit that has already been pretty well researched and documented?! Good to see political correctness alive and well in NZ...

[skyhawkdon]

I'm also late to this story and am really gob smacked. For years Skyhawks languished in boxes because no publisher would take on the financial risk of the project and there was no funding or will from "officialdom" for it. In the end we found Willsonscott Publishing who were prepared to take it on but they had to fund the whole project themselves and as a result we all pretty much ended up doing it for the love of it! The work Dave has been doing deserves some funding support. Even a very small percentage of what this 28th Battalion history has been given would be appropriate.

[camtech]

Seems to be pandering to a few noisy individuals.

I am well aware of the self publishing route, as my wife has published 3 books of children's poetry and the third book took three print runs before our printer gave up - moisture in the paper plus folding problems. Good luck to anyone going down this route - it can also be expensive!!!!!

[kiwithrottlejockey]

(click on the picture to read the news story)

[Dave Homewood]

Didn't take long, that only went up yesterday on Colourise History