98TH BIRTHDAY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18992, 17 April 1936, Page 8

98TH BIRTHDAY

MAORI WAR VETERAN CAPTAIN J. CORBETT-SCOTT PUKEKOHE ATTACK RECALLED The ninety-eighth birthday occurred on Wednesday of Captain J. Corbet!-Scott, of Epsom, who look part, in the defence of the East Pukekohc Church when it was besieged by Maoris during tho Maori War. Captain Corbett-Scott, who was born in Cornwall, came to New Zealand with his parents when he was 20 years old, arriving at Auckland in the ship Joseph Fletcher in March, 18H8. Shortly afterwards the family commenced farming at Pukekohe, in which district there were not more than 12 farms at the time, the whole site of the present town being Maori land.

Three years after their arrival the war broke out, the first, indication of trouble being the marching of troops through Pukekohe on their way to Tuakau. The next day news of the murder of two men at Ramarama reached the settlement, and everyone in the district was ordered to move to Drury. Later the older men returned to Pukekohe to act as a defence force.

A party of I£> men, including Captain Corbett-Scott, commenced building a redonbt. at East Pukekohe, and they had been working only ■ a fewhours when they were attacked by. a force of over 31)0 Maoris. The fight started at 10 o'clock in the morning and continued for over seven hours. Five hours after the defenders had succeeded in driving off the enemy help arrived from two quarters, first from Ramnrama and then from Drury. Fortunately none of the settlers was killed and, according to the natives' own account, of the engagement, the attackers lost over 40 killed.

After this engagement regular troops replaced the settlers at the redoubt, but the latter did not return to their farms until the end of the war. The Pukekohe families took up their abode temporarily at Auckland and Onehunga, Captain CorbettScott's family staying at Mangere. Later they returned to their farm at Pukekohe, where they remained for the next 2(1 years, Captain CorbettScott marrying in- the ' meantime. Later he farmed at. Hawora for 20 years, and came to Auckland 33 years ago,, where he has resided since!