OUR UNHONOURED DEAD.

Bay of Plenty Times, 25 February 1910, Page 2

OUR UNHONOURED DEAD.

(By C, A. Young.) Taurantia and its immediate vicinity contains what may perhaps bo considered the most interesting relies of the history of the l>ommi>o>n. in the Maori pians of Te I'ukohtnahtira tond TeKenga, the old Naval and tMiKbary, Cemetery, urid the Alonni«uth Redoubt, the inhabitants of , tihe ttistriot inherit a l sacred and honouraiMlo charge. Bging o£ the satoe race as thoso who fought anil fell in making the history of the paat, they; are no doubt pron^d •of their inheritance, and, as they; desire to mafco tiie ltmd of their adoption a Great J.ntuin of the Southt-rm soas, they should honour and perpetuate t^o memory, of those wfoo served them po well. There are those 'who sneer at th's aacrod change, who say the money spent on such a purpose would be better expended in j assisting tho living, but, thank God. x'nnno ar# not British people, orj if so, they are suoh as ohd England ran, well spare, end this fair land be* oone tbu richer for their presence, j If we would* inculckto patriotism in the hearts of our y&ung ptjople, we must prove to them\ that we honour t(he mtstntory of tboio who terved their country faithfully a r.:l well. Macaulay has teft| posterity, this memorable sentiment : "That a people that does not \K&jp in niemory the great deeds of its ancestors is not likely to d» anything) worthy of being* remembered ijy its descen-' damts." Something hafl b*«n done in this rospect in Tauranga, wh^cb th«> writer will refer to in a future nrticle. In the far north, fnt^e^little graveyard of the village ohu^rch of Waimato, have been collected the t>ones of a few of thoHe who fell in attacking the Maori pahs of phaeawai and Ok-aihau, in the war whijefe followed after Hone Hek e cut do*fn the' F.nglish flagstail at Korararikto. Bay of Islands, in 1845. At Te I%utu o te ITatiu, wheoe APa^or Von Teoifaky fell, and in the pretty litH-le Anglican Church of St. Mary's j New Plymouth, and its adjacent < graveyard, generous efforts have been nrade to Honour tiie deeds -of 4 tow of those who fell in the Tara; iaki wars of 1860-70. But around tnt« pp.hs srt-omi-ed 4>y «w tr c opa durln|i ' til© war in ! tho nortto, at "WaJtßrf., Tunrtrirn. 1 Ngiatapu aqd many otbd • plaOAs, Ixcm\

