NZ Remembrance Army

03/06/2026

McINTYRE, Hugh Pearson 9/1626
M.M. Sergeant, 2nd Batt., Otago Regiment
L.G. 3 July 1919, p8358, Rec No 3250

Operations British Front in the vicinity of the Foret de Mormal – 5th November 1918. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. During the above operations, Sergeant McIntyre was in command of a platoon. The Company to which this NCO belongs was, at one point, held up by enemy machine-guns firing from a house on
four crossroads. Sergeant McIntyre, with great skill and initiative and with utter disregard for personal safety, manoeuvred his platoon and finally captured the house, after a very determined stand on the part of the enemy. Throughout the whole operations, this NCO worked with a courage and determination that
inspired all those under his command.

Charlton Park Cemetery, Southland
Born 12 October 1888 - Died 21 Setember 1982

03/06/2026

Remembering Ranfurly Veteran Victor William Cunningham, a resident from 1965 to 1969, who had served on the Western Front in France during the First World War. He departed New Zealand in June 1916, and was fortunate to have survived the War. Lest we forget.

The Ranfurly Veterans' Trust

02/06/2026

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Taranaki's last World War 2 veteran, Ronald John "Ron" Bingham, passed away peacefully aged 104.

WWII Service No. 438352 1st Taranaki Regiment, Sergeant NZEFIP & 14th Brigade 2 NZEF, Ikaroa Lodge 115, JP (retired)

Peacefully at Molly Ryan Rest Home on Saturday, 30 May 2026, aged 104 years. Dearly loved husband of the late Gwynneth (Jury). Cherished father and father-in-law of Michael and Mary; the late Delwyn and Paul Frost; Robyn and Ian Frost; Peter and Helen; Julie and Peter Fleming.

Loved and respected “JJ” of his grand, great grand, and great, great grandchildren.

Ron will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all who knew and loved him.

A service to celebrate Ronald’s life will be held at Eagars Te Henui Chapel, 46 Watson Street, New Plymouth, on Monday, 8 June 2026, at 10.30am, followed by a family interment at Awanui Cemetery.

For those unable to attend, Ron’s funeral will be livestreamed on the Eagers website, where messages of remembrance can also be left.

The family wish to thank Dr Danych and the staff at Molly Ryan for their care and support.

"At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them."

02/06/2026

Remembering Ranfurly Veteran Leslie Christian Coulthard, a resident from 1982 until his death in 1983, who had served in the Auckland Infantry Regiment on the Western Front in France during the First World War. He departed New Zealand on 28 September 1917 as part of A Company of the 28th Reinforcements, and was fortunate to survive the War. Lest we forget their sacrifices. Support our veterans.

The Ranfurly Veterans' Trust @

02/06/2026

Why Digitising New Zealand’s World War II Service Records Matters

One of the most significant remembrance projects New Zealand will face over the next decade is the digitisation of our World War II service records.

Many people may not realise that during the centenary of the First World War, more than 100,000 New Zealand service files were digitised and made available online through the Department of Internal Affairs.

It transformed military research in New Zealand, allowing families, historians, schools, and communities to access records that had previously required travel, time, and specialist knowledge to obtain.

The importance of this work cannot be overstated.
Today, around 140,000 World War II personnel files remain largely accessible only through archives requests.

Yet these records contain the stories of a generation that served across North Africa, Italy, Greece, Crete, the Pacific, the Atlantic, and countless other theatres of war.

Other nations have already begun this journey. The United Kingdom and Australia have invested heavily in digitising and releasing their World War II records.

The British approach has been particularly sensible, beginning with the earliest wartime records from 1939 and progressively releasing later years over a number of years.

This allows the work to be spread across time while ensuring the oldest records become available first.

Digitisation is about far more than convenience.

For organisations such as the New Zealand Remembrance Army, these files are often the key to restoring a person's story.

Army records frequently provide addresses, next of kin, occupations, schools, and other information that helps connect a veteran back to their community.

However, naval records can be much more challenging, often lacking basic information such as next of kin or residential addresses.

Without service files, identifying the person behind the name can become incredibly difficult.

