It would be a rare occurrence that we would ever have to return medals to the same recipient TWICE, in fact we never have – until last week!
Sergeant Mate or Nic Baker as he was known in the NZ Army, was an infantry soldier in the New Zealand Regiment. He served during the late 1950 – early 1960s when had been temporarily promoted to Staff Sergeant (S/SGT) for a training position in Fiji while detached to the Fijian Army’s Infantry Regiment (FIR). The FIR was subsequently deployed on Active Service to the Malay Peninsula for varying tours of duty during the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960), a communist terrorist counter-insurgency campaign that was wage on the Malay Peninsula, Thai Border, Sarawak and in Borneo. S/Sgt. Baker deployed with the 1st FIR to Malaya from 1955-58 as one of a cadre of NZ infantry officers and SNCOs with the FIR. For his service in Malaya S/Sgt. Baker earned the General Service Medal 1918-1962 with clasp: MALAYA (GSM, Malaya). He subsequently relinquished the temporary rank of S/Sgt. and reverted to Sergeant on his return to New Zealand. Te Hoani Mate Baker died at Gisborne in 2002 at the age of 70 and was buried in the Taruheru Cemetery Gisborne.
1990-2016 – Hamilton
Circa 1990, Sgt. Baker’s GSM (Malaya) was found by a school boy on a roadway in Hillcrest, Hamilton. The medal was broken (no ribbon, ribbon suspender and the MALAYA clasp was missing) but the lad thinking it was a coin kept it anyway. Some twenty five years later, the medal came to my attention in July 2016 when the now adult ‘lad’ emailed me and sent the Baker medal to hopefully have it returned to S/Sgt. Baker’s descendant family.
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In the course of researching Mate Baker and his family, together with the help of the NZDF Medals Policy Adviser, Mr Jack Hayes and his staff at the NZDF Personnel & Medals (PAM) section, Mate Baker’s medal entitlement was increased by two additional medals which he had qualified for under new regulations, after his death. The two medals had never been claimed. Long story short – the soldier’s eldest son John was away living away from Gisborne at that time however I located his daughter and gathered the required information to issue the new medals. The GSM was repaired and together with the new medals, mounted for wearing and sent off to John’s daughter in Gisborne in 2017. John has since returned to live in Gisborne with his daughters.
2023 – Gisborne
Fast forward to last week, Oct 2023 – I received a call from Ken, a former RNZN Sonar Operator c1970-1973 (retired) who lives in Gisborne, telling me he had found a black NZDF issue medal case on Centennial Road in Gisborne. The case, which had been flattened having been run over several times by vehicles, contained six medals, three of which were named to M. N. BAKER. There were three full size (named) medals mounted on a medal bar – the NZ Operational Service Medal, General Service Medal (1918-1962) with Clasp: MALAYA, the NZ Defence Service Medal with Clasp: REGULAR, plus a set of matching miniature medals. The damage to the medals was minimal thanks to the protection afforded by the medal case. Two of the medals had been snapped off their ribbon suspenders – the full size NZOSM and the miniature DFSM (R). The remainder were all in good shape however the case was somewhat the worse for wear! When Ken described the medals to me, the surname and location immediately rang a bell as being those that had been sent to Gisborne to the daughter of Sgt. Baker’s son John.
When Ken contacted me I emailed the family however received no reply. As Ken was living in close proximity to the Baker’s, I was able to tell him where and to whom he should make contact – one of John’s daughter’s who coincidentally lived in Centennial Road! The next day Ken made contact and went to the Baker’s address. Low and behold, who should he meet there but John Baker! To say John was extremely relieved to have his father’s medals returned – again – would be an understatement according to Ken.
John later explained to me that his van had been broken into some nights prior and a back window smashed to gain entry however nothing other than all his loose change had been taken, and the medals (so he thought). The medal case had been left in the van as John had recently attended a commemorative event and had worn his father’s medals. In the robber’s haste to escape (perhaps they were disturbed?) they must have not realised the case had fallen from the van, or if indeed they did intend to steal it, perhaps had dropped during their getaway? Being dark, the case would have gone unnoticed and as a consequence, was left to be a target for passing traffic. As an aside, when Ken met John the two believed they recognised one another. As Ken explained, when he was at primary school in Gisborne he had an after school job as a newspaper-boy and regularly delivered papers to the Baker house.
Remembrance assured
John is now having the medals repaired. Not one who wants to chance his luck a third time should the medals go adrift or be stolen, he intends to deposit the medals for display in the ‘C’ Company, Maori Battalion Memorial House in Gisborne. The House was opened as a ‘hall of memories’ in 2014 in memory of the 28 Maori Battalion soldiers (including the Pioneer Battalion of WW1), and all others from the district who have served. On the wall in the Memorial House is a photograph of Corporal Mate Baker (as above) which will shortly be accompanied by his medals. A great idea John, one which will ensure the Baker whanau have the opportunity to honour their veteran ancestor, Sergeant Te Hoani Matikairoa Nicholas Baker, with pride and in a place worthy of respect and remembrance.
You can read the original post here: S/Sgt. M.N. BAKER, FIJI Infantry Regt
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Grateful thanks on behalf of the Baker family to an eagle-eyed Ken for rescuing the medals before permanent damage was inflicted on them, or worse, total loss.
The reunited medal tally is now 489.
