was tasked with carrying out a raid for prisoners and Baker took personal responsibility for reconnoitering the route and objective for the raid, which proved to be a success. It was the first offensive operation conducted by a unit of the Eighth Army since the then Lieutenant General Bernard Montgomery assumed command, and he sent a message of congratulations on the successful execution of the raid. An attack on the Munassib Depression followed in late August. While the attack was successfully carried out and the objective seized, some elements of the battalion carried on the attack deeper into enemy lines. At one stage, it was feared that these elements would be cut off but Baker was able to withdraw his men to their proper positions. Once again, at the conclusion of the operation, the exploits of Baker's command were recognised. The battalion then fought in the Second Battle of El Alamein. Initially used to mop up behind the two brigades bearing the brunt of the New Zealand attack, it was decided that the battalion would be used for Operation Supercharge. This attack, to be launched on 2 November, was designed to breach the German lines and establish a corridor through which British armour could break out from Alamein. His battalion subordinate to the British 151 Infantry Brigade for the operation, Baker was unhappy with the lack of detail in the planning of the operation. On arriving at the starting line for his unit, he found Australian units in the wrong positions and convinced their commanding brigadier to move them. Within minutes of the commencement of the attack, he was wounded in the face. His wounds, to his mouth and tongue, were serious and he was repatriated to New Zealand where he would spend nearly a year in extensive rehabilitation. His exploits as commander of the 28th Battalion were recognised with an award of the Distinguished Service Order, which was gazetted in 1944. Later life In November 1943, after recovering from his war wounds, Baker was appointed head of the newly formed Rehabilitation Department. The department was charged with establishing ex-servicemen and women into civilian life by providing them with finance, training and housing. Māori soldiers returning to New Zealand after service in the First World War had found rehabilitation policies at the time discriminated against them. Baker advocated and worked for equal treatment for Pākehā (people of European descent) and