ECHO OF BOER WAR.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXII, Issue 2669, 20 December 1928, Page 5

ECHO OF BOER WAR.

RIFLE RETURNED TO OWNER. AS A CHRISTMAS PRESENT. The chance reading of a paragraph in a South African newspaper has resulted in a trophy of the South African War being returned to its . original owner, a Boer, who was captured by the New Zealand troops. When Lieutenant-Colonel W. R. Pearless, of Wakefield, Nelson, returned from the South African War 28 years ago, he brought with him a Mauser carbine with a brass plate on the butt, in scribed "P.J.P." After Col-

onel Pearless' death the rifle was given to Mr. W. H. Bryant. Last March a South African newspaper passed into the latter's hands, and he noticed in it an account of a public meeting at Capetown, at which one of the speakers was Mr. P. J. Pienaar. The similarity of the initials at once caught Mr. Bryant's eye. As a result a description of the rifle and a sketch of the. engraved plate was sent to the editor of the newspaper, ' with a request that he would forward the letter to Mr. Pienaar. When the Nelson All Black, Mr. Eric Snow, was in South Africa, Mr. Pienaar called on him, told him the facts, and said the rifle was his. He expressed the keenest desire to get his old rifle back. He added that the maker of the plate was also alive and well, and was equally interested. Mr. Pienaar said he was captured by New Zealand troops during the Boer War. The rifle has now been posted to its former owner as a Christmas present, "with kindest wishes." Mr. Pienaar is a well-to-do man who did all he could to make it pleasant for the New Zealand footballers on their recent tour.