A MAORI WAR VETERAN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 202, 27 July 1926, Page 2

A MAORI WAR VETERAN.

ADMIRAL SIR E. FREMANTLE. NINETIETH BIRTHDAY PASSED. LONDON, June 17. Admiral Sir Edward Fremantle, who served in the Maori A\ r ar from 1864 to 1866, celebrated his 90tli birthday by attending the Ascot meeting on its opening day. In the morning lie received a bouquet containing 90 red roses. He is the only living flag officer who was horn in the reign of AVilliam IV. Sir Edmund entered the service in 1849 when tho ojd sailing vessels were still the bulwarks of the navy. “My first vessel was the Queen,” he said, recounting _ some of his experiences, “which 1 joined at Plymouth. She was a three-decker and carried a crew of 500 men. In. those days we had no training vessels at all, anu a young man had to go straight to a sea-going ship to obtain groundwork and training. On tho Queen we even had to give aid in fitting out the mess. Now everything is supplied by the Government.

“Of course, I always thought the Queen was the finest vessel in the service, and she certainly had a reputation for being a very smart vessel. AA r e flew the flag of Sir AVilliam Parker while we were sailing in the Mediterranean. He was at one time one of Nelson’s captains and commanded a frigate at Trafalgar. On our boat we were very strictly disciplined by Captain Charles AVise, who, although he was a very good fellow, was a real tartar. I had hardly joined as a midshipman when I attracted his attention. He had a perfect loathing of sailors wearing gold watch chains, and before coming to sea I had had one given me for my birthday. As soon as he pointed out liis objection, of course, I put it away in my locker, but I felt a bit sore at the time. Some years afterwards I met the captain again, and was a bit taken back to find that he had a watch chain.

“If a man appeared on deck with out a ribbon in his hat, he was pretty sure of a flogging if the captain saw him. AVe also had to work every day of the week, and there was no question of knocking off on Sunday; in fact, we had to get up at 4.30 in order to scrub tho decks and be ready for service. However, we all liked our captain and were proud of him, as being a great sailor and a smart officer, who was always very kind to those who tried their best to do tho work properly. I spent three very happy years on the Queen. “1 am not sure,” added Sir Edmund, “if if I didn’t enjoy the middy life as much as that of an admiral. I was very proud of being even a midshipman in the admiral's galley. I am a direct descendant myself of one of Nelson’s Captain Thomas Fremantle, who commanded the Neptune at the Battle of Trafalgar. My son, Admiral Sir Sydney Fremantle, and my grandson Sub-Lieutenant Edmund Fremantle, are still in the service, and so we. are a thoroughly naval family.” Sir Edmund keeps his diary written up every day.