BATTLE-SCARRED TARANAKI.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 406, 15 January 1909, Page 6

BATTLE-SCARRED TARANAKI.

iiiiMoft pi* ySrifeAJJs.

PATHETIC THiS (DEJdUfBRYi

XsS&CIVti6S:V

V w ;' .> >:: ' iiew?: t'llJfTiquth, ■ lii.' ; was.'a jimique gathering:at[ the Cfill Hall/last s nigllt-:'w|en ;i a i idiflirer, s .aid- social gathpring ,",t6,. celebratd; .the.'. Bftieth' d.mjiTersary of-the fdrraatipaof..the : Tatanaki Rifles took place; ;:The function..was .largely- at.tended; anibng.tnpse.present,being-some who weire members .of the ■ it via originally fprin.ed/.Totekns who saw service with' the'., militia during the Maori' trouble) the. members of the South • Afr icati,' contingonls, the Borough Gouncil,;and citizens, in-, teresied: in the V,^volunteer. jiiovemfenfc : f£e .Taranaki Ri|l?s'n|ve, a hiatpr.y of which any: company.' lnight jnstlf' .feel, proud, and. "it ,vras fitting that its jubilee .should; be : marj£ed by: so. niembrable a.. gathering: • v. She. original .members : ,ot the ;Ilifles:'begaii their drill .'und.er Major.Lloyd ■ in: i§sß, but"it was ; not• until the following year that -the cbiiipiiny : .\Vos- actually,-, proclaimed. . t .By ,60'nim'encing drill .-.lit 'SSj. Tajahalci was.the .first province: Zealand to-- mqve..in,thb, matter raising'it. volunteer coi'pSj liufcj .iii:the intervening months tb-'SS, Auclvland foliowedj aiid : _t6; the. latter proyiiice belbilgs the ;ais-; tiiicjipn of hav.ihg the first ofiiciSlly proclaimed; :..-,.; :.-■' .. .' . . .•.

. Prior to the cohVniericenient of the .feast! list,: Bugler Gkey sounded .the.. old , bugfe tall of 'tho companyj '.after."which Captain Bellringer. read the original roll callj whioli Wfts dilswSfed.by fdlltoihg:—LieirMaht St'Kellaf; Cerpof-ai Beftradd, Dftiranier tiafrreilcg; Privites Bayly, BlaBk;■ Ckrf ick, Kelly, Mdsseiigeri alorsliead,, atid Webster. . Apblijkies had .been frbiii : Sefgeailt Freß, Priyateg &. ■'■%< Curtis- R. N. Greeiifrbod, !f. '.Viale-j and Cajjtaiii .Standish., .fhe veterans present were edcli • gfeebed : w'ith h6ifty plause; asthe^-rose in aiiswbf to their llaineS. : There.was. a laifgeiiiid represeiltative gatlij-' eriiig; of, iniUtary. hieli, including Cslohei bblim; C;B.,' Who, replying to.the toast; Army.aivd'.Navyy , said, that the ausi= iiai-y fdrfces anil rdluntbers in; Mw Zealand were a grbat.-deal ihbre efficient, than the geiißfal public gave. them :bffedit: far. beilig. Jiist as; fifty years. ijrb, it '■ wds said that Tafaiiaki ;was . aßfeiiocleSs;'-. they .we're often told, that Nbw Zealand .was defcMßless, day, but".sßould;..the.call cbinp, again, as it luighf atfd. probably, would;. Taranaki volUb.'' tbei-s: and volunteer . corps IhfouglioUt ". the trfipire, wbtiid'■ ferovej as the. .Tafaiiaki teSrs aid; fifty years ago', :that 'thfey Mie. able tb defend their cbuLitty. ■::■'. : ~' . the. toloUitof .the\eld CblrtJS, jirimus' in afmis, :tte;.Rl&eSi whidb 1M b|eu the firs'V .Voltinfeeef cbiiipaiiy in, the '_ ehgag'ed .mi active sefVitte,, occupied' a' p : rbniihent pbsi-. tioii.indefibfatibris-. ;,..-• ' ■ ;-- . \ ■

Olie df topmost gatheMe eefe'&dnjes that evef had beeli witness in Nfefr I'ljrliibuth took bldcS this :af teriiodii; . when tiio r'eiiiaiu.s 6f twefity-brie of .Tariii&lu's" early settlers, inilitia;and. r'Sgti lats— jneii who took-jjart,in flliibri Wars and several- of whoni were. killed in action—fterd i-efnbved frbiii the eld Cafchdi Sic burial; ground in. the centre .of the town,, where, they '.had-',reposed: for the. last halfcentury, \to Tβ fiehui Ceinetery for reinterfuent. The bodies were identified by the iiame-plates, 'Stc., -whlfeii were.Jii." a gbod' state of. pfes&rvntibhV Many ■ of> the bouiei! still shbwe'd tbtiiahawlf arid i bullet, wouiida received iii battle at .the AVairau mafcsabre . aiid ai. tlie battle of "n'aiMkd. . : ■ ; ~ ■