Taradale’s Tribute

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 310, 17 December 1923, Page 5

Taradale’s Tribute

Memorial Unveiled AN IMPOSING CEREMONY. ADDRESS BY LORD JELLICOE. The weather was delightfully tine yesterday afternoon for the unveiling ceremony in connection with the Taradale and District Soldiers’ Memorial, and in consequence a large gathering was about 2500 persons being present, including several Napier and Hasting® residqpts. Th© ceremony wag performed by the GovernorGeneral, Admiral of Fleet Lord Jellicoe, and was of a most imposing nature. His Excellency, accompanied by his daughters, the Hons. Nora, Prudence and Myrtle Jellicoe and Captain R. G. Southey, A.D.C., arrived punctually at 2.30 p.m., and were escorted through the guard of honour formed by the Taradale returned soldiers (30) and veterans, under Captain Neilsen and Sergeant A. Rowe (lined up in front of the Taradale side of the memorial). Lord Jellicoe and party were received by Mr. W. G. Jarvis (chairman), and the following members of the committee: Messrs J, Ellis, P. Bishop, 0. Anderson, G. H. Williams, J. R. Martin, W. Howard, Tuiri Tareha, and J. Williamson (secretary).

After he had inspected the returned soldiers His Excellency was escorted to the platform, on which were the following, besides the Gubernatorial party:—Messrs J. Mcllvride, M.P., Gilbert McKay, M.P., J. B. Andrew (Mayor of Napier). General Sir Andrew Russell, Mr. H. M. Campbell (Hawke’s Bay County Council), J. Ellis (chairman Taradale Town Board), C. H. Williams, O. Anderson, J R. Martin, D. M. S. Miller, W. Howard, and J. McNeill (members of Taradale Town Board), T. H. Ringland, O. F. Pollock, G. F Morley. H. Owen, J. W. Cargill and tl. Speight (members of Hawke’s Bay branch of the Navy Lieague), Revs. Canon A. P. Clarke. T. Richards, A. Norrie and R. P. Hakiwai; Mr. R. N. Glenny and Mr. Baker. The following ladies who acted as a committee were also present:—Mesdames Hector Smith (president), Bishop, Brown. Tareha. Williamson, 0. Anderson. W. Brown. J. Ellis. R. J. Campbell, W. Willan, P. Bishop. R. Simkin. R. N. Glenny. C. Brown, A. Norrie, anil Misses Shugar and Smith. An apology was received from Mr. T. Mason Chambers (chairman of the Hawke’s Bav County Council). The Napier Citizens’ Band, under Bandmaster E. Chegwidden, and the Napier Regimental Band, under Captain Steggall. were also present. CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME. After a scriptural reading by the Rev. R P, Hakiwai and the recital of the Lord’s Prayer by.the Rev. A. Norrie, the chairman of the committee. Mr. Jarvis delivered an address of welcome. He extended a hearty welcome to Lord Jellicoe, and said the residents of Taradale. whom he would find a most loyal and devoted people, esteemed it a great honour to meet him that! day because he was the King’s representative. Not only did they welcome him as the representative of His Majesty, but also as the Admiral of the Fleet, which they all recognised had played no small part in bringing the late war to a successful issue. They were also proud to welcome General Sir Andrew’ Russell, the ministers of the various churches, members of the Navy League, representatives of local bodies, and the large assemblage who had come to do honour to the occasion. He also was very pleased to see several old veterans {>resent, and he hoped that they would ong remain with them. EL© paid a tribute to the native and to the part that it had played in the war. He would not dwell long on the war record of the district, as there were few who were not acquainted with it. Taradale and district had sent 291 men to fight for King and Empire' and of these 61 had made the supreme sacrifice. The committee had done everything that was possible to have the names on the tablets as complete as possible, and if anyone present knew of any name that had been left but he requested that it be handed in to the committee. The chairman then referred to a statement made that the memorial was rather too big for the district, but when the deeds of their boys in France. Gallipoli and Egypt were remembered, it would be realised that they should have something that would be a credit to those who had fought and died. The sum of £1650 had been raised and expended in connection with the memorial, and they would need about another £5OO to defray the full cost, £2lOO. He was quite sure they would all like to know the financial position, and he had only to take them into his confidence to know that this amount would soon be subscribed. He concluded by referring to the grand work performed by the ladies during the war and the gratitude rnat was due to the school children of the district for placing the tablets on the memorial free of charge. The chairman then cabled on Lord Jellicoe to unveil the memorial.

