THE HONOURED DEAD.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 408, 18 January 1909, Page 6

THE HONOURED DEAD.

PATHETIC CEREMONY. AT. TE HENUI. REMOVAL OF SOLDIERS' REMAINS. Last Friday afternoon, the remains of soldiers and others who have lain so long in the Courtenay or Eliot Street Cemetery at New Plymouth were transferred to, the Te Henui cemetery. There was : a large attendance of. veterans, besides; others. The work of exhuming the bodies occupied several days. ' The remains of twenty-one persons were recovered. Much care was,exercised by the squad of workmen engaged. In several of the graves the coffin-plates, with •' the inscriptions, moro or: less intact, were discovered. The identity of several of the soldiers'who fell in the war or those who were massacred; by the Natives was made known by. the disfigurement of the skulls. Several were exhumed the. identity of which could not be traced Old residents who were present at the funerals are divided in opinion as" to the places in which the remains of particular: persons were interred.. The coffins had long since fallen into decay. Identification. The remains were -those; of. the following-.— . . ." •' ■ • '•' •; ■'•■-■■■ ■' Coffin No. I.—E. Casey and three others, unknown. '...'.■■'.'■ - '■"'■■' : Coffin No.-2.—Arthur. Hassett,'died May 22, 1859, aged 31 years; Patrick Scully, died March 22, 1862, aged 26.years. ; ; Three others —no records.' -'. '-~. Coffin No. 3.—Surgeon ' M'Andrew, ' 57th Regiment, died September 21, 1861; "aged 38;- Sergeant- PeterFahey,',-late '65th Regiment and Taranaki.Militia, first-man to'fall in action (shot through forehead) at battle of Waireka, March 28, 1S60;~ Private John Flynn, :'s7th Regiment,: aged 45, killed at •Wairau (Taranaki) massacrei May 4, 1863; Private Patrick, M'Carthy, 57th Regiment, aged 27, killed at Wairau massacre, May 4, 1863; Private Edward'Kelly, 57th Regiment, killed at Wairau massacre, May 4,' 1863. Coffin No. 4.—Private Connell, 57th' Regiment, died March 6, 1862,- aged 25,' death from natural causes; Private John'M'Quir'e; died, July 17, .1861; aged 21 years; Private M'Laughlan,. 65th Recimeht,' died May 5, 1862, aged 29 years; W. Taylor, 1 ho records, and three.others unknown. '. -. v ■.♦■'■■■' At Te Henui. The coffin's were placed "on the hearse and the cortege proceeded to Te Henui Cemetery. The veterans; under the command of Captain A. Standish, fell in behind.ithe hearse in twos. .'Vehicles, horsemen, and, pedestrians followed. 'Arrived at the cemetery, the veterans acted as bearers. They appeared to be deeply affected as they bowed their hoary heads over the remains' of .their fallen 7 comrades*,' Som e; of the veterans present had: participated in the fights which had laid low the comrades the remains of whom they wero placing in their last resting-place.' There were those present who had seen active ser-vice-in .other, Taranaki and New Zealand fights, ..while some of. them had> seen -active service in the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, and other history-making campaigns. Dean M'Kenna ; officiated at the'graveside, the service being of an impressive nature. ■ -~.;■... ; Tribute to the Departed. -:■ After .the-service'the Dean: paid, a- tribute to the memory of the departed .soldiers,; who had, .in; the, execution of. their, duties,. given 'theirslive'B in the.cause of-, liberty for ..the land, in: which so Jmuch' freedom was now enjoyed. He, .also: referred in terms -of eulogy to the splendid character of that self-sacrificing,' noble priest associated 'with the Taranaki the Rev. Father Hollands. He had often met the Rev. Father, who;'he said, was loud.in praise of the splendid fighting qualities and endurance of the soldiers and ...early pioneers 'who had fought for their homes and existence in the' -troublous times; The' Dean outlined the manner 'in which funds'had been secured for .the removalof the remains to. Te Henui Cemetery. He then ■invited any of -the veteransito make- any 'remarks appropriate to the occasion;. '■■'..'