OBITUARY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8603, 9 June 1908, Page 5

OBITUARY.

EDWARD McKENNA, V.C. We deeply regret to- have to record the death of Ensign Edward McKenna, V.C, for many years past a resident of Palmerston. He was aged 79, but his demise will be heard of with surprise by many citizens who were not aware of his illness. He left Chatham with his regiment, the famous old "Sixty-fifth," 62 years ago last week. The regiment was then bound for Sydney, as it was thought necessary to have troops stationed there in the early days of colonisation for the protection of the colonists. When they arrived at Sydney, however, they were ordered to New Zealand, and proceeded to Auckland. The regiment stayed there a number of years, and from there ordered to Wellington. Then ! the trouble in tho Waikato with the Maoris an 18611862 arose, and Mr McKenna then received his baptism of fire, and, needless to state, acquitted himself well. After the disturbance was quelled, the regiment was ordered back to Auckland, and shortly after received orders to embark for home. Everybody was in readiness to depart when the orders Avcre countermanded, and the regiment received instructions to go to tho front at the Waikato again, where the Maoris were once more in rebellion under the famous old warrior Rewi Maniopoto, who had gathered a strong force round him. The marching order were received at night, and it speaks well for the efficiency of the regiment that at 4 o'clock next morning they were on the march. It was here that Colour-Sergeant McKenna won his commission and received the Victoria Cross for gallant conduct at an engagement near Cameron Town, on September 7th, 1863. Both his officers, Captain Swift and Lieut. Butler, had been shot, Lieut. Butler was killed and Capt. Swift mortally wounded. He was carried a short distance away, and while lying there and seeing Colour-Sergt McKenna loading his rifle, told him' to take his revolver and lead the men. This Col.Sergt Mc-

kenna did with conspicuous bravery, and drove tho Maoris before them like sheep. They then fought a rearguard action, covering the retreat of the wounded. They camped in the bush that night, and successfully got away with their wounded next morning. It should be mentioned that the troops were heavily outnumbered by the Maoris, who numbered s'ano hundreds, while Col.-Sergt. McKenna's small force only comprised two sergeants and about 35 men. Taking the rank of Ensign, Mr McKenna continued fighting until the Maoris vere driven back beyond Te Awamutu, after which the regiment was once more ordered Home. Ensign McKenna, however, elected to stay in New Zealand, and sold his commission. He then joined the railway service as clerk at Lyttelton, in February, 1867, and subsequently promoted to stationmaster at Kaiapoi. After that he filled similar positions at Ashburton, Invercargill, Gore, Greatford, Halcombe, and Palmerston North. Having served for a lengthy period in Pallmerston, he was transferred to Wanganui on May 13th. 1896, and remained there till 1908, when he retired from the service and came to Palmerston to live, and he has been here ever since. About a fornight ago ho took a chill, which resulted in his death yesterday. Previous to his death he expressed a desire that he should not be accorded a military funeral, not because he was not in sympathy with the volunteering movement, but because ho was averse to any pomp or show, and would rather 1)© interred quietly. The cortege is to leave his residence, Main Street, at 1 p.m. to-morrow.

