The late Colonel Malone
MEMORIAL UNVEILED TESTER. DAY. GREAT MILITARY GATHERING. There was a great gathering of military peoplt* in Strai ford yesterday, afternoon, the occasion being the unveiling of the memorial to the late Colonel W. G. Malone, subscribed for chiefly m members of the Wellington Regiment of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. The Memorial takes the form of a handsome concrete arch, 22 feet high and 26 feet wide at the base, with a gatewaw of 14 feet, in which timber gates will later on be swung. At present the arch is unfinished, but when plastering is completed it should present a very striking appearance. The.stone .at the top of the arch bear* the following inscription: "To the memory of LtCol. W. G. Malone, Wellington Regiment, N.Z.E.P., killed in action, Chunuk Bair, GalMpoli, August Bth, 1915.
' On the platform were Lt.-Col. W. H. Cunningham, D. 5.0., Lt.-Col. E. P. Cox, Lt.-Col. F. K. Turnbull, D.SO., M.C., Lt.-Col. C. H. Weston, DS.O., Lt.-Col. Home and Major Urquhart M.C.
Messrs Bryan and Terence Malone, sons of the late Col. Malone, were among those present, as also was the Hon. G. M. Luke, Wellington, an old friend of the Colonel. Other officers of the Wellington Regiment, N.ZJJ.F. present were Captain Bremner (staff officer in charge of the Taranalci district), and Lieuts. R. Wood M.C., S. Macalister and G. E. Jago. The parade was under Lieut. Andrew V.C., (adjutant of the First Battalion Taranaki Regiment). Captain L. M. Fairbrother was in charge of the Territorials and Mr Bowler, assisted hy Messrs Saunders Johnson, was in charge of the Technical High School cadets. The children of the Technical High School (in charge of the Director. Mr A. H. R. Amess) and of •the primary school (under Mr L. J. Furric), with the various teachers, were also present. The New Plymouth Territorial Band supplied music during the ceremony. Proceedings were opened with two ferses of the hymn "All People That on Earth Do Dwell." Lieut-Colonel E. P. Cox apologised for the absence of a number of officers and men of the Regiment, and some civilian friends. Amons-st these were Brigadier-Generals Hart and Young, Colonel Melville, Captain Morgan, Major Ellis, Captain Macbonnell, Messrs Heslop, Quilliam (New Plymouth) and B. McCarthy (Hawera). Generals Hart and Young would have liked to he present, but they had sent pergonal notes, apologising for absence, , owing to distance. had left New Zealand in 1914 in the Wellington Regiment and were closely associated with Colonel Malone. Nobodyhad a higher opinion of the work of the late Colonel Malone than the gentlemen named, aOd that was saying a great deal. Colonel Cox went on to say that Fate bad decreed that Colonel Malone was not to carry on for long in the \ war. Colonel Malone did his duty nobly and well, and the speaker was sure that when the time came nobody was better prepared to lay down his life and make the sacrifice he did than was Colonel Malone. Colonel Malone and General Hart were ve y close comrades, the General being second in command under Colonel
Malone when the Regiment left New Zealand. Each had a great admiration for the other. Fate had decreed that Colonel Malone should lose his life on the Gallipoli Peninsula, while General Hart was fated to carry o n throughout the war and to return to, New Zealand covered with honor and fame. Whenever the speaker and General Hart met the General had always a good word to say for Colonel Malone, and, indeed, it was the same with officers of the Regiment and of other units. Colonel Malone had a desire to serve his country from almost his earliest youth. After finishing his education in England and spending a few years in an office he came to New Zealand and joined his brother in the Armed Constabulary, a force then very popular wth young men desirous of serving Queen and country. From that date Colonel Malone had fought his way through civilian
and military life till he gained the distinction he held at the time of hs death. Colonel Malone served in the Parihaka campaign and afterwards was one of the moving spirits in.forming the Stratford R'Oe Volunteers, of which he was an officer. Then he served in the Territorial forces with a keenness wHch was an incentive to others to carry on the good work. On the outbreak of the Great War he was one of the first to offer his services to his country, an*d his Services we e readily accepted. He (the speaker) was pleased "to have been associated with Colonel Malone through the Territorial flays right up to Jifs death. He joined In' that day's ceremony with mingled feeMngs of pride and regret—pride because he had been associated with Colonel Malone and had learnt from him. and regret that Colonel Malone was not spared to see the fruits of victory and. to live under tfcs freedom
pf the country, for which he had done so much. Colonel Cox concluded by pointing to the fact that the spirit of Colonel Malone, a 3 General Sir Andrew Russell had said in one of his speeches, parmoated not only the Wellington Regiment, but the whole of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force right to the end of the war. On the Territorials and Senior Cadets present he desired to impress the absolute necessity of training in time of peace for the defence of the country; and when the time of trouble came lie hoped they would do their duty as well and nobly as the late Colonel Malone.
