Memorial Service at Brookside

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XXIV, Issue 4147, 11 February 1920, Page 3

Memorial Service at Brookside

I?-' 1- * ** W . TABLET UNVBILSd BY REV. DR. fi , . At a, memorial Service held in the ; ' SrddksideJPresb'yte'rian Church on Sunday afternoon, the Bey. tJr. ErWin, af -~ Christchurch, unveiled a white marble , tablet bearing the names of members of the church who lost their lives in j. the great ;war^ The service was well f attended, and the singing was led by a strong choir, Miss F. Henderson being the organist. Specially printed hymn sheets were used and the choir gave an anthem "Be Merciful unto me, 0 God.? J the names on the tablet were: Chaplain Major W. Grant (minister of Leeston* •- L Brdokside-Dunsandel charge 1891-1906, ** killed at Gallipoli August 5, 1915), Ser- • geant W. H. Petrie (August 5/ 1915), - Private J. E. Laing (Polygon Wood, November 30, 1917), Trooper J. W. ' Boag (Jordan Valley, May 2, 1913), Private H. S. Croasen (Mers, September 2p, 1916), Private Leslie Crossen (Messines, .June 13, 1917). - During the course of an excellent ad- .. dress, Dr. Erwin said he esteemed it a great honour to have been asked to take part in the service and to unveil the tablet which the members of the Brookside church had erected in memory of tljeir sons, brothers or neighbours- who had answered the call of King and country in the greatest crisis in the nation's history and who had stood between the nation and a brutal foe. By their valour and heroism had thwarted the purposes of a fp* whose aim was to enslave the free peoples of the earth. The names on the tablet were those of men who, had made the greatest possible sacrifice for ' the Empire, for God and forborne. The conflict in "which -they fell was a» conflict of principles and they died on behalf of righteousness, and liberty. It seemed £& be the case that -no progress

was possible apart from sacrifice,, and , the privileges-and liberty we were able to enjoy could not be retained/unless i 4 we were prepared to make sacrifices. In, the early stages of the war all were o persuaded that the war was, being ■„ , fought to mak<? the world cleanerand < better, and hundreds of our men died ' gladly on that account. That did not so i clear now. The aftermath" of '•'' war had brought unrest. America's holding aloof from the League of Nations hsfd weakened the League, from < i which so much was expected. But it v was ajpfcss^ry to be patient! Much of \ th^-^raireat in the world was the result [ '"" of reaction, from the eonditiona under ■T which the people had been living \ - throughout the world. >It was partly due to the evils that existed in our social syste^n. He could not but hppe \ the journey the world was taking would ,' lead to brighter things. The heroism and the sacrifices of our soldiers had ;' preserved us from the domination of J\ the Hun and had preserved for ius 'the liberties- valued so highly by British- \ ,ers., As the congregation met in the house of prayer each Sunday their eyes - v would look upon the names inscribed on- the. tablet and they would^ think of ,-what had been accomplished by the heroes in Gallipoli, in Palestine, in Trance and elsewhere. \ f Dne could- not help being filled with , wonder and awe when one thought of what the soldiers hajl done. Yesterday, t they had haidly left the playfields of youth; 'on the morrow they were engag'e4''^n *ne most terrible tasks thai could ever fall to the lot of human beings. Leaving the ordinary tasks of 0 life, they were in a few weeks turned into soldiers, and when their time came % they performed tasks that were thought fo be impossible, storming the heights of Gallipoli, together wlln their Australian kinsmen. At home teats fell because of the .gay laugh that would be |'\ heard no more. Whatever critics might * say as to the wisdom or otherwise of i the Gallipoli campaign it would be a crown of glory on the brow of New Zealand 's and Australia's sons, and, like the Charge of the Light Brigade, would live as an inspiration to future generations. From Gallipoli out citizen , army passed on to the fields of France to stand side by side with the best soldiers in the world, only to clothe themselves with fresh glory. The doings of j- ' those who fought in Syria and Palestine formed a no less glorious record The nation had passed through its Gethsemalie,^ad climbed its Calvary; let * sdl remember that it was God who had us the victory and that it was to Him we owed our heritage. There had been countless instances during the war of the fact that God had been on our side. I>r. Erwin went on to speak individually of the men whose names were ' on the tablet. Chaplain-major Grant bad been minister bf the Leeston-Brook-side-Dunsandel charge for 15 years. He had first met Major Grant 37 years ago, but had got t»»know him intimately when Major Grant first settled in Canterbury and had soon learned to appreciate his manly and sterling Christian qualities. Major Grant soon won , «|yi affections of all around him. He f -,#3B lovgd throughout the parish and " far be.yond, and was recognised as one oijjljkniost promising ministers of the p^srt^erian Church. His death was iv ?" - Wwiony with tlie life he lived. Among 5£, W tfei greatest glories o* the war were fv^.tlfe sacrifices made on behalf of comJf "-ri^esf or friends. Major Grant's name i^tj^xtU live in the* hearts df the peo>tl6»'.BWofc^i4e dirtiiet, but they §^$yy» ta iasi^e'that it would

t be handed down to future generations. Sergeant Petrie, jv'jo mefi his death on the same day as 511 'or Gfant, was a son of parents who hr'l foft many years been earnest worke ■* ire Connexion with the- Brookside Chim h. The fact that he • had been promoted to the rank of sergeant was proof that he had been a good soldier" ftnd had done Ms duty well. Private ha.mg had/ only lived in New, Zealand a short time. He came from a part d£ Scotland that had a great war record: TroOpei' Boag had lived in, the district all his! .life" aid nig parents' had been loyal members of the" church fof very;many years. He had taken part in the arduous Egyptian and Palestine campaigns, which had proved a most trying experience. His parents could take spine consolation from the fact that Ms body was lying in ground consecrated by the feet of our Lord while herer on earth. It was a glorious thing to have taken part in a campaign that had delivered the Holy, Land from the cruel and debasing rule of the Turks. The Crbssen brothers were well-known Brookside Boys, and they had proved themselves heroes worthy to rank with those martyrs who had done so much to pTeßerve the liberty of the free peoples. / •"' ■i/\, '... :\. ■ . .-.\ ■'-■ The cbngregation stood in silence as Dr. Erwin drew aside the Union ..Jack which had screened the tablet.