MEMORIAL CEREMONY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 9 August 1923, Page 4

MEMORIAL CEREMONY.

STRATFORD HONOURS GALLANT k>oLD±Ett. To do honour to the memory of tbsl men who left these shores to tight for their country is a duty owed by everyone. '±he ceremony, therefore* of unveiling a memorial to the memory of Colonel Maione, one of the greatest! soldiers that went from New Zeauand, at Stratford yesterday was one of the' most interesting events that has oc-' curred in the history of Stratford and! drew a very large crowd of old i tnends and comrades and residents of i tho town. | The memorial took the form of handsome concrete gates to form the new opening of King Edward Park j Over the centre of the massive en-1 trance gates is the sinmle inscription I •I efc eloquent of the services rendered j | ror King and country:— j "To the memory of Lieut.-Colonel ' vY. G. Malone, Wellington Regi-I ment. N.Z.E.F. Killed in action,, Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli, August 8, J.yj.o. . i It was most fitting that the ceremony i should take place on the anniversary of I the fateful day that saw so many gallant souls make the great sacrifice ;in the cause of right and justice, and : fitting also that tne two speakers on the occasion should be men who were closely associated with the colonel from | the date of going into camp until the ( end of his war service. | A guard of honour was provided by the Territorials, under Captain L. M. : Fairbrother and. Lieutenant Andrew, '-, Y.C., and the Stratford Municipal Band i was present and played the accompaniment to the hymns, and also some suitable selections. ■ The officers present included Lieut.Colonels Cunningham, Weston, Cox, Turnbull, Home, M.D., Majors Murray Urquhart, J. Leech, and Chaplain-Maior , Evans. I Before calling on Colonel Cuningham !to perform the ceremony. Colonel Cox I read apologies from officers and civilians j closely associated with Colonel Malone, I including Brigadier-Generals Hart and ! loung Colonel Melville, Captains Ellis and MeDonell, Messrs John Heslop J. ; H. Quilliam, and B. McCarthy. .'Colonel Cox then said that Generals j Hart and Young went away with. .Colonel Malone in the same regiment, » and were closely associated with him in the work done on Gallipoli by that regiment. Fate decreed that they | should come through and return, while their gallant comrade was killed, his duty nobly and well done; but he knew that no one was more ready to lay down his life and make the great sacrifice than their friend. He and General Hart were close comrades and were with him in that great adventure. The ■: opinion of all the officers was that tha • late colonel had done a great work, i and that he had been animated by one .desire^-to give service to his country * £ U?! 9° x briefl-v the1 life of Colonel Malone, saying that he came to New Zealand after some years at school m England, and joined the Armed Constabulary and was present with them at Parihaka. He was one of the founders of the Stratford Volunteers, and served as an officer of that corps and later in the Territorials. \Vhen the war broke out he was one ot the first to volunteer and was amongst the best available. He himself had pride and regret in being associated with the unveiling to-day --pride .in having fought with him, and regret that he should not have been spared to come back. But of one cJf- was certain > that the memory of Colonel Malone's services for the ! country he loved so well would never ,die. He concluded by pointing to the \ tact that the spirit of co-operation and comradeship had permeated, the batt tahon and was with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force until the end of the war. It should convince all of the necessity to fit themselves for war \should that time ever come, and to do ■'tlfeir duty nobly and well, as did Colonel Malone'. " \ Colonel Cunningham said he deeply appreciated the honour done him in asking him to perform the ceremony of

