CRIMEAN VETERAN

Otago Witness, Issue 3768, 1 June 1926, Page 50

CRIMEAN VETERAN

DEATH IN MELBOURNE. Sidney. 2:. There died recently in Melbourne, ot the age of IWS years, one of the few veterans of the Crimean War. In the whole <f th® worid the numbers of theee veterans of tU® Empire are small, and in Australia they can almost be numbered on the fingers of on® hand. There is tragedy in their passing, and the death ot the old soldier in Melbourne had added pathos because of its cause. Because he was a soldier, and because he was the father of four sons who went to the Great War, two of them being killed, the veteran. Sergeant-major Robert Gamble, insisted on leaving the Salvation Army Retreat, where he was an honoured reroute, and marching with the soldiers of 1914-18 in th® Anzae Day march By doing so he contracted a chill, and this led to his death. For a long time Gamble had not been feeling as young as he was. That was the nearest he ever came to admitting that he was old He did not seem to know that he had long passed the allotted span. Two years tgo he had an illness, and it was thought he would not recover. He was told that he must go to the Retreat and rest. lie laughed and went out every day He would walk from the suburb where the Retreat was situated to Melbourne and back again. He went to every important cricket match and spmts meeting. The gatekeepers knew him, and let him pass in gratis. Photographers were always on the lookout for him. This remarkable old man was born in 1820 in the barracks of the Black Watch at Paisley, Scotland. He was a drummer when lie was old enough to hold the sticks. He played soldiers’ games, and was hushed to sleep with the stories of wars. His father fought st the battle of Waterloo. His own first battle was in the Crimean war, and wounded there, be carried a Crimean bullet in his body to his grave. H® fought in the Indian Mutiny, and in 1860 migrated to Australia, but left it in 1870 to rejoin his regiment and fight in the Zulu War. From his drummer-bov days h® remembered all the incidents of life. His life was his favourite book of adventure. H® browsed through i} for his friends, and they found it full of wonderful stories. The veteran went to his grave ss a soldier should—with full military honours.