OBITUAEY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15827, 28 July 1913, Page 3

OBITUAEY

SIB H. PRIMDEEGAST.

Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, July 26. (Received July 27, at 5.5 p.m.) 1 The death of General Sir Harry Prendergast is announced.

General Sir Harry Prendergast, V.C., enjoyed a long and distinguished career, and was noted tor his bravery. Bom in India in 1834, he entered ins army when he was 20 years of age. Ho served in the Persian War of 1857; with the Malwa Field Force in the &ame year, when he was wounded severely and mentioned in the despatches; and with the Central Indian Field Force in 1858, in connection with, -which he won the Victoria Cross and was again wounded In 1867-68 be was engaged m'tho Abyssinian War, and for the third time his name found a place in the despatches. He commanded the Sappers with the Indian Expedition -to the Mediterranean in 1878, and also led the expedition which resulted in the annexation of Upper Burmah. For 10' years he commanded the Madras Sappers aad Miners and for some time acted as Quarter-master-general of the Madras Army and the Government Military Department. He commanded in turn the Western district, the ceded districts, the British • Burmah Division, the Hyderabad Subsidiary Force, the Burmah Expeditionary Force, and the forces in Burmah in 1886. Amongst other positions he held were those of Officiating Resident in Mysore, and Chief Commissioner of Coorg, and Governor-general's Agent in Baluchistan. On settling down at Richmond, Surrey, where he spent the last few years of his life, time hung / somewhat heavily on his hands, and he was by no means pleased when ho found that his services were- not required in the last Boer War. Sir Harry Prendergast was essentially a fighting man. Tall and powerfully built, it is doubtful if ho ever understood the meaning of fear. At school lie was prominent at all games. Ho won distinction as a boxer, as a fencer, and as a hurdlejumper, and he was no mean exponent of football' and cricket. On the outbreak-of the Persian War he was employed as adjutant to Sir Arthur Cotton at Madras. Sir Arthur Cotton was a pleasant old gentleman with somewhat antiquated notions. He was of opinion that a man who had never faced tho enemy could only .bo an encumbrance on the battle field; consequently when he directed his adjutant to make out a list of officers available for the Persian campaign, his order was carried out with little enthusiasm. Before ho had completed his task Prendergast's desire to fight had taken Buch possession of him that the proba-bdity of This being left behind plunged him into the depths of misery. He cursed his luck by day and night. Then a bright and bold idea struck him. He included his own name in the list and handed the document to his superior officer. Sir Arthur tioked off the names in. the catalogue one by due, and on arriving at that of Prendergast The adjutant gazed at tho ceiling expecting a. reprimand, but to his intense surprise his fate was sealed to his satisfaction. "Oh, yes, you may go," Cotton observed. "You're no use." A little later he joined a company of sappers, and proceeding to Persia, enjoyed himself thoroughly, as was invariably the case with him when at tiefront. Campaigning was his forto, let the risks be what they might. When he was with the Malwa Field Force in 1857 a bullet struck him dangerously near his heart, and he was incapacitated for a month. He proved the most impatient of patients, demanding almost every hour to be allowed to go free. The following year his arm was all but 6evered in a cavalry charge,, in addition to' which one of his thumbs was nearly cut off. Such was his devil-may-care disposition that, sulfering as he was, he was perpetually complaining of his bad luck in being prevented trom engaging the enemy. Some years ago, ■when asked to describe the sensation of a soldier when wounded, Sir Harry replied: "The bullet I had in 1857 was fired by a Tna,n who' was as near to me as I am to you, but it was a nice clean wound, and the velocity was 60 great that it did me littla harm. The sword-wounds, on the other hand"—ho was speaking now of the cut in hie arm—" carried bits of cloth, and flannel right through, and I found them extremely painful." More than once his horse was 6hot under him, yet when questioned as to what passed through his mind after his escapes he .answered evasively: "Horses behave splendidly in war; they seldom drop when they are wounded." It was extremely difficult to extract from Sir Harry a true statement of his own exploits. Possession of the Victoria Cross impressed him not at all. The acts—for there were eoveral—-which won for him tho V.C. he was always at the greatest pains to belittle, but it was seldom that he would refer to them. At Mundisoro he saved the life of lieutenant Drew. Standing a few paces away a native was covering the lieutenant with his piece when Prendergast rushed forward and endeavoured to cut him down. The rebel fired and Prendergast received the discharge. A moment Liter his adversary was killed by Major Orr.' During the siege of Jhassi the deceased officer dashed towards the enemy's battery, his horso was soon wounded, and before many moments had elapsed ho found himself exposed to the shot not only of his foes but of the British battery on the left Bank. His account his miraculous escape is worth repeating :— " The difficulty was to get out of tho scrape, but preeeotly a fair-haired dragoon came galloping towards me. In another moment I saw him throw up hi 6 hands. He was shot through the heart. Now, as I knew that the riderless horso would rejoin his

regiment, I followed him, and thus I wan able to reach the British line. The horse was the only guide I had, for what with our own fire and the smoko of the enemy I had no earthly idea where my comrades were."

Sir Harry settled the caso of Burmah with aeioniehinpr promptness, making the King a prisoner within 10 dajE. The interview between the monarch and the British commander was highly interesting and a b'ttle pathetic. King Theebaw, after expressing his hope that he would not be robbed of his ring or his wife of lier necklace, requested to be allowed to remain in the country for six months. On his captor replying in the negative the King begged for three months' grace. Then Prendergast took his watch from his pocket and said : "I give you precisely 10 minutes." In 10 minutes Theebaw was on the march;

By the death of Sir Harry Prendergast the country loses a hard and level-headed 6oldier whose watchword was thoroughness —one who in -whatever he essayed to do strove to achieve his object with all his might. He often said that a man was the better for being shot over, and he declared not infrequently that fox-hunting was not in it with a cavalry charge; but he had a soft heart, and away from the enemy was one of the gentlest and most generous of men. MR WALTER HISLOP. Mr Walter Hislop, late manager of the Perpetual Trustees, Estate; and Agency Company, an early Ofcago settler, and a highly respected and courteous gentleman, possod away at hie residence, Castle, etrcet, on Saturday. Six years ■ ago the late Mr Hislop retired from active busin«s, and since then he had been laid aside through 11-hoalth. The deceased gentleman was a »n of Dr John Hislop, LL.D., and brother of the Hon. T. W. Hislop, of Wellington. Born at Kirknewton, Midlothian, in 18"!/, Mr Hislop received his early education at the parish school, of which his falter v,«& the teacher. In 1856 the family name to Otago by the ship Strathmore. Young "Walter attended the Bast Taieri School for a whilo, and on completing his course of study ho entered the servioc of his uncle, a farmer ait Saddle HiiL In 1862 he embarked on oojnmercial life in tho employ of Messrs Gillies and Street when that firm began, and 14 years later he was admitted an a partner. Upon Mr Gillios's retirement ho became manager of the Perpetual Trustees, Estate, and Agency Company, and held that office until siy years ago. He was tor some years prominent in Volunteer circles. For many years he held tho office of session clork in Knox Church congregation. Ho is survived by a widow, four sons (Mr J. S. Hislop, Mr Walter H. Hislop, and Messrs P. C. and J. B. Hislop, of Balclutha), and two daughters.