FIFTH REGIMENT

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 113, 14 May 1914, Page 4

FIFTH REGIMENT

ITS RECORD OP THE PAST FORMED BY OLD SOLDIERS. FOUGHT IN THE MAORI WAR. An interesting history of the sth Wellington Infantry Regiment, which has been very much in the public eye of late owing to' its excellent performance at the Takapau encampment, is published in the April number of the New Zealand Military Journal, whicn is just out of the printers' hands. The regiment was recently allied with, "The York and Lancashire Regiment " in the British Army. STORY OF ITS FORMATION, j It vv'as announced iil 1867 (3ays the Military Journal) that H^ Royal Highness the late Duke of Edinburgh was about toA'isifc Wellington, New Zealand, during his tour of the Australasian colonies. Captain Buck,' late of the 65th, who was a resident in Wellington, conceived the idea thai it would be an excellent opportunity to raise a. veteran corps from amongst the ox-soldiers of the various Imperial regiments who had served during the New Zealand wars. The result was that at a meeting of veterans held on 29th October, 1867, Captain Buck stated that in his opinion H.R.H. the Duke would no doubt be very pleased to find that his guard of honour on arrival here was formed of old soldiers of the British Army who had taken part in the wars with the Maoris. About fifty were present, and it was decided to form the Wellington Veteran Volunteer Corps. The first officers were Captain Buck, late of the 65th, Lieutenant Hastings, late of the 101 st, and Ensign Isherwood, late of the 69th. The colour-sergeant was Sergeant Crowe, late of the 65th. The first uniform of the corps was a scarlet garibaldi with blue facings, dark trousers with a red stripe, and a cheese*cutter- cap. Shortly after the Veteran Corps was formed Maori disturbances ,took part in the Patea district, and Captain- Buck offered the services of a corps which contained the members of the Veteran Corps and other . Volunteers, and was known as the Wellington Forest Rangers. Captain Buck commanded, and .with him were Lieutenant Hastings and Ensign Isherwood. In an 'action with the Maoris at Te Nguttt-o-te-Manu in September, 1869, Major Yon Tempsky was killed, while Captain Buck was also killed sin5 in attempting his rescue. Lieutenant' Hastings lost his life trying to^ rescue his commanding officer. The company suffered heavily, and was forced to retreat under the command of Ensign Isherwodd. The Duke's visit was delayed owing to his attempted assassination in Sydney, and did not eventuate until 1869. The Veteran Corps, however, kept together, and formed , the guard , of honour as originally intended. In order to provide the necessary numbers to keep the" corps in existence it was then decided, to admit the sons- 6f veterans as, members. In 1872 the name of the corps was, changed, and it became known as the Wellington City Rifles, a name' which it retained until the Territorial, .scheme of 1911 was instituted, when it became " A Company, sth (Wellington) Regiment." For some years in the "seventies" the.Goverpment was unable to provide capitation for the, upkeep of the corps, and it was" only through the self-sacrifice of the members that it was enabled to continue its existence until the Government again , paid, an annual ...capitation, of . JSI - 10s. t The* preseflt v -B "Company was formed in Wellington in < 1879, and was known as' the Wellington Guards. The' «first commanding .orocei^ of . this compahy was" also an/ ex-Imp.erfal officer, Major M'Burnptt. ' Thia^ company wag" tlni|arrned in ,that , of> .the,* Gfreiiadie.r Guards, and continued >to wear.it until l§il J . In 1885 four more. Volunteer companies/ known as the WeUfngt6n' "Rifles, Te . Arp , Rifles,' NewtoWii, ' Rifles, .and Thorndon Rifles, Were formed) and these, together - with the City ; Rifles and the Guards, c6nstitlited ' the first' Wellington Rifle Volunteer Battalion., Thfe fireffc commanding officer was : Lie'utenahtColonel Crowe, who was ,the first coloursergeant of the Veteran Volunteer Company, and who had been, for /some time in command of the Veteran Corps. Mrs. Samuel Brown', 'the Mayoress 1 of Wellingt6rt, together with a> committee of ladies, collected and purchased the colours still held by the regiment. ¦ They were consecrated by -.the Ref.- ?Archdeacon. Stockf, and presented- by the Mayoress to ' the regiment '< on a parade held in the Basin Refeerve on the occa' , sion of the Jubilee of Her late Majesty Queen* Victoria in - 1887. ¦ This battalion was disbanded on Btli July, 1898. • The four junior -companies iilso went out, but the .. City -Rifleß, and the Guards were still continued, and a third' company — the Kelburne Rifles--was formed in 1895. .• ,; ; ; PERIOD OF VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY In 1898 _ another period of Volunteer activity arose, and 'five' companies were formed in a very brief period, known as the Civil Service Rifles, Post and Telegraph Rifles, College Rifles, the Zealandia Rifles, and the Wellington Highland Rifles. These five companies, together with theTjld City Rifles, Guards, and Kelburnes, were formed into a battalion, known as the Ist Battalion, Wellington Rifle Volunteers. There were four other battalions in. the Wellington Volunteer District. The officer appointed to command .this battalion was Lieutenant-Colonel R. J. Collins, CM JG., 1.5.0., V.D.,' Honorary. A.D.C; tb His Excellency 'the Governor/- who was also a commanding officer,, of the City Rifles. The new battalion/continued until the inception .of the 'Territorial scheme, when it was merged into "the sth (Wellington) Regiment. The various, companies in the battalion remained unchanged with J the exception that tlio I^elburnes and College were amalgamated, '.the Post and Telegraph Riflos were transferred to the Post and Telegraph Battalion, and a corps which had been formed at Victoria College (New Zealand University), and known as an Officers' Training' Corps, was transferred to the sth - Regiment to make the eighth company. On the appointment of polqnel C&ilins to the De* fence Council in 1907, "Lieutenant-Colonel W. GS Duthie, V.D., again a commanding officer of the» City Rifles, was appointed to the command, and after serving his period of-four years was followed by Lieutenant-Colonel C. Harcourt Turner, who had been in command of the College Rifles. WAR IN SOUTH 'AFRICA. , Honours. — I>uring tho war in Scmth .Africa, 1898-1902, this regiment furnished, through the ten New Zealand contingents, forty-seven officers and men, and the regiment was permitted ¦to place the words " South Africa, 19011902 " on its colours. Regimental Badge. — The crest of His Grace the Duke of Wellington has been worn by the regiment <'as' its badgo since 1891 Military Tournaments.— At the annual military tournaments h?W in various parts of the Dominion for the years 1899 to 1912 the regiment furnished the champion teams for rifle and firing exercises, bayonet fighting, and physical drill, meeting and defeating during that period teams from the Royal Marines and Australian Volunteers. Three champion cups were won outright during the period. Rifle Shooting.— The annual championship of New Zealand was twice held by a member of the regiment, Private W.

H. Ballinger, of the City Rifles, and on three occasions by his brother. Private Arthur Ballinger, of the Guards. Musketry and rifle shooting wero always prominently followed in the regiment, and tho various companies have at all times been able to provide strong shooting teams. Strength. — During tho "Volunteer period tho average strength of the battalion was about 500, the establishment for fjach company being 63. Under the Territorial scneme the establishment of each company is 120. The strength of the battalion in July, 1913, was 998 of all ranks.