Every year, volunteers across New Zealand spend thousands of hours researching veterans buried in our cemeteries.

Access to digitised records would dramatically improve that work, helping families reconnect with their history and ensuring veterans are remembered accurately.

The reality is that by 2039, the centenary of the outbreak of the Second World War, these records should ideally be online and accessible to all New Zealanders.

The technology exists. The model has already been proven with the First World War files.

The benefits to education, family history, military history, and remembrance are immense.

Most importantly, these records do not belong hidden away on a shelf.

They belong to the people of New Zealand.

Every file tells the story of a New Zealander who stepped forward in a time of national need. Preserving and sharing those stories is one of the most important acts of remembrance we can undertake for future generations.

Lest We Forget.

01/06/2026

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Moana Ngata
Corporal 19735
NZ (Maori) Pioneer Battalion.

Born on the 6th of March 1897 at Whareponga, Gisborne NZ. His parents were Hone & Mihi Ngata.
He was working as a self employed farmer in Rangatukia, when he signed up for service in the NZ Expeditionary Force.
He was accepted and began training at Narrow Neck Military Camp on the 23rd of March 1917 with the 19th Maori Reinforcements.
Narrow Neck Camp, situated near Fort Takapuna, Auckland, served as the primary training base for the Māori Pioneer Battalion reinforcements.
Moana was promoted to Temporary Corporal on the 27th of May.
On the 16th of July with his initial training completed, Moana and his comrades departed New Zealand as part of the 27th Reinforcements aboard the ship HMNZT Athenic.
They arrived at Liverpool in England on the 16th of September 1917 and continued their training firstly at Sling Military Camp. Upon arrival in England his temporary rank was reverted back to Lance Corporal a common practice when arriving in Europe. He was later stationed at the secondary NZEF depot in Christchurch, Dorset, alongside engineers and tunnellers.
He proceeded to France on the 5th of November, being stationed at Etaples Military Camp for five weeks before marching out to join the NZ Division in the field.
Moana joined the NZ (Maori) Pioneer Battalion in the field on the 10th of December 1917.
The New Zealand (Māori) Pioneer Battalion was primarily an engineering and labour unit on the Western Front in 1918, not a dedicated offensive combat battalion. Their main duties included digging communication trenches, laying rail and telephone lines, constructing defences, and other pioneer work behind or near the front lines.
Members of the battalion could and sometimes did undertake offensive or combat actions when required near the front. Their role blurred between engineering and frontline support rather than being purely rear-echelon labour.
Moana served throughout 1918, his service file is very vague but his unit was involved in several campaigns during this time including The German Spring Offensive (Operation Michael).
The Somme sector fighting (1918).
The Allied “Advance to Victory” / Hundred Days Offensive.
The breaking of the Hindenburg Line.
The capture of Le Quesnoy (4 November 1918).
Once the Armistice was signed and the guns fell silent on the 11th of November 1918, Moana and his battalion were stationed mainly in northern France rather than moving into occupied Germany.
Moana was promoted to Temporary Sergeant on the 1st of February 1919.
They eventually made their way to England being stationed there for a time before reaching Liverpool and boarding the troopship Westmoreland which sailed from Liverpool via the Panama Canal to Auckland.
The NZ Maori Battalion arrived back in Auckland as a whole unit on the 5th –6th April 1919 and received a major public welcome at Queen’s Wharf and the Auckland Domain.
On arrival home his temporary rank was reverted back to Lance Corporal and one month later on the 4th of May, Moana was discharged into civilian life.
From what i can find online, He married Rawinia Tamoe Poi about 1920, in East Cape, Gisborne District, New Zealand. They were the parents of at least 1 son.
Moana passed away in 1985, at the age of 87.

Rest in peace hero.

01/06/2026

Today we remember Private John Louis Gurnick, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, who was killed in action on 29 May 1970 in South Vietnam. He was sadly struck by shrapnel, when his patrol from Whiskey 3 Company triggered a gr***de b***y trap. Lest we forget.

01/06/2026

AIR COMMODORE EDWARD GEORGE "TED" OLSON, DSO

One of New Zealand's greatest airmen – and a son of Taranaki.

