PARADE AT KENSINGTON

Evening Star, Issue 16514, 28 August 1917, Page 7

PARADE AT KENSINGTON

HIS EXCELLENCY PRESENTS MEDALS WON IN FRANCE. . A special parade of Territorials and Senior Cadets was held in the Kensington Drill Hall last evening, at which His Excellency the GovernoT-General (Lord Liverpool) presented three honors and awards won on the held. The award in each case was the Military Medal, the soldiers honored being Sijrgeant L. J. Rissland (Second Battalion, Otago Regiment), Private Alfred Harnill (Second Battalion, Canterbury Regiment), and Private John If aciidry (Otago Regiment). The last-named alone has lived to receive the award of His Majesty for bravery in the field; ho was wounded in the chest and leg, and supported himself on crutches while the medal was pinned on his breast. The fathers of the other two received the honor won by their dead sons. It was the" largest parade held in the hall for a long time, the parado state showing & total of 1.604 men—764 Terri-' torials and-840 Senior Cadets. There was a big gathering also of the public in the gallery, and the Mayor (Mt J. J. Clark) attended. The men paraded outside, marched in, and formed in square in front of the dais, the officers in the centre. The staff officers present were Colonel J. Cowie Nichols, V.D. (0.C.), Colonel Smith (Brigadier), Major Cooper, D.5.0., Major Hickey, D.5.0., Major Moiler, Captam Myers, and Captain Dobson. Ten returned soldiers were pr«sent,_ but did- not take part in the parade. That veteran of the Maori War—Sergeant Provo —was also present in full uniform. The ceremonial was timed to commence at 7.30 p.m., but it was 8.5 p.m. when His Excellency and suite entered the hall, and the band of the Fourth Regiment struck up the National Anthem. After a tour of inspection of the parade, accompanied by Colonel Collins, P.M.O. of the transport, His Excellency returned to the dais, and after presenting the medals won in action, also presented the long-service modal to Lieutenant D. Cooke (Coast Defence). Afterwards he addressed a fow words to the troops and to the large gathering of the public. He said that the parade had | been called for the purpose of doing honor to three men. one of whom (M'Keudry) was receiving. a medal for bravery awarded ! by His Majesty, while the other men re-, ceived for gallantry medals which they were unfortunately not here to get. We ; were following the same procedure in New Zealand as took place in England and other parts of the Empire, by virtue of His Majesty's wish that the" honors won should be distributed at a full-dress parade and at as large a parade as possible in all parts of the Enipire. He wanted the Cadets t<» bear this in mind : that these parades were held solely to do honor to those who had won the" respect of the military and the civil community alike. He had. nothing to add, except that he was exceedingly pleased that there had been so great a response on such an occasion.

At the conclusion of the ceremony the troops marched past the Governor-General in. columns of fours.

The Minister of Defence (Sir James Allen) was unable to come down, but sent a telegram, in which was the request: " Please convey my very hearty congratulations to the recipients of the medals, and express my regret that not all of those by whom the distinctions were won could personally receive the honors conferred on them, as they have given their all in the--1 great cause for which our Empire and the Allies are fighting." THE MEN HONORED. A summary of the life of the late Sergeant Bissla-nd has already appeared in these columns. He was horn at St. Arnaud, Victoria, and came to New Zealand as a boy, living with his parents in Howe street, Dunedin. He went away with the 9th Reinforcements, and was killed in the Somme engagement. He was the second son, aged 22 years. The elder brother is now at the front. Private M'Kendry went away with the Bth Reinforcements, and he also was wounded at the Somme. He was born at Ravensbourae, and brought \xp in Gore. The late Private Hamill was born at West Plains, Southland, 36 years ago, and educated at the West Plains School. He worked in various saw-mills in Southland, and went to the front with the 6th Reinforcements, serving on Gallipoli and in France. He was killed at Mcssincs. Two other brothers are at the front, and a third is captain of a transport. He was the brave son of an equally brave father. Mr W. J. Hamill, now 75 years of ii-ae, and resident at Gorge road, Southland, has had a career full of adventure. He joined the British Navy at the age of 14 years, and when a young man won the Royal Humane Society's Medal for saving a comrade's life. He has since saved six persona from drowning. Mr Hamill has further the unique record of having brought up 20 children.