FORMER MISSIONARY

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 16, 13 October 1933, Page 11

FORMER MISSIONARY

Rev. P. T. Williams Dead

TRIBUTES TO HIS WORK

Dominion Special Service.

Auckland, October 12,

The death occurred this morning of the Rev. Percy Temple Williams, M.A., of Paibia, at the age of 67. He was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge, and ordained in 1890. Later he came to New Zealand and was appointed to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Auckland, in 1893. In the years 1895-96 and 1899-1902 he did missionary work in Melanesia. Ills headquarters were then at Norfolk Island. Afterwards he went to the Solomon Islands, and was there until 1905, when he returned to New Zealand. He was warden of St. John’s College, Auckland, from 1906 to 1924, and was a canon of St. Mary’s Cathedral Church from 1914 to 1924. He served with the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces from 1915 to 1916.

Rev. Mr. Williams is survived by Mrs. Williams, a son, Mr. Patrick Temple Williams, of the staff of Christ’s College, and a daughter, Miss Mary Temple Williams. The Rev. Canon E. H. Strong, at Synod this afternoon, said the Rev. Mr. Williams was a missionary to the core, and had done noble work in the Pacific Islands. Almost to the end of his life letters of appreciation had come from the boys of his former Island days. He was a courageous and honest man, and one could never associate anything petty with his character. “I wish to pay a tribute to a great and splendid Christian,” said Canon Strong, “and I move that this Synod, having heard with profound regret of the death of Percy Temple Williams, priest, sometime missionary in Melanesia, warden of St. John’s College, and chaplain to the Forces, expresses its deep thankfulness to Almigthy God for bls life and ministry, and its sincere sympathy with Mrs. Williams and members of her family.”

Captain Martin Huggett

The death is reported at Auckland on Tuesday of Captain Martin Huggett, aged 84 years, a retired master mariner, who was very well known in Auckland, where he had resided for the past quarter of a century. Captain Huggett went to sea as an apprentice at an early age, and his first voyage was from England to the Black Sea. There he had the misfortune to contract fever and was put ashore, and so lost his ship; but the misfortune saved his life, for his vessel was lost on the voyage home. Captain Huggett first came to New Zealand in the Ben Venue in 1876. Having obtained his mate’s certificate, he became mate of the mission schooner Southern Cross. He remained with this vessel on her adventurous and at times romantic voyages for 23 years, and succeeded Captain Bongard as master. After he retired from the sea, Captain Huggett took up fruit farming at Henderson for a time, but in 1908 he joined the staff of the Customs Department on the Auckland waterfront. He was a familiar and popular figure there until his retirement a few years ago. Captain Huggett is survived by a son, Mr. Clivo Huggett, of Palmerston North. The eldest son was killed on Gallipoli,

Mr. David Taylor

Born in the Hutt Valley in 1846 near the site of the Convent at Dower Hutt, Mr. David Taylor died on Wednesday at the age of 87. His father was a very early arrival in Wellington, and helped to build Hie original Barrett's Hotel and one of the early Hutt bridges, also building stockades for the Government against the Maoris.

In his youth, Mr. Taylor used to walk to Wellington along the very rough track to see the sailing ships arrive from England every four months. At the age of 16 he did duty in the Wallaceville stockade, and at the age of 18 he joined von Tempsky’s Forest Rangers. On September 7, 1868, when Major von Tempsky was killed at Te Ngutu-o-Te-Manu, in the Taranaki district, Mr. Taylor was wounded in the same action, receiving a blow on the hip from an axe. The pakehas were defeated in the engagement, and, with seven others, Mr. Taylor escaped into a small creek, but only three came out' •alive, the others being shot by the Aiaorls from the bank.

Mr. Taylor bad a varied career in other ways, having been engaged in gold mining, gum digging, and bushfelling. He worked at the railway workshops, Petone, prior to his retirement on superannuation. Four generations of his family, Including himself, have been born in the Hutt. Valley. He is survived by three daughters, Mrs. G. Wright, Fitzherbert Street, Petone, Mrs. F. Nattrass, Sydney, and Mrs. Al. Simms, Napier; three sons, Mr. W. A. Taylor, Plunket Avenue, and Messrs. Den and Percival Taylor, also of Petone, eleven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Mr. A. Gerrard

The death is reported by a Press Association message from Invercargill of Mr. Alexander Gerrard, a prominent farmer, and a director of the Southland Frozen Ment. Company and the Farmers’ Co-operative Association.