MEMORIAL UNVEILED

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2951, 11 December 1916, Page 7

MEMORIAL UNVEILED

aTO MAORI WAR VETERANS. By Tolegraph— Press Association. Auckland, December 10. : Tho Hon.. G. W. Russell on Saturday afternoon unveiled a memorial on the site of the Alexandra Redoubt, near Tuakau, to soldiers who fell in the Maori war. There was a large gathoring, including veterans, among whom wei'o Major Brown, who was in command of tho redoubt. Tho memorial, in tho form of an obelisk, was erected by the Government in pursuanco of tho policy of preserving as far as possihlo the nanies of votcrans. Tho neighbourhood of tho redoubt in 1863 was tho. 6cene of a. light between the Maoris and tho Sixty-Fifth Regiment, the British being ambushed by a strong body of Natives. CommanderCaptain Swift was mortally wounded, and t Lieut. Butler was wounded, hut tho soldiers' repulsed the Natives, and under tho leadership of Colour-Sergt. M'Kcnna,, retiirned with their dead and wounded to Alexandra Redoubt. For this servico M'Konna received a commission, and the Victoria Cross. In the courso of his speech the Minister referred to the good .work of Miss Statham, who, as inspector of tho Department, had visited most of the old cemotories in Auckland and Taranaki. A largo number of graves and tombstones had been renovated, and monuments erected, and public interest aroused in a number of case's. Tho task of keeping the graves renovated was undertaken by local residents. In three and a half years, since Miss Statham's appointment, tho Department of Internal Affaim had spent over £1000 on soldiers' graves.