When New Zealanders think of our military heroes, names from Gallipoli, Crete, El Alamein, and Cassino often come to mind. Yet one of the most remarkable New Zealand servicemen of the Second World War lies buried quietly in New Plymouth's Te Henui Cemetery.

Air Commodore Edward George "Ted" Olson, DSO, was one of New Zealand's foremost air commanders.

A former student of New Plymouth Boys' High School between 1919 and 1922, Olson rose from a determined young Taranaki schoolboy into one of the most respected officers in both the Royal Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

At just 16 years of age, Ted applied to join the Air Force. There was no place for him in New Zealand at the time, but he refused to let that dream die. In 1925 he travelled to England and joined the Royal Air Force on a short service commission, beginning a career that would span two decades and take him across the world.

His early service saw him train in England before postings to Egypt and India. Serving with No. 27 Bomber Squadron, he flew in some of the most remote regions of the British Empire. One remarkable episode saw him helping establish an airstrip at Gilgit, deep in the mountainous frontier region between India, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. The work was rugged, isolated, and dangerous, requiring local tribesmen to clear boulders and level ground for the new airfield.

In another extraordinary twist of history, Olson's orderly room clerk during his service in Waziristan was none other than T. E. Lawrence—better known to the world as Lawrence of Arabia. After Lawrence's attempts to disappear into obscurity failed, it was Olson who assisted in escorting him safely through India and onwards to the United Kingdom.

Returning to New Zealand in 1930, Ted became a flying instructor, helping build civil aviation and train future pilots. He worked with aero clubs throughout the country, including Hawke's Bay, the East Coast, Christchurch, and Taieri, before joining the active ranks of the RNZAF in 1935.

As war clouds gathered, Olson's leadership qualities quickly became apparent.

By 1938 he was commanding officer at Wigram and later Hobsonville. In 1939 he was transferred to Wellington and appointed Air Member for Personnel on the Air Board.

The outbreak of war demanded a massive expansion of the RNZAF, and Olson became one of the architects responsible for transforming New Zealand's small peacetime air force into a wartime service capable of meeting global commitments.

In 1941 he was sent to Britain as New Zealand Liaison Officer at the Air Ministry. The following year, as a Group Captain, he took command of 75 (New Zealand) Squadron, one of the most famous bomber squadrons of the war.

The squadron was heavily engaged in Bomber Command's offensive against Germany, including the great raids on the Ruhr. Olson was known as a leader who shared the risks of his men.

His philosophy was simple:
"Where I ask my men to go, I go."

True to his word, he flew operational missions himself, including participation in the famous 1,000-bomber raids against Cologne and Lübeck.
For his distinguished service and leadership, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).

In 1943 Olson returned to New Zealand as an Air Commodore and assumed command of Central Group RNZAF.

Despite his senior rank and increasing responsibilities, he remained deeply committed to the welfare of New Zealand airmen serving overseas.

By 1945 the relentless demands of wartime service had taken a severe toll on his health. Having devoted himself completely to the war effort, he returned home to New Zealand for treatment and rest.

Tragically, only a few weeks later, on 15 May 1945—just days after Victory in Europe—Air Commodore Ted Olson died in New Plymouth at only 39 years of age.

His funeral was conducted with full Air Force honours and drew one of the largest gatherings seen in wartime Taranaki.

The attendance of so many local people, servicemen, and visitors reflected the respect and affection in which he was held.

Sir Geoffrey Roberts, a lifelong friend and fellow airman, perhaps summed him up best:
"His career went on and on throughout the war in important postings, until the day he died at too young an age."

Beyond his military achievements, Ted Olson was remembered as a man of exceptional character. Friends spoke of his loyalty, courage, humility, and ability to inspire those around him.

He was a leader who never asked more of others than he was prepared to give himself.

Today, Air Commodore Edward George Olson rests in Te Henui Cemetery, New Plymouth.

His story reminds us that some of New Zealand's greatest wartime leaders were not only brave aviators and commanders but also ordinary New Zealanders whose dedication and sacrifice helped shape the outcome of the Second World War.

Lest We Forget.

01/06/2026