 In October, the Māori Battalion was attached to "Milforce", under Dittmer's command, along with a squadron of tanks, a squadron of cavalry and a medium machine gun company. The following month, with an invasion now considered unlikely, the battalion returned to Aldershot for the winter, remaining there for two months. During this time limited training was undertaken, although upon invitation the battalion fielded a rugby team against a Welsh side at Langley Park, losing 12 – 3. Later in the month, the battalion received the order to begin preparing for redeployment to Egypt and an advance party was dispatched in mid-December. On 7 January 1941 the rest of the battalion left for the Middle East, embarking from Liverpool on the Athlone Castle.