■ .".' .'■'..-•. A Scarred Veteran. . Bugler J. Hv Walker,'of Waitara,'stated that he had known the Rev. Father' Hollands intimately,' and' regretted that that, great- : hearted, man. could-not,have been present/to take part in the day's ceremony. No matter what the .creed of a fallen soldier, Father Rollands.was always ready to minister'to. his spiritual' wants. 'There, was nothing, the speaker'regretted more, than, the loss', of a prayer-book given to him by Father Hollands m 1868,. after the fight at Te'Ngutu-o-te-Manu. .Walker" and the rev..gentleman were present at this memorable' and disastrous hght where!von. Tempsky and many other brave officers and men; bit'the',.dust, and Walker still 'bears a : 'deep mark across' the back of 'his head that was. the result of a blow dealt by' a : Native' with the' stock of'a rifle. , In fact, Walker would'; have lost his lif& but for the fact that Corporal Lumsden shot the Native when the latter was:'in the act of giving Walker the coup:de grace.' '

Survivors Present at the Cemetery. Among the' veterans present/were the following/:— Captain .Standish,, Taranaki Rifles and vice-president Veterans, Now Plymouth; .Private T.' Allen; New .Zealand i. Volunteers, Avenue Road, New Plymouth;' Private" W. Billing,' New Zealand; Volunteers, New Plymouth; 'Private/T. Furlong, 57th Regiment, .full, honours Crimean war, Now Plymouth;. Sergeant Duffin, late'. 67th, Regiment, four medals; and\threevclasps,' Balaclava,; Inkerman,, and,- Sevastopol, New/Plymouth; Private ■■"W. King,, late 65th Regiment, New Plymouth: Private T: New -Zealand Militia, New Plymouth; Private C. Honeyfield,. Taranaki: Volunteers. New Plymouth; Bugler; J. ,H. Walker,, Wellington Rifles and Kaiwarra Volunteers,- Wellington; 'Lieutenant M. Carrick, Taranaki Volunteers, New Plymouth; Colour-Sergeant G. Bertrand, Taranaki - Volunteers, Urenui; Sergeant W. H. Free, Taranaki:.Volunteers',". New 'Plymouth: Captain T.: Wilson. Taranaki Militia, New- Plymouth;. Coroporal ,W.~ Bell, 21st Hussars, ■ New Plymouth; Private Way, 70th ■Regiment, New Plymouth: Private E. T. Morshead, 'Taranaki Volunteers, New Plymouth; Private M'Gillicuddy, 57th. Regiment, New Plymouth; Sergeant W. H.Pearn, Taranaki Volunteers, New. Plymouth: Private Moon, Taranaki Volunteers, New. Plymouth; Private Northcote, Taranaki, -Volunteers, New Plymouth; Private T. Langman,-Tara-naki Volunteers, Waitara; Private 1 J. Kenyon, Taranaki - Volunteers, New "Plymouth; Private R. ■ Langman, Taranaki Volunteers, ..-New- , Plymouth;;. Lieutenant J. C.M)avies, Taranaki Volunteers, New- Plymouth; .Private C. P. Crawford, Taranaki Militia, , New Plymouth; Bugler J. Mynott, 43rd Regiment, New Plymouth; Captain J. Black, Taranaki Volunteers ■ and secretary ;• Veterans' - Association, 'New Plymouth; Lieutenant R. Wells, Taranaki Volunteers, Waitara; John Stapleton, A;C, New Plymouth.' •' ,-■ -'■■ " The Wairau Massacre. ! ■ It-will ho 'doubt be of interest, (says the "Taranaki Horald") to refer.briefly to the Wairau massacre. The ". Herald "of May 8, 1863, in its "Journal of Events," said:— Monday, May 4, 1863: This day will be as long remembered as Tuesday, March 27, 1860, when five of'our- settlers were shot down and tomahawked while peaceably following their several vocations on /the: Omata Road.' Today we have to chronicle the murder of eight niore of our under,'circumstances as horrible.as those which attended the death of Messrs. Ford, Shaw, Passriiore, and the two little.boys.. At.about 10 o'clock this morning .the inhabitant's of Now Plymouth were thrown into a state of great excitement by the, arrival ii> ; town of Ropata Ngarorigomate from Poutoko. with tho intelligence that the .Natives had "attacked' a party'.