A CRIMEAN VETERAN

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 296, 10 September 1926, Page 9

A CRIMEAN VETERAN

4 DEATH OF AN INKERMAN

- HERO There passed away at his home at Hataitai on Tuesday a Crimean veteran, Captain Joseph Hyde, who had reached the age of 95 years. Born at Woolwich on June 23, 1831, Captain Hyde became an artilleryman, and served in the Crimean War, and took an active part in winning the battle of Inkerman. Things were going badly for the British forces, when Lord Raglan remembered the existence of two long 18-pounder .guns which had lately arrived from England. These were cast-iron smooth-bore guns of over 20 calibre, and fired solid shot and shell. Captain Hvde worked one of these guns, which from the moment of opening fire completely outclassed the Russian artillery, wiping out whole gun detachments, and completely silencing batteries. The Crimean War was fought from 1854 to 1856, and when his service as a non-commissioned officer expired, the late Mr. Hvde came to New Zealand as a field artillery instructor J with the rank of sergeant-major) in 1876; superannuated from that service, he went to live in Nelson, and became Captain of “H” Battery, N.Z.F.A.; then, his volunteer service being ended by age, he retired to Wellington, where he has resided for some fifteen years. Captain Hyde leaves a widow and eight surviving daughters, also five stepchildren; in the third generation there are 22 grandchildren; m the fourth, 49 great-grandchildren. All live in New Zealand, which has been Captain Hyde’s country since 1876. . The veteran will be buried at Karon cemetery at 11 a.m. to-day with mintary and Masonic, honours