U.S.A. GOLD BADGE

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18769, 13 August 1926, Page 11

U.S.A. GOLD BADGE

FAREWELL TO COLONEL

STEWART.

RETURNED SOLDIERS' FAREWELL. In Jcllicoo Hall last evoniug members of the Returned Soldiers' Association gathered to do honour to Colonel Hugh Stewart, C.M.G., D.5.0., M.C., who leaves shortly to take up the Chair of Classics at Leeds University. The guest or* honour was presented with the gold badge which is worn by a lifemember of the Association.

Mr H. J. Knight, president of the Association, presided over the gathering, and proposed the toast of the guest of honour. In sketching the military career of Colonel Stewart, the speaker told how he had risen in one year from the rank of subaltern to that of Lieuten-ant-Colonel commanding a battalioti. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre, the C.M.G., the D.S.O. and bar, and the M.C. It was a record of which any community might well be proud in any meraber of it. He was respected, honoured, and loved by all ranks. When the speaker had been on jaunts round the country districts with Colonel Stewart, organising B.S.A. business, it was always found that their guest was a bosom pal of the hardest diggers they met. During the five years in which Colonel Stewart had served on the executive of the Association he had for two years been president of the local Association and for two years president of the Dominion Association. His departure was a great loss to the Association and to the community as a whole, and the executive would miss his counsel and wise judgment. They regretted the parting, but they wished him all possible success in v the Old Country. "Colonel Hugh Stewart is a man's man," said Mr W. E. Leadloy, "because he has that quality of inspiring confidence." The speaker hoped that their guest would keep his interest in returned soldiers after he arrived in England, and would take an interest in tho British Legion. Their losb would be the gain of the British Tommy. Mr H. S. Hobbs snoke on behalf of the Canterbury Patriotic Association, Captain C. Bell on behalf.of the Canterbury Officers' Club, Mr W. W. Soarff for the Veterans' Association, and x Mr Alec. Doy for the Commercial Travel? lers' Association.

Colonel Stewart said that honours just came one's way if one was there and there were not many others, and really were due in the main to the splendid fellows under one. If an officer saw to his men's billets and their, tucker, and righted just grievances, he could not go wrong. "It was a great pleasure to meet men who' had been at the war and to talk about old times, because the war had not been all fighting, and there had been very happy and amusing times. He thanked all those who had spoken, and expressed his appreciation of the badge with which he had been presented. Other' toasts honoured were:—"Veterans' Association," proposed by Mr G. W. Lloyd, responded to by Mr W. W. Scarff; "The City Fathers," proposed by Mr G. Harden, replied to by the Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer); "Kindred Bodies," proposed by Mr E. F. Willcox, and responded to by Mr R. T. Tosswill; "Parliament," proposed by Mr B. A. Cuthbert, and. responded to by tVi Hon. G. Witty, M.L.C. During the evening a programme of musical -and- elocutionary items - ? was given by Messrs W. Joll, A. Dey, T, M. Charters, H. McD. Vincen,t, W. Cotton, J. Mason, A. Owen, and H. Ritchie.