TRAIL OF TE KOOTI.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 163, 12 July 1928, Page 8

TRAIL OF TE KOOTI.

VETERAN SOLDIER PASSES.

LATE CAPTAIN TOM WITHERS

TALKS OF ADYEXTI'RE RECALLED,

When he was laid to rest with military honours at Opoiiki last week, Captain Thomas Withers left a few old comrades

who arc proud to own liis friendship and honour his nii'inorv. lit; was a

veteran of the Maori wars, and in the '.sixties was one of the finest of the British officers who followed the trails of the rebel leaders To Kooti and Titokowa ru. "Captain Tom Withers,"' says one. who served with him in his prime, "was us brave a soldier and as grand a gentleman as I ever knew." "Captain Tom,"' says another, who was with him on the Te Kooti eliase. "was as fine a soldier and as kind a man as ever breathed." There is something noble about these old veterans and their loyalty to the comrades of their earlier years. Thinned as their ranks arc becoming, and feeble as many of them are. you will always find a few old warriors to rise up to extol the virtues of one who has been summoned to answer the last great roll call. Shoulder to shoulder they fought, and so they stand—till death and after. Carried a Bugler Boy. The man in Auckland who probably retains the earliest memory of Captain Withers is Mr. M. W. Delaney, of Parnell. In the chase after Te Kooti and Titokowaru lie was a bugler boy, and he recalls that on one occasion, when his company was doing a forced march through the heavy New Zealand bush, the kindly captain carried him across a deep river. Small wonder that "Caplain Tom" came to be something of a hero in Ihe eyes of the little bugler. "Captain Withers was one of the finest soldiers of tTie Armed Constabulary Force." Mr. Delaney stated. "FTe was well respected in military and private life for his kindness of heart and his

many good qualities* Mr. Delaney is temarkahK liale at tlie* age of 72. He is the youngest. veteran of the Maori War, having gone into action at Opotiki at the age of 11. Another old friend of the departed soldier is Mr. .1. T. Clark, of the en gineering department <>f liie Auckland City Council. Within the past few days lie has received a letter frrtni a daughter of his old friend telling of his peaceful parsing at Opotiki at the age of S'lV "Captain Withers," said Mr. Clark. "wa< one of the finest and kindest men 1 ever knew. He was a senior otlieer when ! was quite a youth, but it did not take me long to form an admiration for his splendid qualities, lie was a gentleman through and through." When Soldiers Held the Line. To appreciate the reminiscences of Mr. Clark one has to picture a 111111;) in the interior of New Zealand and occupied by the Armed Constabulary in holding the line between Taupo and Napier. The camp was at Runanga, and there were similar stations at Te llarot-o and Tarawera. In the early 'seventies, after undergoing a course of training in Wellington, Mr. Clark was posted to the Runanga station, and the officer in charge was Inspector Withers.

In holding the line the members of the force had their responsibilities, but in the main they spent a care-free life. In their times of relaxation they lived Maori fashion, and in their sports they experienced splendid comradeship. Captain Withers was thoughtful for the welfare of his men, and was ever in the lead in organising healthy recreation. Prowess as a Bushman. Looking back to those adventurous and colourful times, his old comrades recall the splendid physique of Captain Withers, and the bright, personality which ever made him the centre of attention. As a leader of men whose calling took them into the heart of the bush lie was superb. "He was an ideal man for the kind of life that was lived in New Zealand in those days," said Mr. Clark. "In fact, he was so gifted as to be one of the few men who could go into the bush with Maoris and lose thein." His old comrades, too, picture him as the central figure in the camp fire groups, sometimes relating adventures of the Te Kooti trail and at other trails, but rarely speaking of his own share In the adventures. Those were tales of the most eventful times that New Zealand has ever known, thrilling tales of tangled forests, swollen rivers and dangerous defiles, epic tales of elusive enemies and chivalrous foes. Mining at the Barrier. After the disbanding of the Armed Constabulary Corps, Mr. Clark was for some years on the West Coast of the South Island, and he lost sight of Captain Withers. On coming to Auckland later he heard that Captain Withers was at the Great Barrier, and he visited him there. The old soldier had experienced hard times through losses in mining adventures, including silver mining on the Harrier, but he was still the same charming personality, and delighted to welcome an old comrade. The two friends often met to talk over old times, but after the death of his second wife three | years ago Captain Withers left for Opo- | tiki to be near the members of Iris I family.

Of a fine old English line of soldiers —his father was a major who saw much service in New Zealand—Captain Withers seems to have outlived most of his fellow officers of the early days. Captain Precce, who died recently at Palmerston North, was one of his comrades. "Yes." added "Mr. Clark, "lie was the last of a brave old company."