THE BLACKCUFFS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21296, 24 September 1932, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE BLACKCUFFS

BY TUPAIIA

THE 58TH REGIMENT

The early history of New Zealand, and particularly that of Auckland, is closely connected with the old 58ths. Over 1000 of all ranks either purchased or obtained their discharge in order to settle in the colony. Extracting from the New Zealand Military Journal of many years ago wo read—" The regiment spent thirteen years in Auckland. It was intimately connected with the fortunes of the ' Ray city.' The regiment constructed the Ivliyber Pass Road. In 1858, after the departure of the regiment, no less than oneeighth of the population of the Auckland Province was composed of men who had served in the corps." Major Thomson, at t lie banquet to Colonel Wvnyard and the oflicors, said: " Our lengthened sojourn here has created so many ties and engendered such an intimate union between the inhabitants of Auckland and the 58t,h that it has become all but impossible to rend the bonds asunder, and I verily believe that if the authorities do not hasten our departure we shall soon not have a man left to carry the colours." In 1866 the 58lh received new colours, and the old colours were sent by the colonel and officers to Auckland, where they were placed in tho Supreme Court, first on. each side of the judges bench and afterwards in a case above it. These old colours were the first regimental colours unfurled in New Zealand. Most regiments quartered in the colonies for any number of years rapidly deteriorated in those days. Sir Charles Napier, in one of his books, has some caustic and

picturesque remarks on this phenomenon. " The officers," he says, "almost invariably lose tone, and acquire .ill sorts of slovenly habits; whilst the men fall off in drill, appearance and esprit de corps, and consequently in efficiency." The 58th constituted one of the honourable exceptions. It would be "impossible to find in any corps in England a more gentlemanly and well bred set of officers. Fine Qualities Theirs was a high standard in every way, and there were quite a number of men of special ability among them, some of whom rose to positions of rank and responsibility in the service, while some were distinguished in civil life. One has only to mention the names of Major G. Wynyard, Brevet-Colonel Russell, M.L.C., a member of several New Zealand Ministries, his son, Captain Sir William Russell, Majors Nugent and Laye, and Caplain Page, General Sir F. D. Middleton, Lieut-Colonel Balneavis, Lieut.-Colonel Stapp, and last, but not least, Doctor A. S. Thomson, M.D., the surgeon of the regiment, tile ablest surgeon and physician in the colony. Captain H. Eyre-Kenny says: "I have never seen a finer looking nor a betterdrilled regiment, and I have seen many good regiments; Like the 50th, the men ill the ranks of the 58th were steady, sober, honest, and specially well conducted in quarters. Military crimes were few and trivial; civil crime was unknown." " A versatile colonel " is the description given to Colonel Wynyard of the 58th Regiment in a recent article in the Herald. Born at Windsor Castle in 1801, Wynyard rapidly rose in the service, eventually coming to New Zealand in command o£ the 58th, with headquarters at Auckland. Decorated with the C.B. for his services in the first New Zealand war, he was appointed commander of all forces in New Zealand in 1851. Their Commander

Captain H. Eyrt?~Kenny furnishes us with the following excellent pen-picture of this fine old-time soldier: Colonel Wynyard, of the 58th Regiment, then a colonel on the staff, commanding the Forces in New Zealand, succeeded Sir George Grey ns Officer Administrating tho Government, and exercised all the powers of a Governor until the arrival of Governor Gore-Browne, C.B 1 .. ill 1855, a period of nearly two years. Colonel 'Wynyard was handsome and very soldierlike. Six feet three in height, he was so perfectly proportioned that, standing alone, he did not seem a man of abnormal stature and size. Yet a big, powerful man of five feet ten or eleven beside him looked like a boy. Ho had a genial, kindly manner to all, military or civilians, old or young, rich or poor, which was not a mere ornament, but a real engine of power. I can picture him now. striding down Princes Street from Albert Barracks. I can hear his frank, cordial greeting across the street, and the ring of his spurs, and see the wave of his hand. He was a fine specimen of the Regimental Commanding Officer, fortunately not uncommon in the old army: a type represented by such men as Lacy Yea of the 7tli Fusiliers, Chester of the 23rd Fusiliers, Russell of the 84th, Wilson of the G4th. and Love of the 73rd, et hoc senus omne; the men who led our regiments to victory in India and tho Crimea. They were bold, enterprising, resolute, proud of their cherished regiments, which they had in splendid order; endowed with judgment, plenty of common sense: capable of coming to prompt and sure conclusions in sudden emergencies: quick to read the signs of a battlefield, shrewd, .and understanding human nature (especially soldier human nature) thoroughly: not tyrants, lior. martinets, but strict discplmarians, knowing well that one button undone is the ruin of fin army. Colonel Wynyard was a fine drill in the old barrack yard style, and it was a treat, to seo him. as 1 have often done, knocking the regiment about the Albert Barrack Square. He had been in the Guards in his early days, antl he had some words of command peculiar, i believe, to that, distinguished brigade—e.g., " Hau pern awdur—Maaixh; Asli yu wnr": and "Quick whoa. instead ot

" Quick march." At one time Colonel Wynyard was a regular " Pooh-Bah." He was Governor, Officer-Commanding the Troops,_ and elected Superintendent of the Province of Auckland. The Colonial Secretary in London, however, considered that the position of Governor and Superintendent were incompatible, and Colonel Wynyard resigned the latter- office. But on the arrival of Governor Gore-Browne ; he was appointed a member of the Executive Council, and also a member of the Legislative Council. Surprising the Tsar Colonel Wynyard left New Zealand with his regiment in November, 1858. He was undoubtedly the most popular man who ever came to New Zealand, and yet never laid himself out to seek anything of tho kind. He had a splendjd send-off, which was a perfectly spontaneous tribute. Almost immediately upon his return to England Colonel Wynyard attained the rank of Major-General, and shortly afterwards was sent out to command the forces, with the local rank of LieutenantGeneral, at tho Cape, of which colony Sir George Grey was then Governor. _ By a curious coincidence Wynyard again succeeded Grey as Acting-Governor when the latter was recalled by Sir E. BulwerLytton. At one time Wynyard was A.D.C. to the Duko of Wellington, and had many interesting experiences to relate. One of these was concerning the visit of the Tsar Nicholas to England. Rather stupidly, he was treated to a review in Hyde Park. They had the Guards out, the Household Cavalry, and a battery or two of the Royal Horse Artillery. When this somewhat lilliputian show was over, His Majesty said to the Duke: " Very pretty, very pretty indeed. But you know we can show you something quite as good, and moro of it, at St. Petersburg. Now, what I would really like to see, would be one of your common line regiments —the regiments that win your battles in India." He was taken to Portsmouth, and a very scrubby line regiment, with no history, was turned out for his inspection. After the march past he inspected the regiment carefully and asked the men to " showkit." As the Tsar rode away with the Duke Wynyard, who was close behind, heard him say in French, " Well, if that is one of your common line regiments, no wonder that you can beat the world!" This little story illustrates how thoroughly homogeneous the British Army was in those dnvs.

Two of Colonel Wvnyard's sons settled in Auckland, and tho handsome plate, presented to liim upon his departure, arc still in the possession of their descendants. Ho was a real man, whose kindly and understanding nature endeared him to pakcha and Maori alike.