EX-SOLDIERS' FRIEND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20402, 2 November 1929, Page 13

EX-SOLDIERS' FRIEND.

80th BIRTHDAY NEXT V/EEK. FUBLIC FUND FOR SUFFERERS. British Wireless. RUGBY. Oct. 31 The COth birthday of Sir Frederick i Miiner, who has devoid his whole time since the early days of the war to the ] cac.se of disabled and necessitous ex-ser-vicemen, falls on November 7. B is to be ceLsbnted by the opening erf ». public furd to assist in the development of the •village settlement at Pap-« worth,, near Cambridge*.

Sir Frederick Geergu Miiner, who has done much for ex-servicemen since the war, was born on November -7, 18419. Ha is the second son of the fifth baronei. He war. educated at Eton and Christ (Church r Oxford, and in 1880, when he succeeded his brother in the baronetcy, married a daughter of Mr. W. Bf?i;kett. M.P. From 18E.3 to 18155 he was MP. for York. After unsuccessfully contesting the Sowerby and the RadcMe-cum-Farnworth division ho was returned in 1890 for the Bassetlaw Division of Nolls, for which he sat as a Conservative until 1906. It was not until Sir Frederick was an elderly man that he entered on the great work of his life. Soon after the war began he starteti his campaign on behalf cf the disabled /soldier. The years since then have been for him one long struggle ageiinst red tape. Ho took up of individual cases in wliich men were really entitled to pensions, but were nnablu to secure them oiling to Eome technical obstacle. Sir Frederick has always declared that it is the Royal Warrant which is to blame for these injustices, and tha.t pensions will never be fully dealt with until it, is altered His efforts for the ex-soldiers have involved him in maraes of correspondence and, as lie tried to dc> the work of a dozen men he has broken down several times, but always has resumed his task. He is vice-presi-dent of the Enham Village Centre for- disabled ex-j«rvicemen;

Last summer Sir Frederick prepared an appeal to the Govsmment on behalf of war-sufferers in view of the fact that the time-limit for pension applications was the end of August, for be had found that, though 10 years had elapsed since the war ended, soms men were only just beginning to show the effects,of their service in the shape of neurastheniia. In August, 1928, Sir Frederick brok<i down completely under the strain of his labour!! and had to hand over his task to an ex-ae'rvice society. Th<s Papworth village "settlement is for . sufferers from tuberculosis.