OLDEST VISITOR.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18671, 21 April 1926, Page 11

OLDEST VISITOR.

CRIMEAN .VETERAN, AT DUNEDIN EXHIBITION, " I Met and honoured as tho oldest visitor, Mr James Crawford, of Naseby, 96 years of age, spent a day at tlw Dunedin, Exhibition recently. He toured the pavilions and inspected the exhibits, and'also epent some exciting! moments, on some.of; jthe amusement devices. .Tho Exhibition '&' elderly visitor, was born in: Scotland, and when still a boy went to sea ou a merchant ship. While with that service he sailed eight- times up the Mediterranean, gaining ariose and intimate knowledge of the Eastern countries. In 3850 he joined the Navy, and after a period of training on tho old-Victory lie was transferred to -a man-o '-war brig. Then came tho Crimean AVar. Mr Crawford left for Malta on the steam man-o'-war Tiger, and afterwards joined the Trafalgar. This was considered a super-battleship —one of the largest in tho British Fleet, and it carried a crew of 1400 men and many troops lip tho Black Sea to the war zone. ' ' "I was fortunate in beingNtransferred.to the Trafalgar," said the veteran, ''as, shortly.afterwards the Tiger whs wrecked on a rocky coast at Odessa. The Cossacks. Bwarmed down the hills, firing; as they came, and the whole of tho crew was t taken prisoners." ' Mist Florence Nightingale. . Throughout the. war Mr Crawford remained on the Trafalgar, which took part in the. tfhe ship's company was attacked with cholera in the Black Sea, and 101 died, iif three days,"but he came through the wholo v campaign safely, and on the return of the ship to Portsmouth throe medals struck to commemorate tho campaign were pinned on his breast by Queen - Victoria. These lie .wore, and they have always remained amongst his most cherished possessions. "At Constantinople I saw Miss Florence Nightingale,", he. continued. "Do I remember her"clearly? , Well, ,1, should say so, .even though it is long ago/ and I was very young. At the timo l was what;waa known as sidejboy,; and my duties included looking after the ladders on the•'. side 'of the ship when visitors were coming aboard, y "At the time there were many stories of Lady of ■ the Lamp,' and the wonderful work she and Her companion •nurses were doing amongst j the ■ "sick and iwounded, and under the bad conditions ,that prevailed. Ships' companies talked about her, and /the troops worshipped her. ' '.'lt was Christmas Bay, ' and_ we heard that Miss Nightingale .was ex'pected on board f to make an inspection ofvthe ship. When she, arrived I : helped her up the ladders and on to ■ quiet, kindly woman, with a heart of gold." Early Dunedin. ,lir 1856, Mr. Crawford. sailed from Aberdeen on the ship Lochiel, landing in Victoria, but after four years he continued on to New Zealand, landing | in- Dunedin in ■ October, 1861, from the third ship that had up to that time left Melbourne for the southern part'of New Zealand. ...... "There were three hotels in Dunedin then, but it was a very small place," ;he added. "I was passing down the street shortly, after my arrival when I, saw two men trying to put up a post at the corner. I helped them with it, iand. between the three of us we got it into position. That, I dis-> covered, was . the first lamp-post ,to be erected in Dunedin.

J'Then I joined the gold rush to the Central,,and after many years on the fields there I settled in. Naseby, where I havo remained to this day. I regard the wonderful climate of Naseby, or.fHogburu' as I know it, as the.chief reason for my good. health and longevity." - '' -Then, in conclusion, Mr Crawford gave his impressions of the Exhibition. / . "It is a grand affair," was his simple tribute. "I am very interested in the Band of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, for I saw many of the -Men i of. the original regiment on the ;Crimeaj and helped to nurse those who -were stricken with cholera. The British Court is my favourite, aiid the jaiWels f of•'the men-of-war of past days interest'mo greatly."