-'of the; 57th Regiment on .their way to town from Tataraimaka.'. The /general, who was on' his way to/Poutoko .'with ;Coional Warro, and who mot Ropata, hastened oh; and was soon after followed by the Governor,and his Excellency had not long left town when his A.D.C., Captain Bulkeloy; galloped back to announce to the Colonial Secretary that several soldiers had been. shot. . .. / Tho excitement of tho townspeople ■ reachedits height when confirßiatory tidings, came in town by more than' one horseman on reeking horses that no fewer than six men and two

officers had been waylaid.arid shot down by an ambuscade of Natives on the beach nea» Wairau, between the Oakura River and thV Tataraimaka Block. Some time elapsed.be- ; fore particulars of the murder reached tewrij' and we gathered the following, which wo believe to be reliable:—A party of, the Commissariat ' Transport Corps with' two • drays and twelve, bullocks with supplies wer« on their 'way. to Tataraimaka, and ' ing crossed the Oakura River, heard the report, of. a-volley, of. small arms, and saw the smoke of the pieces some halfmile before them. They saw.that'a party of soldiers, and;.two horsemen (who proved to be officers) were attacked, and saw somo of them fall, when they doned their carts and hastened back" to the Poutoko and-gave information of what they had seen... Captain Short with a party of 3Q' men only from the Redoubt at Poutoko' wer« the first to, arrive at the' spot, followed shortly afterwards by Colonel Warre, and it' was their mournful task to gather the bodies of the following officers arid men, savagely murdered:—Assistant-Surgeon Hone, M.P., 1 and Lieutenant T.: H. Tragett, 'Colour-Ser-geant Samuel Filers, Sereeant Sarmiel Hill, m I a * e ,\ Ke,l - V > J - Bartholomew (Patrick) Macarthy, and W. Banks, all of the 57th Regiment. l . .. • • •-.; •>The party was, escorting a prisoner, tha man named Wm. Banks (alreadv mentioned), for court-martial to New Plymouth, and knowing nothing ofjthe warnings which had been given .to-.-'.the- Government that 'the .Natives hacf.laid ambuscades, they-marched on regardless of danger. The officers passed the proceeded at a : walking pace about two hundred yards in advance, halting at the \\ airau Stream to allow the , party' to come. up. , .As ihe: party approached a shot was. suddenly.'.fired. It was at first thousht that the party had;discharged the shot by accident,, but. they, were quickly undeceived When a second, shot laid-low Colour-Sergeant Ellers, and-immediatelv after .Sergeant Hill fell. .Simultaneously the : whnle. party, with the exception of Private F. Kelly, was laid low. ■ -.". . -.. ".- : ■ .-'.-• Private. Kelly's '.statement ', as telegraphed to the "Herald", from Tataraimaka was as follows:—"I was;one of the escort that left Tataraimaka'.', .Whence, got to''the Wairau Streamwe were fired at from the scrub about twenty-vards from ns. Dr. Hope and Sergeants Ellers and Hill fell. Returned fire and extended. We were the'n surrounded by. 'about thirty' Maoris- At last onlv three of ns left alive.. Went to the sandhill with i flag of truce; .no-notice takeri.of.it. Came backfound Mr. Tragett "dead and Priyate>Kelly badly wounded;' Retired firing, followed some distance by the Maoris. Hid, and was picked up by the party from Tataraimaka;" '••:'■".'V