A VETERAN'S DEATH.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 58, 23 October 1911, Page 7

A VETERAN'S DEATH.

THE LATE MR. PEACH

Deatli, who has been very busy amongst the<old veterans this winter, again visited our town on Thursday evening, and gave a peremptory summons to our late townsman Mr J. C’. Pehch, to “cross the bar” and enter the measureless “beyond” (says the Inglewood “Record”). The call was sudden and unannounced, Mr Peach.having just crossed .the,railway at the station and ) made the high step oyl to the station ■ platform when, before he had .time iq .take the first step away, and possibly, aej the result of. the extra exertion, : of the very high step, the old man fell backwards on to' the line again, tiie effect, of an appoplectic seizure. Dr. (fault was in attendance in a few minutes, and jOidered his removal to his home without delay, and in answer to inquiry gave cause for. groat anxiety and very little hope, a verdict which prov,ed all true, as Mr Peach passed away at his home, about six little more than three and a half hours after the seizure. The late Mr Peach was one of Inglewood’s very earliest settlers, coming here about 1874, and opening the first bootmaking establishment in the place. He belonged to the “Die Hards” H.M. 57th, which he joined in 1800 coming out with the first draft from the. depot in 1801. Ho returned with the regiment to England in 1867, and was sent with the regiment to Ceylon in 1870, where lie remained till 18,74, ■ when he took his discharge for the purpose of settling in New Zealand* whither he was franked on discharge. He came to New Plymouth and straight on to Inglewood, where ho .at once made his home on the s'ection on which his shop stands to-day, and where the whole of his New Zealand life was lived. In his earlier Inglewood days ho did his share of local governing work, being two or three times chairman and many years member of the Inglewood Town Board. He was practically the founder of the - Foresters’ Court here, and has been a .very active member of the Methodist Church, a steward for years, and superintendent, of the Sunday School from its' formation up to-the present moment. Essentially a. man of peace, lie still: was ever ready to take on the just burdens of citizenship, and shouldered his rifle and .afterwards carried diis lieutenant’s sword in the local Volunteers during the Te.Whiti scare; while during his service with his regiment he earned the N.Z. War Medal, in which he took a very natural pride, donning it on all occasions when the “Old Veterans” were taking part in any public function. He lived 'a clean, honourable, life, and was ever.,a pattern of conscientious consistency, and his life having been sdeh he was always ready for his Master’s call, which /came with merciful suddenness yesterday afternoon, his call, being made , without pain, without prior illness, or warning, but in the midst of his ordinary avocations, and his end was peace.