HISTORY RECALLED

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 91, 15 October 1934, Page 3

HISTORY RECALLED

THE GATE PA PERIOD

A WELL-KNOWN FAMILY

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, September 7.

An interesting old lady, 85 years of I ago, who was a girl in her toons at the time of Gate Pa, in 18G4, and who is the only one of her generation in her family who can remember anything doiinitc of the Maori War, has written to the High Commissioner asking the exact 'date of the attack on the Gate Pa and for the title of any books relating the history of that period in New Zealand. Her brother and sister were very much younger than herself and only know of the events as told to them.

The lady is Miss L. G. Dean-Pitt, whoso grandfather, Major-General George Dean-Pitt, was General Commanding her'Majesty'a .Forces in New Zealand from 1847 to ISDI, and was also Lieutenant-Governor of the Northern. Province. Her father was his A.D.C. and was with the general in the Waikato, country, while two .elder brothers had joined the local forces with their respective detachments camps on the Great South Boad. At this time Mrs. Dean-Pitt, with her family, lived in Auckland, and Sir George Grey used to send tho latest news to her from Tauranga. To the memory of General DeanPitt, who died in 1857, there is a tablet in St. Paul's Church, Auckland.

In that year the family returned to England. Miss Dean-Pitt's father became an instructor at the School of Musketry at Hytho, a position which ho held for three years, until he was sent to Melbourne as instructor, of musketry iv the Australian colonies, which then meant Australia, Tasmania, Now Zealand, and some smaller islands off the coast. Melbourne was tho headquarters of H.M. troops, her father making an annual visit to the other colonies. At the close of the Maori War of IS6O-61 General Cameron, being then in command, the headquarters were moved from Melbourne to Auckland, and the family went there in 1862, returning to Melbourne in 1567.

Miss Dean-Pitt further mentioned that after Australia the family were at the Cape of Good ifope for most of the seventies, her father being Chief of Staff. Later he held command of the depot at Guildford, and finally he was appointed to the Tower of London as Keeper of tho Crown Jewels. It was iherc that ho died iv 1883.

Tho High Commissioner was greatly interested to rceeivo this information from Miss Dean-Pitt, in her own handwriting. He recommended Mair's "Tho Waikato War." and offered to lend her Cowan's "New Zealand Wars in the Pioneering Period."