PERSONAL ITEMS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 15896, 9 May 1917, Page 8

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Private information has been received that Private W. J. Guy of Fernside, who left with tho 4tli Reinforcement, is returning to New Zealand wounded.

Mr John Williams, of Maronan, Ashburton, has received a cablo message from his son, Private C. S. Williams, stating that he is returning New Zealand. Private Williams left with tho 7th Reinforcements, and has been wounded on two occasions The Acting-Prime Minister (Sir James Allen) is expected to arrive in Christchurch to-day, having been called as a witness by P. C. Webb. M.P., in the charge against him which comes before tho Magistrate's Court this moraine. There arc not a great number of people who can lay claim to forty years' scrvicc as church organist, and yet this fine record has been put up at St. George's Church, Patca, byMrs Horner, wifo of Mr Horner, the clerk of the, Patca County Council. Mr Selwyn Joyce, son of the lato Mr Jolni Joyce, for many years member of Parliament f°r Lyttclton, has arrived in Auckland, having spent about 14 years in America, where ho was engaged in journalistic and theatrical work. Mr Joyce served in the first, seventh, and eighth New Zealand Contingents in the Boer War, holding com. missions in the latter two, and his purpose in returning is to. join the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Archdeacon Grace, of Nelson,_ has received a cable message announcing that his eldest son, Captain lluinphrey Grace, who is serving with tho Indian Army in Mesopotamia, has been awarded the Military Cross. Capt. Grace, who is an old Nelson College boy, was granted a commission in the British Army from Nelson College in 1904, and in 1905 he qualified for the Indian Staff Corps. In 1908 he saw active service with the. Indian Army against the Zakw'j rebels. Capt. Grace's regiment was the first to enter Bagdad when it- was token by our forces recently .

Information has been received that, Sergeant TI. Ellen, of Kaiapoi, .will shortly arrive in the Dominion to receive a commission. Sergeant Ellen, who was wool buyer for the Kaiapni Woollen Company, left with the sth Reinforcements (Infantry), going direct to Gallipoli, and seeing sen-ice there. Contracting -gastritis, he was invalided to Malta and England. On recoverin<'*ho rejoined his company in Egypt and proceeded with it to France, where he has been up to the present. He t-oik part in the memorable, battle of the Somme, and was awarded the Military Modal, and shortly .afterwards recommended for a commission.

Lieutenant Len. Hill, who has just, received his conimifsion, was ono of thr. first men in Southland to volunteer for the front. He left with the Main Body and served throughout the Gallipoli campaign, Egypt, and France, without suffering a wound. He was attached to tho Machine Gun Section, and recently passed a very high examination in that department, qualifving him as an instructor. A brother. Private H. Hill, is also at the front. The faniilv has the military in stinct strongly develops!. Lieutenant Hill's father (Mr A. G. Hill? of portL was n guide to von Temnsky in the Maori War. and Mrs Hill lived in a redoubt in the Waikato during the troublous times of the early days.

Captain It. D. Hardio, of Palmerstor. North, who has been promoted to the rank of major, left Now Zealand (says the "Manawatu Standard") as a lieutenant- in the 2nd Reinforcements, and was advance transport officer to the V.'tihi'gtO'i Infantry. He participated in the Canal fight, and went through the GallipoH campaign from the landing. On going to France he was in tbo Somme offensive, and gained his captaincy during- that time, and was appointed to the command of the New Zealand Machine Gun Section at Grantham, England, where he was in chnrgc of 3 company of officers and 200 *men, besides a reinforcement of 300 men.' Maior Hardio is now in command of No. 4 Machine Gun Company, nnd recent letters from "Somewhere in Belgium" that ho and his gunners arc well within the fighting zone.