NINETY YEARS OLD TO-DAY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 120, 18 February 1928, Page 9

NINETY YEARS OLD TO-DAY

MR. EDWIN BEZAR

A well-known Maori war veteran, Mr. Edwin Bezar, celebrates his ninetieth birthday to-day. Mr. Bezar was born in England in IS3S and joined his county regiment (the Ist Wiltshires) in 1855, arriving at a depot in Ireland three days before his 17th birthday. Twejve days later he marched out for foreign service in the Crimea, where he spent the winter. In March, 1856, he was transferred to the 57th “Diehards,” and shortly after left for Malta. In September, 1857, with 200 of his regiment, he proceeded, in plain clothes, to Aden, where a Sepoy regiment was- becoming restless. The following year he had a brush with the Arabs, and in 1860 joined a regiment at Poona, India. He left for New Zealand in November of that year and landed here in January,

1861, when he fought against the Maoris at Kairau. He was present at the first attack at Katikara on June 4, 1863, and at the capture of Kaitake on March 25, 1864. Mr. Bezar commanded the advance guard from New Plymouth to relieve Captain Lloyd’s party. He was also present at Kakaramea, and at the capture of the Otapawa pa in Januarv, 1866. When his regiment left for Home he took his discharge as colour-sergeant, as he had been n.c.o. through his whole period of valid service (having put in six months under age before service began to count). In September, 1868, when trouble broke out with the Natives on the West Coast, he was appointed sergeant-major of the Wanganui district, and in 1872 organised the first school cadet corps. Just about this time Mr. Bezar invented a satisfactory system of marking at target practice’, 'which was subsequently' adopted by the Defence Department. He organised’the first Maori rifle corps under volunteer regulations, and in 1881 was transferred to the Wairarapa. In 189.1 he was transferred to Dunedin, and upon his resignation in 1892 he came to Wellington, where he has resided ever since.