NEW ZEALAND HONOUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16128, 17 January 1916, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND HONOUR.

DECORATED C.M.G. LIEUT.-COL. W. MELDRUM. The list of honours conferred on New Zealand soldiers contains the name of Lieutenant-Colonel W. Meldrum, officer commanding the Wellington Mounted Rifles, who has been decorated Companion of tho Order of St. Michael and St. George. Lieutenant-Colonel Meldrum left New Zealand with the first Expeditionary Force, being in charge of the Wellington Mounted Rifle Regiment. He is the eldest surviving son of Mr. Alexander Lewis Meldrum, of East Kincaple, St. Andrews, Scotland, and was born at Karno, on July 28. 1865. He was educated at Clifton Bank School, St. Andrews, the Kamo public school, the Auckland College and Grammar School, and the Auckland University. He entered Messrs. Whitaker and Russell's law office in Auckland in 1884, passed the barrister's law examination in 1888, and subsequently practised law at Thames and in Hunterville, at the latter place as senior partner of the firm of Meldrum and Maclean retiring from practice in 1912. For two years prior to leaving New Zealand he had been farming at Huntenille and Waipukurau. In 1896, Lieutenant-Colonel Met drum won the chess championship of New Zealand. In 1912 he contested the by-election for the Rangatikei seat in the Libera! interests, but was defeated ; and he met with a reverse also at the general election of 1912. In 1900 Colonel Meldrum was instrumental in forming the Hunterville Mounted Rifles, a most popular and efficient body of men, and served as lieutenant under Captain (Rev.) J. L. Dove. He succeeded to the captaincy in 1903, was promoted major in 1910, and lieutenant-colonel in command of the 6th, Manawatu, Mounted Rifles, in May, 1914. He is an active Freemason, and" is a past grand swordbearer of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand. He was married in 1893. and has two children, the eldest, A. F. Meldrum, being a member of the Expeditionary Force which has occupied Samoa.