Walter Callaway: A Maori Warrior Of The Boer War

Description

Walter Callaway was among the first ever to fight abroad for New Zealand. Being Māori, he defied the British dictum of the day that “no natives could fight in a white man’s war.’ Brushing aside these bigoted attitudes, he excelled as a soldier in the harsh Southern African conditions and was eventually promoted to lieutenant – making him one of the first Māori to become an officer in the NZ Army. This came though at a great personal cost. While galloping to the rescue of an Australian in dire danger, he was shot and almost fatally injured. From that moment, his life changed irrevocably. This true story reveals a forgotten hero in what many term as ‘New Zealand’s Forgotten War.’ It tells not only about a remarkable soldier, but also highlights the horrors and hardships of a war, which a later British Prime Minister described as ‘infamous, criminal and wholly indefensible.’ Callaway’s biography is the first published account of a Māori in the South African War (1899-1902) and also includes a supportive foreword by New Zealand’s Chief of the Defence Force, Lieutenant General Mateparae. It is a story that must be told.