JAMES WYLDE. West Coast papers have recently contained several references to the death of the late Mr James Wylde, C.E., father of Mr H. J. AVylde, of Palmerston North. From' our files we gather s#>mo (interesting particulars of the part Mr Wylde took in the early affairs of the Dominion and of his professional career in England. He was born at Bushey, Hertfordshire, in November, 1824, and was the second son of Henry Wylde, gentleman-in-ordinary to her lat'o Majesty, Queen Victoria, and organist at Her Majesty's Chapel Royal in St. James' Palace. He was a brother of the late Henry AVylde, Mus. Doc., Cantab, who founded in 1852 the New Philharmonic Society, established the London Academy of Music, and a few years later built St. George's Hall at his own expense. Mr Jas. Wylde was educated at Westminster School. Afterwards being fired with ambition to become a Civil engineer, his father articled him in England to the late Sir Charles Fox, C.E., late President of the Institute of Civil Engineers. W T hilst thus employed the late Mr Wylde was appointed resident engineer on various works, amongst others being the Lancaster and Carlisle, the Caledonian, the Scottish Central, and the Dundee and Perth lines. (It may incidentally be mentioned that the late Mr Wylde's first wife was a sister of Lady Fox.) After completion of the Tay bridge, the late Mr Wylde accepted the appointment of manager of the London works, Renfrew, the property of Fox, Henderson and Co.. on the river Clyde. Here were manufactured many important works, amongst others the ironwork of the Keif suspension bridge over the river Dnieper, in Russia; the ironwork of the Madrid and Aranjuez railway, the Liverpool Waterworks, etc. At this time also Fox, Henderson and Co. undertook the building of the Great Exhibition of 1,851. Subsequently the deceased was engaged to complete the works of the Cork and Bandon railway in Ireland, later being appointed resident engineer to the Great Western Station at Paddington. It was whilst employed at the latter work that his first wife died. About this time the great exhibition was opened, and on several occasions the late Mr Wylde conducted Her late Majesty, Queen Victoria, on her visit to the building before it was formally open-

cd to the public, she being accompanied by Prince Albert, the Royal children, and their tutor, Mr Birch. The late Mr Wylde was present at the dejeuner given in the building after the Exhibition to Prince Albert and the members of the Royal Commission. On this occasion the Prince handed to Sir Charles Fox a cheoue for £75,000 for the lease of the building. _ It may be mentioned that the building was designed and built (from a suggestion by Sir W. Paxton) by Sir Charles Fox, at his own cost, the Royal Commissioners agreeing either to purchase it at the close of the Exhibition or pa> for the use of it. They decided tr adopt the latter course, and the budding was then sold by Sir Charles TV to "a companv that removed it to Syd on ham 1 , and'it is now known as th< " Crysffd Palace." After thecomple tion of the Partington station am the Great Exhibition deceased was en gaged as engineer to the water ant

gas works at Odense, in Denmark. Whilst in Denmark he saw a periodical devoted to the cause of emigration, which gave such glowing accounts of this colony that he was seized with a desire to come to New Zealand. He accordingly returned to England. He was engaged to be married, and decided to proceed to the colony and prepare a home for his wife and two children. He left Gravesend on board the Aberdeen clipper, John Taylor, of about 800 tons, on July 10th, 1853, arriving at Lyttelton on October 18th, 1859. The ship's company landed in small boats at a jetty, Lyttelton then being a very small place, the only decent buildings being the Union Bank and Mitre Hotel, the landlord of the latter being Mr Cuff, whom Mr Wylde had previously known as the landlord of the Midland Hotel at Derby. Mr. Wylde purchased land at the Ohoka Bush, near Kaiapoi, which was then being settled.

He was member for Kaiapoi in the Canterbury Provincial Council, and Chairman of Committees in the same, also one of the commissioners in connection with the Moorhouse Tunnel. He was afterwards Provincial Engineer, resigning at the termination of Mr W. S. Moorhouse's term as Superintendent. He designed tlie Victoria Bridge over the Avon, probably the first stone and iron bridge in Canterbury, if not in New Zealand.

Ho was the author of a Geography and History of New Zealand (1868). In 1868 deceased went to Greymouth as engineer to the Christchurch Railway and Coal Company to work the Brunner mine. He made the first survey of the Greymouth-Brunner railway. Among other works he undertook was £he construction of the Omotu road, survey of the dam site for the Nelson creek water-race at Lake Hochstetter. Deceased was formerly a prominent Freemason, and was W.M. of Lodge Southern Cross, Kaiapoi. He leaves a family of eleven (six sons and five daughters), seven of whom are married and settled in different parts of the Dominion and Australia, Mrs Wylde having pro-deceased him some years. The deceased retired into private life at his home, " Eglcsfield," about 15 years ago.