A FIGHT OF FIFTY YEARS AGO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15610, 15 May 1914, Page 4

A FIGHT OF FIFTY YEARS AGO.

Sir,—ln the Herald of May 2 there is an article "Gate Pa and Te Ran™ " by Ralph H. Ward, in which he refers to the tight at Matata as follows:-"By a curious coincidence the English and the friendly Arawas inflicted a crushing defeat on the Maoris at Matata on the "same day that the battle of Gate Pa was fought, Numbers of the vanquished natives tried to swim the river in an attempt to escape, with the result that many were drowned and swept out over the bar. Here the Maoris lost about 80 men; but at the Gate Pa their losses were comparatively slight. The English, at this latter fight, lost about 30 killed and many wounded." I was present at Matata on this occasion, being one of 17 Englishmen under the gallant Major Drumnioml Hay. We were stationed at Maketu, and called the Native Contingent —made up from eight members of Nixon's Colonial Defence Force and seven membet's of Jackson's Forest Rangers. .Our officers were Major Hay and Captain (afterwards Colonel) Tom McDonald. Our quarters were in the pa, and in a redoubt ' half a mile distant were stationed a detachment of the 43rd Regiment (under Major Colvile), and a detachment of the Waikato militia (under Lieutenant Wray). One morning Major Colvile and Lieutenant Wray went out in the swamp duck-shooting, and were fired upon by a party of Hauhaus. For ten days we were surrounded by the Hauhaus, when H.M.S. Falcon and the New Zealand Government gunboat Sandfly arrived, and started shelling the enemy out of their position. Before long they were off along the beach towards Matata. Major Drummond Hay, with the fighting chief " Fox " or" the Arawas, quickly hail about 400 Arawa warriors and 15 Europeans after the Hauhaus. On the second day we came up with them at a place called Te Autti te Atu (if I can remember the correct spelling), within two to three miles from Matata. Major Drummond Hay told us to hurry up and boil the billy and have a pannikin of tea, for we would have some sharp fighting immediately our men said their prayers and held their war dance. The natives went on 200 or 300 yards towards the enemy, when they saw the Hauhaus making small riflepits in the sand, and, without waiting for prayers op war dances, went right into

them. The'Hauhaus were ; evidently , panicstricken, for they never made any>; attempt to fight, but ran off for Matata our natives after-them, 1 with the English contingent bringing -up the rear. < For. all the distance to Matata River it was easy to follow the trail— were dead Hauhaus every few hundred yards. W hen they arrived at the Matata • River (I think about 200 yds wide at this point) they jumped in, swimming for the opposite hank, our men shooting,all they could. The number of Hauhaus shot (all dead, no wounded) was over 80, and only one wounded. On our side Old Wynyard Beckham (I do not know his Maori name), the head chief of the Arawa tribe, was hit on the knee, and died during the night. The following day we started back for Maketu. On the way home Fox gave out that the Hauhaus were after us, as our forces were straggling for miles along the beach, and he wanted to get us together. The old chief's body was buried in the sandhills and left for about a fortnight, when a party went and brought the body into Maketu, and a great tangi was held. Of the 17 officers and men who comprised the Native Contingent, I only know one other living, viz.. Mr. Hugh" McDonald, a member of the Forest Rangers. Ben. B. Johnson. Member of the- Colonial Defence Force.