A FULL LIFE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 6, 9 January 1928, Page 8

A FULL LIFE

BACK TO GARIBALDI A NAVAL VETERAN With the Union Jack flying in front of his homo at Taka,puna, Mr. George Hill, a well-known naval veteran in the' Dominion, celebrated his 91st birthday on Friday. Known to a host of admirers as 'Bowley,'' Mr. Hill is still active in mind and body (says the "Auckland Star"). There arc few men living who are entitled to wear medals similar to those which adorn the breast of Mr. Hill on , full-dress occasions. His reminiscences cover a. wide range of historic events, beginning with the Garibaldi campaign. Mr. Hill has saved a life in each hemisphere, as two medals presented by the Royal Humane Society testify. Joining the Koyal Navy in 1851, Mr. Hill served in the warships Britannia, Neptune, Termagant, Leopard, Shannon, Hannibal, and Euryalus. He was one of the crew of the Leopard at the bombardment of Sebastopol during the Crimean war. During that war lie saw service in tho Baltic. English 'sympathy was very strongly with Garibaldi in his fight for tho liberation of Italy, and it was probably on that account that nothing was said when Mr. Hill, with three mates, temporarily deserted the Navy and joined up with tho Army of Liberation. That happened when Mr. Hill was on the Mediterranean station, on 11.M.y. Hannibal, in 18(50. During a brief campaign in Italy, Mr. Hill was wounded and returned to his ship. During the Indian Mutiny, Mr. Hill was a member of Captain Peel's Naval Bri- | gadc which took a battery of 32----j pounders into tho lieart of India. The relief of Lucknow, an event immortalised by the verse, "The Pipes of Luekno\v," is remembered by Mr. Hill, for it was on that occasion that ho received a wound. He recovered, however, and fought at Delhi under General Sir Colin Campbell. His thirst for adventure unappeased, Mr. Hill came to New Zealand, and in 1803 joined Major yon Tempsky's Forest Eangers with whom to saw service in. many actions in Taranaki. He | saw much lighting, too, in the East Coast campaign against the Hauhatts. Mr. Hill distinguished himself as a dis- ' patch rider in very diflicult country. With Major Fraser's No. 1 Com- ( jiaiiy of Military Settlers in Hawkes 1 Bay, Mr. Hill continued his adventurous career, and later joined the Armed Constabulary. Ho made a moat gallant defence of Hiruharama Pa at Mohaka against a raid by Tc Kooti, showing great pluck and determination. Witli a party of Maoris led by the chief lliaka Whanga he charged tho rifle pits of Tc Kooti's men in order to reach the pa. Not :i man was lost —perhaps because Ihc Hauhaus had raided a public house in tho nearby settlement only a short time previously. Tho pa was saved by this reinforcement. Trooper 11 ill put new heart into tho garrison. He ordered that the pallisades be strengthened with bullock chains. This prevented the- attackers from putliug down the pallisades by the old device of throwing over a rope, to which was tied a cross-bar. Posting himself at one of tho angles of tho pa, Trooper Hill always a firstclass marksman, picked off many of the attacking Hauhaus. His shooting was as accurate as it was rapid, and when a considerable relieving force was known to be approaching, the besieging Hauhaus were glad to decamp. For once Te Kooti was baffled. In recommending Trooper Hill for the New Zealand Cross, Colonel Whitmore wrote: "Hill animated the defenders by his exertions and contributed greatly to the repulse of Te Kooti. His conduct is spoken of in admiration by the Maoris themselves." The cross was granted. When To Kooti massacred a tribe of Maoris at Euaturi, Mr. Hill had to make his escape by swimming two rivers. He also rescued his sister who was in danger of being killed by Te Kooti's warriors. For many years Mr. Hill was a member of the submarine mining section of the New Zealand Permanent Force at Fort Cautle3 r, and resided at Devonport. His present home is at 16, Cameron street, Tukapuha. Tho Union Jack which he flies to mark tho anniversary of his birth was presented to■gelher with the flagpole, by Mr. AY. B. Leyland, another naval veteran. Mr. Hill's father belonged lo (lie Royal Navy and was at St. Petersburg u-ifh t'hn British Admiral in 1812, arranging with the- Kussiau Government for tho burning of Moscow, an event which proved so disastrous (o Napoleon Bonaparte.