AN ADVENTUROUS LIFE.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20550, 19 May 1932, Page 12

AN ADVENTUROUS LIFE.

* DEATH OF A PIONEER. MEMORIES OF CRIMEAN WAR. Memories of tlie Crimean War and tho China "War of 1857-8 were held by Mr Frederick James Lawrence, aged 91, sfn early settlor in New Zealand, who. died at Newstead, Hamilton, on Saturday. ' Mr Lawrence was born at Southampton on Christmas Day, 1840, being one of a family of 21. At the age of 13 lie was sent to sea on a collier. At this time the Crimean War was in progress and the Government chartered the collier to take stores to Sebastopol and to bring back prisoners. On arrival there the collier lay in the roadstead out of range of the guns, and the prisoners wore brought off to her by H.M.S, Fury. i,lr Lawrence was present when the last shot was fired in the Crimean War, and saw the Bussian flag pulled down from the fort at Sebastopol and replaced by the Union Jack and the French Tricolour. Mr Lawrence then joined the Navy, in which ho served for oVer four, years. lie received his training on Nelson's ship, the Victory, joining hor at Portsmouth in 1856. He . went to China on H.M.S. Fury and later joined H.M.S. Elk, the only sailing-ship in the fleet. The Elk was at that time commanded by Captain Hamilton, who was later killed at Gate Pa. Mr Lawrence was in several engagements, including the bombardment and capture of the city of Canton, the second time the city was taken. During the war there was very little sickness in the fleet, but no sooner was peace proclaimed than cholera and various kinds of fever broke out. Arrival* in New Zealand. Mr Lawrence was among half a dozen men on tho ship who did not become ill. The vessel was ordered to the Australian station, which included New Zealand* and when it arrived at Auckland in 1859 Mr Lawrence left the service. His first work was as a farm hand at Big Muddy Creek, on 'the property, which was then owned by Mr Henry Smithers,.and is now known as "Laingholm." Ho spent throe years there, jartly on the farm but mostly on tho river with his cutter, the Water Lily. When the Maori War broke out Mr Lawrence joined Captain F. M. P.; Brookfield's company of Onehunga volunteers. A month later lie joined the Third Waikato Regiment, his first share in the war being at Kennedy's farm at Clevedon, where two of the sons of Mr Trust, the manager of the farm, were shot by the Maoris. Mr Lawrence later joined a boat corps which had been formed for the work of delivering supplies at thecamps all the way up the river as. far as Mercer, but aftet the fall of Orakau he returned to the forces, joining No. 6 Company, with headquarters at Cambridge. It was at Pukekura redoubt that the company met with disaster. The redoubt was set on fire by a soldier It happened that the magazine was' to windward, but the rest of. the hutments were totally destroyed. An Exciting Period. Mr Lawrence settled at Cambridge, whert he married. Shortly afterward the Maoris made a raid on the district mid tho Lawrence family was awakened at dead of night by a Miss O'Neil, daughter of a neighbour. Tho women and children were hurried into Cambridge but Mr O'Neil and Mr Lawrence, in spite of orders to the contrary cut a tunnel into a patch of corse' near the house and rigged up a tent. Every morning a party of cavalrv rode round to make sure that there were no Maoris lurking in the vicinity, and on one occasion a tropper fired at Mr Lawrence where he was hidden near his tent, mistaking him for a Maori. The Maoris were eventually quietened by Mr James Maekie, who entered into a pact With the famous Bewi Maniapoto, who guaranteed that there should be no more attacks. After many othe,r exciting adventures with hostile Maoris in the Cambridge district Mr Lawrence moved to the Te Aroha goldfield, where he opened dining rooms. At the conclusion of the gold rush he spent 11 years on the land at Herekino, and during that period was three times elected as a the representative .of the Whangapehi Biding on the Hokianga County Council. Over 30 years ago the family went to Auckland, and Mr Lawrence established I an orchard at Henderson. He later lived at Onehunga. He is survived by his wife, wlio is aged 86, and. four children.