uun>mug me nopie gateway He thanked the committee for the'honour conferred on him. The Wellington Kegiment would appreciate the fact that it was done by. one who was intimately associated with its ' work and with the late William George Malone. It was. nine years ago to-day since he knew he was accented for service and eight years since he fell on Gallipoli. In civil life he became,, even in his young days, a foremost citizen of Taranaki by Ins own effort? and by his own sterling character. He thought a lot of Stratford and of Taranaki and always kept Taranaki in his thoughts. lie showed that he recognised the opportunity he was looking forward to all his hfe.-" John Ruskin said that war brings out the finest in body and- soul and the greatest personal effort. Colonel Malone was one of the men born to command men. He always considered himself as of Taranaki. The soldiers at first often disliked him; they then began to respect him, and later learned to love hi m for the man he-was Me had a fine conception, of what was required in a man, and he tried out the men and himself in body and in spirit. He was first disliked because ne wa Si a hajd man, and in a hard school determined to make the regiment fit for war. Colonel CunniiTg- < ham told an incident of how he ordered a parade in full marching order when they were in the middfe of the Red bea, which showed the way in which his mind worked. This was shown also by reference to notes in, his diary He considered the parade would do a power ot good morally as vrell as physically. He thought no task was too hard Malone could do it, and so could they Me considered it a'pity the colonel was not spared, for he felt convinced . that he^ would have found a great place m the reconstruction of the Dominion • -tlis service on Gallipoli lasted only till August 8, but he considered his regi- ! ment the finest' in the British army, and he took a pride in taking them ■ mto action in May &p Krithia, in the Slow work in the trenches in May, June , and July. He was known specially i .for his work at Quinn's Post, which he. turned from the most dangerous to the' safest post in the Anzac line He took! the regiment into action on August 8 md felt, he was sure, before he died I that it was one of the proudest mo-! Tn^ ? fo^ iß r life *° be "* the final effort of Sir lan Hamilton to get command of Suvla Bay and then of the fetraits Ihe regiment was on the right flank of Godleys 5 attacking force On August / they made their way up and at daybreak on the Bth they were on Chunuk Bair; but of 23 officers and Sid men on the morning o f the Bth only ( 3 officers and 60 men came back, 400 being killed and nearly the same number wounded. The Turks had thrown' every available man into the fight. The success at Cimnuk Bair was lost two day s afterwards. M 4 p.m. on that day j the colonel was killed, but he had felt M had achieved a tremendous-thing. He had felt justified and. knew bj s regirnont had done a great feat of arms. The spirit-of" Colonel Malor,©: was with;: the men to the end of the war. He I (the speaker) was glad to know that a monument had be«a ereobed to his

I memory, but they mus£ fisver forgefc ( the sixteen thousand New' Zealanders- " : who had given their lives. ThGee must ■ j always be kept before the miud£of thtf J ; young men that same spirit of loyalty, t patriotism, and unselfishness which tha i colonel possessed. It would help to <Jfe|pel the imhappiness existing in iha \ world to-day. He' then unveiled tfc*B Konumeut, saying a9 he did so: "Ifl^ nwtmory of a very gallant soldier the* finest citizen of Taranaki, and on bei half of tho committee we ask the i citizens of Stratford to accepet this I monument in memory of Lieutenant--1 Coloael William George Malone Mr, E,. Carryer., Deputy-Mayor formally accepted the; trust on behalf of I the people of the- town. He expressed j regret at the absence of the Mayor, ami said that the council: would appreciate the fact that the Wellington Regimenfc had decided to erect- a memorial in. Stratford, given by the officers and. • j men and friends as a lasting tribute- ! to the memory of a great man and to- | his military qualities. He had been re ! cognised as one of the best of officer* in the N.Z.E.F. His force was known. ias the best disciplined in the whole* i army. Colonel Malone gave a great I part of his life to feis country, and h«c j was deeply interested in the" advance^ f menfc of the town end district and was held in the highest esteem. His exI ample should serve to impress the mind ; of the rising generation to fight- bravely j for what is best. He was a gentlemanI in every sense of the word, and will be ' much looked up to. The speaker ex- : pressed the pleasure felt by the citizens. lof the town and accepted the monu- | ment on their behalf. i , At the beginning of the ceremony j the hymn "0 God our help" was sung^_ i and at the conclusion Kipling's "Rei oessional." The Last Post was sounded ;■ by Mr. W. Power, and an inspiring eeremony^was brought to a fitting con- , elusion.