Kimball Bent

Bent was born in Maine. At some stage he made his way to England and enlisted in the British Army in 1859. He served in India and his unit was posted to New Zealand in 1861. His record was dubious, and he was repeatedly disciplined for various military infractions. Bent accordingly decided to desert while serving in Taranaki.

Bent was found by a local Maori chief and eventually became part of the local tribe. He fell in with Titokowaru's followers and fought with them against the colonists until their eventual disintegration in 1869. Bent then went into hiding in the backblocks of Taranaki.

In 1911 he was rediscovered, and a book was written about his life by James Cowan. Entitled The adventures of Kimble Bent: a story of wild life in the New Zealand bush, it was something of sensation at the time.

More recently, his tale has been fictionalised by Maurice Shadbolt in the novel Monday's Warriors.