Waitotlara (to, White C'UfTs in tiv< M uwki, at Kangir.ri, Or u kau, nod hJ* J| numerous buttk'tteWls of \V,iik a . flf l'ukfhiiiahiifu. ((Jate la), T a ur ** H and along fhe Xtipier-Taup,, ***•• M the pursuit of Te Kooti, li L . the & honoured remains of many o [ uL fl Queen's troops, awl 01" tho oruJr* cI ed bodice of the settkra who JJ* fl aitfi fell— the one at tho c*ll o f d*« B ami the other in deJYnci! of th* c fl try of their adoption. ° 9 The present generation d Q «„. B k»ow at wkat cost their fathers w ■* fl this country for thum. or surely thjl B would not ncfi-lott an obvioim d JJ^ H The graves of the. ri,- iu i lying unbc*! fl oared where .they fought and ( L >lt m fl mutely from tho past, nor is B present peni>raiion to l)o hltogwW 9 blamed for this ipnorance. i n . 9 country when? neither tho Bible n» fl history are taught in tho pu^L fl schools, how t\tn patriotism be i^J fl eulcated ? Whore i^ the. uso o f ttoffl Govormnent calling upon tho afcwTfl bodied youth of tho dominion to totofefl tho defence forces when theeo b*2if fl not been taught 1 what iwtrjotfojfl'fl means ? t^' Wm Among the many omissions of th*,* §1 of the pr t sent nnd past <■ overnmwtr" fc^ must bo considered this neffloct to P l teach the. history of thi> Poininit* j.l W, the public schools, as also their gleet to arjpoint a conmiission,to «, W iquirc and report upon thy , scattcM > places of interment, and tho states f§j the little cemetery lovinply formed M a*d left by the Queen's troops us . Wl sacred ;lqpacy, to tho cara ot %^M colony. Another conmuKskm iaim fs& well 'lx> employed collecting and r^ ii cording the inofilcnt.s of our !ittk v W? wars. Such. v. Commission would pto. hably timl th » jyubli-miMl re.onls 11 the CJ,ueon's regiments engaged i* fe those wars of service. an«l, n»^ f* W add. copies of the.so rcg-iinnitiU I^ll cords oupht to be found in ev«y public library in tin, Dominion J[*i Here arc two incidouts which mW^ fa with advantage bo illustrated. «wt* fl with their stories, hung on the u»» |i w«.lls of our pukchu and MaoH f* schools : v gg In JUay, 18-te. owing t o dlsta^ }f ments as to the k^gal purchase rf^^l^ landj the Maoris threatened to j^< £| tack Wellidgton. A dutachnHnt W the 58th Uegiinent. under ljtuuUtnat *>'* (aftorwnrds tiej«?ral) I'ugp, wcrebii> ""1 lcted at Houlcoutts farm to g\ius * the Hutt bridge, ami near the brute; was mtvuattHl a non-couunisslonort ofr licer's guard, with « b\ij>lar, a tlttl^ J fellow of some 12 or 13 sumnKK I On tho morning of the 18th Ijy jg? in tho dark hour before tih»» dawn* the attacking slaorjß stealthily a^ irroachod the tent in' uhitfc tho so^diorS were spUpuUy filtepn, trusting hnplicitly to the \utiUnw of the sentinel posted on <&n cl«^ tion commandrng a view of Hij countrj- aroun-d. Tho sontrj was net trite hiss ti*i et, and instead keeping overy sensw alert, he "ston£ at ease," perhaps dnbaiuiing 1 of Ui, loved ones left in the Homeland <n^ thoseti^ That -was his lass dr%fc^ on- eartib.— a Maori tonmhuwk cru(kt4 into h-is bruin ami silenced hint in;-* ever* Iho Maoris then encircled tli^ guard tent and, whtii ctose, rushii^ upon it, and with their totnohtyfa,. sln.shedl ",at every movement igufcr them.* Tho little boy bugler eruwlei^, out from under the tent, and sprjig. ing; tohisii-ct, wai noumlrng "ife alarm," wben rf Maori cut his foijgfe arm otl with, a tomahawk. WitAont* hesitation the brave l>oy stoom^ ami seoztivg the 4>uglo with hi| l«(i hand, again essayed to do his«datjr, but it was his owii "last |w6t" /J» sounded, for the -Maoris touiahiim dt^scentling upon his head seat "Mai to await tho great "Hu^aHle^,' The other incUlcnt oc<-i^i| «t Waitana, from which a d&o^ot reocwl.ts extended at intervals lO^»> I'ukerangiora Pah, near which ft»f Maoris were strongly cntrewho(> *|fe Te Arci Pah. The Uuecn's tr^p occupied these retloublts, and M|f [ patiently sapping the intervals W tweon to seize Te Arei Pah. K«^ ana morning the Maoris attemjl^ to take No. 3 Uedoubt by slorigl and succeeded in surmoimtin^ mg rampiarts, from •whence thi>x-» «w> shooting dowTi the garrison v.tMir Tthe officer in command, realiciitglti^ critical position, ordert-;! his U\qfS to sound the regimental call of t*T ; Vegiiment guarding tho ncighl ourhif? redoubt. Tho call was ur/Uwitwt' andj reimforoements came. Mcoawlijp tho Maoris pressed the), attack u# rushed upon the soldiers. Ont -it' tihom received a l|ayonet Umnt 4 throu^fht hia .breast, but .vctzLifr th»» soMitr's musket with his -th-r tniA^ he forced the bayonet further through bis chest i» his fierco enioa^our $ leach his enemy with his t»initia«fc When tho Maoris observed "bey *^ being surrcn&ided Jiy th») frtnfof^ nnnta they endeavoured io rctifrf takiny with them their dead ij^* wounOod and witti them our brom hero with the soUdicrs fbfayonet id# liody. Netther of the combatMP would quit his hold of the muatPt but th© soldier, finding -him*Hf dragged away by the retreating lip oris^ at lasU let 'go. -This MaoriJ% covered from hifi wou,nds, and aftj^ the war, was often seenj in Xew ttfe mo'Jth, where he would launtall0 r and proudly show the cicatrice .if the wound "of the bayonet on |»|. chest and back.. At this enpl^ ment, and n't Mahoctahi, the Hl^ oris f 'ho wed conspicuous bravery M^ the open and lost heavily. 'L* : Surely, with the lapse of time, jQj^ only feelings left are of respect fajrj& brave people, who,, after all, <Pf fought after their native nuamtfrt.* defence of their hameland. Woultf Kj ■not, therefore, " *>c a graceful •■ conciliatory act, soothing to ,*£», feelings of a fjno race, were »c •jjr^ to include them in whatever *"*jl' we may undertake to i*erpetu»t»|pj| memorj- of the dead ? (To be Continued.)