THE GATE PA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 6 May 1914, Page 5

THE GATE PA.

A DEARLY-BOUGHT VICTORY

(From the N.Z. Herald of May 2, ' 1864.)

The intelligence of another dearbought victory reached town yesterday morning, in which our troops had lost as many men as at Rangiriri, and again the enemy have escaped under darkness of the nighty and as far as is yet known their loss has been inconsiderable when compared with our own. The pa against which the troops made an attack on the afternoon of the 29th ult. is known as the Gate Pa, and is* considered by competent judges to have been superior as a fortification even to that of Rangiriri. Like that stronghold, ifc seems that the real danger of the attacking party was not experienced until they were within the breach. Led on b^ their respective officers, the storming party rushed the Maori entrenchment with a gallant cheer, and showed great daring and spirit but suddenly a panic seized upon them, and they fell back, leaving their- officers to fight it out, as the> long list of casualties among them too sadly shows. The 43rd R-egiment alone lost four captains, and the gallant- Colonel Booth, who is severely wounded in. the back and arm, and other wo-mded officers and men were left beside the dead, within the fortifications, when our men retreated.

. . . After the repulse, a cordon was drawn round the pa. to prevent., if possible, the retreat of the enemy dur-' ing the night, the 68th Regiment forming a semi-circle &bo,ut it. small parties being posted at intervals. During the latter part of. the night, however, the enemy made good their retreat, t losing in their escape, it is supposed, some 30 or 40 men, by the fire of the 68th picquets. These, with some 40 dead bodies found in the pa, after our men took possession of it in the morning, constitute the whole Maori loss as at present known. . .

The list of killed and wounded, which we append, shows that oxir casualties amount to 103 out of which 26 of all ranks were killed, and 77 wounded.