"OLD BILL”

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12453, 22 May 1926, Page 5

"OLD BILL”

IN WELLINGTON CARILLON TO REPRESENT DIGGERS ONLY THREE BELLS LEFT Practically only three bells, among the largest, remain open for application to complete the appeal made for 49 bells for the Wellington War Memorial Carillon. Nos. 1 and 2 have been applied for, and from No. 6 upwards, and the only bells left for application are Nos. 3, 4 and 5. A letter was received from Mrs S. O. Aston, of California, enclosing five dollars towards, the carillon fund. It was stated that in several cases there was njore than one application for a bell, and it was suggested that it might be necessary to put perhaps half a dozen names on one bell. The question of allocation would have to be gone into very carefully. Donations of £5 and 25s to the general fund of the society were announced. Mr G. Mitchell referred to the spontaneous response of the public to the appeal, and how much the scheme was approved. REMEMBER “OLD BILL” F.x-Sergeant W. G. Wakelin, of the N.Z.E.F. (Wellington), wrote as follows: “I write as a member of a family of five Wellington hoys, whose aggregate overseas active service exceeds twenty years, the eldest being one of those to whom it is desired to erect a fitting monument. We as returned soldiers want you to know that your object appeals most strongly to us, and that we appreciate your efforts. “May I be permitted to offer a hint for the naming of one of the hells, my deceased brother’s Christian name suggests it. We often affectionately refer to him as ‘Old Bill.’ Almost everyone who went to the war became an Old Bill, even though they did not realise it. ‘Big Ben’ has become quite an institution. Why not an ‘Old Bill ’ subscribed for by surviving ‘Old Bills.’ ‘Old Bill’ won the war. “It is possible that some such definite idea would gain the sympathy and support of a large number of old Diggers disfranchised as regards the form of memorial by a resolution of 40 members of an association, whose expression of opinion has been arbitrarily and erroneously accepted as representing some twenty thousand soldiers who went from the Wellington district.” N.Z.E.F. UNITS Colonel T. W. McDonald urged that a reasonable time should be given to the varions units of the N.Z.E.F. to make application of such nature as they desired, and this course was agreed to. Mr F. de J. Clere, hon. architect, remarked that if the hells were fully j applied for and allocated surplus | money could be applied to the ornamentation of the campanile. The base might be of granite, the super base of terracotta, and the sanctuary chamber of marble. Bronzes could also he insertled in the base showing some action, i and also a series of medallions which might also he specially subscribed. FRESH APPLICATIONS The following applications have been received in addition to those published in the “Times” yesterday: No. 10 (£312) and No. 11 (£2691 bells have been applied for by Colonel Mitchell as agent. No. 12, £2l7—Applied for by Lower Hutt district and James Smith, Ltd. No. 13, £lß2—Mrs M. A. Tattle. No. 14, £ls6 —Applied for by the Wellington Division of the British Medical Association. No. 15, £l3o—Applied for by Petone and Lyall Bay. No. 16, £ioß—Applied for by the P. and T, Department and Colonel T. W. McDonald as agent. No. 17, £9s—Brooklyn, Mornington and Vogeltown combined. No. 39, £3o—Mr Phil Bennett, Seatoun. No, 40, £30 —Mr S. Duncan. No. 41, £3o—Mrs E. Butler. No. 42, £3o—Misses A. E. and Flora C. Johnson. No. 43, £3o—llott’s, Ltd. No. 44, £3O—J. McHardie. No. 45, £3o—Anon. No. 46, £3o—Andrew Collins. No. 47—A.0.F. (per Mr Travers). No. 48, £3o—Mrs Clark and Miss Keasbury. No. 49—W. F. Cuthbertson. Further applications have been re ceived for D Battery, £IOO, per W. R. Bock; Charley’s Aunt Club, £7O; Government Printing Office, £3O; and tentative applications were received from several other sources where it had not been possible to hold meetings in time to he reported that day. The chairman stated that since the appeal tc the Caledonian Society and Scots of Wellington, by Captain R. H. Nimmo, he had concentrated his energies to the procuration of smaller bells, and had already been instrumental in securing applications for six bells of this nature. (Applause.) DISTRICT APPLICATIONS The proposal to present a hell from Lyall Bay has met with widespread approval among residents of the district, and the hope is being generally expressed that the district will he able to go higher than hell No. 15, priced at £l3O, which has been “pencilled in.” The Lyall Bay Progressive Association, which has taken the lead in the matter, has convened a public meeting of residents to he held in Lvall Bay Schoolroom on Tuesday evening next at which the project will be fully discussed. A large attendance is requested. A meeting of the Hataitai Municipal Electors’ Association, for the purpose of making arrangements to collect sufficient money for a Hataitai district hell, will ho held in the schoolroom. Raroa road, on Wednesday next, at 8 p.m. P. AND T. OFFICERS HONOUR FALLEN COMRADES. At a meeting held yesterday at which representatives of every branch of the department in Wellington were present,, it was unanimously decided that the officers of the Post and Telegraph Department in Wellington and suburbs should definitely pledge themselves to raise the sum of £IOB required to purchase hell number 16 of the proposed carillon, and have it erected in memory of those officers of the Post and Telegraph Department of Wellington citv and suburbs who made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War. The meeting referred to decided that ex-officers of the department who desired to do so should be allowed to contribute to the fund. Retired officers wishing to make contributions should communicate with the secretary of the Post and Telegraph Movement, Mr R.. P. Bates, Staff Division, General Post Office.