LORD JELLIOOE’S ADDRESS. Lord Jellicoe said he had first to thank Mr. Jarvis for his kindly words of welcome, and next to express his deep appreciation of the presence of so large a gathering to do honour to those men who had made the supreme sacrifice and to those who had served in the war and had happily came back. He especially felt it a great honour to meet the returned soldiers, also General Sir Andrew Russell, whose name had become a household word in New Zealand. He appreciated very much the honour the Taradale citizens had conferred on him in entrusting him with the ceremony of unveiling the memorial to these men. There were three things they had to realise. The first was gratitude for the victory given, gratitude for the assistance th® men from the Taradale .district had given in order to achieve that victory, and gratitude for those who had given their lives in achieving that victory. (2) Pride in those who went to the war and pride in their achievements, in which the whole of the rest’ of New Zealand assisted, and which won for the Dominion imperishable honour. (3) Then there was sympathy for the bereaved ones. One could picture the hopes that went through jJjeir minds while their sons were at the front; the anguish, despair and sorrow which they felt when the news came through recording that they had made the supreme sacrifice. All these were matters which reminded them they were a sign of Imperial unity—bonds of brotherhood, love and loyalty which drew all portions of our great Empire together. The words engraved on a tablet of a memorial which he had recently unveiled at Cambridge were very significant of the unity of the Empire. All would agree that their work jvas not done with the erection of this memorial they had ts parry on th® ideals set by the men whom the memorial commemorated. They had to set up ideals of peace, the sacredness of the treaty which had been signed, and the protection of the weak. All of these ideals had been fought for by the soldiers from all partg of the Empire, including the men from Taradale and it was for them to act up to their example. Above all, they were to act up to the ideal of peace, not only for a national peace, but for a peace between individuals and all classes, and between those holding different views in all countries under the sun. This could be best achieved by emulating the example

set by th© soldiers—the spirit of selfsacrifice which they evinced during the great war. If they did that, and thought more of others thev would prove themselves worthy of the great sacrifices which they commemorated that dajr. His Excellency then performed the unveiling ceremony. saying:—“ln honour of the men who have fallen and of those who have served the Empire and happily returned, I unveil this memorial.” His Excellency then placed a wreath on th© memorial as also did members of the Town Board, returned soldiers, school children, and relatives and friends of the fallen. The Citizens’ Band played the voluntary “Nazareth,” which was followed by the selection “Peace. Perfect Peace” by the Regimental Band.

PRESENTATION TO LADY JELLICOE. The chairman here announced that a Native lady (a prominent chieftainess of an old Hawke’s Bay tribe) who did not wish her name to be made known, had requested him to hand to Lord Jellicoe a little memento fori Lady Jellicoe as a mark of the respect and love and Maoris and Europeans had for her. He handed Lord Jellicoe a handsome Maori comb inlaid with pearls. In returning thanks. His Excellency expressed his gratitude for the gift, which he said Lady Jellicoe woiild value as a token of that occasion. The Rev. T. R. Richards then called upon the Regimental Band to play th© hymn, “Abide With Me.” after which an address was delivered by General Sir Andrew Russell. He said he thanked His Excellency and Mr. Jarvis for the great honour that both had paid him. It was a great honour for him to be present that day. He was not a stranger to many of them, as 50 years ago he had lived at Redcliffe. Some of the earliest names among them ho remembered as a boy, and some of these he noticed had lost sons at the front and would not have the opportunity of seeing their graves. He was pleased to tell them tnat in France there were some of the most beautiful cemeteries they could imagine. All the car and attention possible had been bestowed on the graves. There they had the big cross of sacrifice, the Crusaders’ cross, and the Stone of Remembrance. The graves on the hillsides, with the heavy crops on the flats below, were a most beautiful sight, and there was no doubt of their being well cared for. He was pleased to meet his old friends, the returned soldiers and more especially was he pleased at the opportunity given him to assist at that great ceremony. He touched on the sacrifices made by the fallen ones. Their job he said was done, and he trusted that thev would all live up to their ideals—that they would encourage and imitate their selfsacrifice, kindness and good comradeship; that they would be imbued with the spirit of pluck, endurance and a readiness to undertake danger. He hoped, as His Excellency had said, that thev would carry on all of these ideals, and that thev would put peace above all things. When they themselves wient over the Great Divide, their comrades would then be able to say to them. “You played vour part as well as we did.” “The Last Post” was then sounded 1 v Bugler E. Chegwidden and another member of the band, after which the Benediction was pronounced by the R av. Canon Clarke. Th® school children, under the direction of Mr. J. Williamson, sang “God Defend New Zealand,” and Captain Steggall sounded the “Reveille.” after which the function terminated with the playing of the National Anthem by th© Regimental Band.