“A PROUD CHARGE”

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 46, 18 November 1929, Page 12

“A PROUD CHARGE”

REGIMENTAL COLOURS “LAID UP” AT ST. PAUL’S J Impressive in its symbolism was the ceremony at St. Paul’s Pro-Cathedral yesterday of the “laying up” of the old colours of the Ist Battalion, Wellington Regiment. These were the colours that stood for patriotism, duty, loyalty, and honour. They had flown for years above a unit of the army of the Empire, andfor them had men been ready to fight to the last ditch and lay down their lives if need be. The arrangements for the ceremony were the means of bringing to light a colour of which the existence was unknown to the regiment, and this was yesterday laid up with the later colours. It was, it appears, presented to the Wellington Rifle Volunteers, by the ladles of Thorndon to the No. 1 Company, Wellington Rifle Volunteers, on February 25, 1864. The officers of the company at that time were Captain A. A. G. Pllmer, Lieutenant E. W. Mills, and Ensign W. H. Holmes, a well-known schoolmaster of that day. The Wellington Rifles then consisted of one company, and on their disbandment the colour was handed to the late E. W. Mills, then captain of the company, by, whom it was passed on to his son, Mr. J. F. Mills, of Karori, who asked that it be laid up. with the old colours, which were presented later. 4 Order of Ceremony. At 10 a.m. a guard of 100 rank and file drawn from all four companies of the battalion, assembled under the command of Captain L. J. Macalister, M.C., and accompanied by the regimental band, escorted the old and new colours to St. Paul’s Pro-Cathedral. The ceremony was the sequel to the previous display of time-honoured military pageantry when the Mayoress of Wellington (Mrs. G. A. Troup), on behalf of the ladles of Wellington, presented the Ist Battalion of the regiment with the new stand of colours, after the ceremony of trooping the colours had been performed. As Is the custom in the .army, the old,colours are placed for safe keeping in a church. In this case the old colours were presented to the Ist Battalion, Wellington Rifle Volunteers (the predecessors of the Wellington Regiment) by Mrs. Samuel Brown, Mayoress of Wellington, on behalf of the ladies of Wellington on June 23, 1887—42 years ago. Final Salute. On the arrival of the guard, with band and colours, opposite St. Paul’s, the old colours were marched off for the last time and received the salute of the guard. The guard then entered the Church grounds and piled arms, and filed into i the church porches, preceded by the old and new colours. St. Paul’s choir then took up a position in the nave of the church, and followed by the vicar and the curate, the two churchwardens, the commanding officer, the second in command of the battalion with the senior company commander, the old and the new colours, the guard, and the balance of the officers, passed up tile have in procession to the chancel steps. After the choir and clergy had taken up their allotted positions, and the guard and had been seated, the old colours were handed over by the subalterns carrying them: the old King’s colour to the commanding officer (Lieut.-Col. Saunders. D. 5.0., V.D.), the old regimental colour to the second in command (Major F. E, Greenish, M.C., V.D.), and the old colour presented to the Wellington Volunteer Rifles in 1860 to Major D. C. Armstrong M.C. Preceded by the churchwardens, these officers then took up the colours as far as the communion rail and handed them to the clergy, the King’s colour to the vicar (Canon P. James), the regimental colour to the curate (Rev; H. W. Parker), and the 1860 colour to the Rev. H. E. K. Fry (vicar of St. Mark’s), the Commanding Officer saying, “Sir, I commit these colours into your charge until such time as they may be further required.” The vicar, after pronouncing a Benediction over the colours, handed them to the churchwardens (Messrs. H. D. Bennett and A. J. Curtis), who, with Colonel G. F. C. Campbell, a member of tpe vestry, took them to the position in the church which they are to occupy, where two Boy Scouts assisted in putting them into place. After the new colours had been laid against the lectern, the officers taking part in the ceremony and the colour parties took their.seats and the service continued.

Significance of Colours. In his address the vicar said the colours would be a proud and ■ precious charge until they were removed to the permanent cathedral to be one day raised in Wellington. They would serve as impressive remembrances of days that were past. They would help to keep before them that they were citizens of a city that had played no unworthy part in the glorious history of this young Dominion. They spoke of our privilege and position in the. British Commonwealth of Nations. The colours were symbolic and every symbol carried a message. The search for the origin of the Wellington Regiment took them back to the days of colonisation in these islands. The regiment was to be; traced through the Volunteers, who made themselves ready as far as they could for the day of their country’s need. After dealing with the performances.of the regiment and the history of the colours, the speaker said that the cross on the colours was the Christian Cross. Patriotism was something more than submission to authority; it was enthusiastic readiness to discharge the duty which the country had the right to demand. International good-will lay through nationalism. The regimental colours symbolised personal obligation to our country, which was a fundamental in any conception of citizenship. In regard to the peace of the world, the causes of war still remained. Honour came first with nations, as with men, and religion was not merely a religion of peace and gentleness, but a religion of justice and sacrifice. A strong public opinion in this country desired efficiency in what was properly called the defence measures in New Zealand, so that in the event of war every able-bodied man in the Dominion should find himself trained and ready. He received the colours praying that they might renew and intensify the high devotion to Dominion and Empire, and inspire us to give freely to patriotic service, which would make New Zealand strong, secure, peaceable and prosperous, bringing the people together in common loyalty and true brotherhood.

The guard was under the command of Captain L. J. Macalister, M.C., and he had with him Lieut. C. D. A. George. The old colours were carried by Lieuts. J. B. Thorp and F. D. Hamilton, while Lieut. R. J. Wells carried the IS6O colour. The new colours were borne by Second Lieut. 11. Williams and Lieut. G. D. L. Lawn. Among those who were present were

General R. Young, C. 8., C.M.G., D. 5.0.; Commodore Geoffrey Blake, C. 8., D. 5.0., R.N.; Brigadier S. Burgess, C. 8., C.M.G., D. 5.0.; Lieutenant I. T. Standish, D. 5.0.; Colonel W. H. Cunningham, D. V.D.; Captain L. H. Andrew, V.C.; Captain F. E. Dornwell; Major E. F. J. Reeves, M.C., Major ami Quartermaster T. J. L. Buxton, V.D., Captains Suttcliffe, J. V. M. Canty, M.M., A. C. W. Mantell-Harding, and D. M. Thompson. Lieuts. A. H. Gorton, M.M., J. H. Torlesse. A. Macdonald. W. C. O. Wade, A. T. M. Scott and T. Love.