Whai Robinson
Private 817560 · D Company, 28th (Māori) Battalion · Later served in Japan with Jayforce
Early life
Whai Robinson came from Iwitea, near Wairoa, where he worked as a labourer before he enlisted. He was single, and his next of kin was his father, Mr J. Robinson of North Clyde, Wairoa.
War
Whai served as a private in D Company of the 28th (Māori) Battalion. The D Company 12th Reinforcements group photograph on the 28th Māori Battalion website names a “Robinson (Wairoa)”, possibly Whai, which would place him with the 12th Reinforcements. That identification is still to be confirmed.
After the war
When the fighting in Europe ended, Whai went on to Japan with Jayforce, New Zealand’s part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. He served as a trooper in D Squadron of the 2nd Divisional Cavalry Regiment and went over with the second embarkation of the main body. His war medals were still among those waiting to be claimed in 2022.
Sources: Auckland Museum Online Cenotaph C119546; 28th Māori Battalion website, D Company 12th Reinforcements photograph; 28th Māori Battalion unclaimed medals list (2022).