Lieut-Colonel Cunningham said be deeply appreciated the honor which had been done him in asking him to carry out the ceremony for two reasons. First .because he knew the Wellington Iteeiment as a whole would be proud of the fact that one of its members had been asked to perform the ceremony, and, second, because he had been associated on service with Colonel Malone. It was now nine years since Colonel Malone knew he had been accepted for service and eight years since he had died o n Gallipoli. At the outbreak of the war Colonel Malone was one of the foremost citizens of Taranaki, and he owed his position entirely to his >wn efforts and his own sterling, character. Colonel Malone thought much of Stratford and Tarauki, and in his talks impressed one more as a citizen of Taranaki rather than of Stratford.' He always kept Taranaki in... the forefront of his thoughts. When war broke out the speaker was. sure Colonel Malone recognised that the opportunity for which he had been waiting all his life had arrived. Ruskin said thai war brought out the best qualities of man and called forth his efforts. Colonel Malone, was one of those who were best fitted to take the command of men. When the speaker and other officers join ed Colonel Malone's regiment at Awapuni they recognised that th°v had a commander who meant to make soldiers of them. They started by disliking him, they came to respect him and finally they erne to love him for the man they found he really was. Colonel Malone had a fine conception of what was required in war. He was determined to try out all men under his command and those soft in body and spirit soon fell away. The speaker thought that it was because of his work in rubbing out these soft places that the men of the Regime.it came to dislike Colonel Malone. Colonel Malone was a hard man and he knew war was hard; and hewxs determined that his Regiment should be ready for war. It had been the speaker's privilege to have the perusal of Colonel Malonels personal dairy, and one entry deserved notice. This entry was to the effect that on the hottest day experienced in the Red Sea Colonel Malone s men were paraded In full marching order on the transport. "I wrote the Colonel, "that it wou'd not hurt them physically, and that it would do them the world of gocd morally." The men, of course, would object to parading, pavspiring in great heat; but the work of the Regiment in the field showed that they had heen trained in such a manner that no task was too hard for them. It was a great pity that Colonel Malone did not see the war out, for apart from the great distinction he had gained, he would have been a great man in the work of reconstruction which even yet was unfinished. Colonel ■ Malone served on Gallipoli from the landing right up to August Bth, and when he took his Regiment ashore he felt that he had the best regiment in the British Army under him, and looked forward to commanding them in the field. Colonel: Malone took part in the landing at Anzac, and in the fighting round Krithia, and he was in command during the slow work in the trenches during June and July. Colonel Malone was wellknown for his work at Quinn's Post, which he occupied for two months, turning it from one of the most dangerous to one of the safest places in the whole trench line. It was always recognised that it was Colonel Malone who made Quinn's Post. Colonel Malone took his Regiment into acton on August Bth. That was the day of his death, but the speaker was sure that before he died the Colonel felt ft to be the proudest day of his life. The August operations were the final effort of General Hamilton to turn the campaign from one of trenches to
one of action. An effort was,mad3 from Suvla Bay to break the Turk's communications, and tho Wellington Regiment was placed on the right of General Godley's forces. The battle started on August 7fh, and at daylight on the Bth the Wellington Regiment was ordered to advance up Chunuk Bair. On the morning of the 6th the Regiment mustered 23 officers and 823 nvm. Punctually at daybreak on the Bth they moved up and captured Chunuk Bair. The Turks realised that one of their strong points had gone, and they threw every man (hey could muster at the position. The fighting was terrific. Qeweral Hamilton, in his despatch, said hitf'iwater mark in the operations had been reached o n Chunuk Birr. Chunuk Bair, however, was not hell for long, being lost two davs later.
Throughout the Bth Colon-d Ma'nno was wltb to ib«h, -who wer* iwld-
ing the position and suffering heavily. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon he died, having been hit by shrapnel while indicating a line for a trench. As he watched his men fighting in the trench on Chu'nuk Bair Colonel Malone must have felt that the Regiment had justified his work in training them. At midnight on the Bth the Regiment could only must;r three officers and sixty men, roughly 400 having been killed and a like number wounded. In the Wellington Regiment the spirit of Col nel Malone was with the men to the end of the war. There were many men who were trained under hi n w':o were fortunate enough to go. through the whole war and to car-y forward Colonel Malone's fine ideals of what a soldier should be. On such a day they should not forgot the 16,000 New Zealanders who lost their lives in the Great War. They should remember the high ideals for which those men died—patriotism and unselfishness in private and national affairs —and should bring them before the people of the present day. They owned it to the dead, also, to do their of dispelling the unhappiness which existed at the present time. Colonel Cunningham then unveil- - the stone, and described Col-nel Malone as a very gallant soldier an c i one of the best citizens of Taranaki.
Cr. E. Carryer, Deputy-Ma , -or read the following message from the Mayor (Mr J W. McMillan) who is at present absent; from Stratford: "Please apologise for my unavoidable absence from to-day's ceremony. I wish to express my gratitude to the Wellington'Regiment for the erection in Stratford of a memorial to the memory of a splendid citizen and a gallant soldier. Colonel Malone will be remembered in the history of Stratford as one of its noblest citizens." Cr Carryer went on to express the appreciation of citizens of the fact that the Memorial had been eree'ed in Stratford despite the fact tint Palmerston Nonh J and New Plymouth had claims in th e matter. Colonel Malone had one of the most efficient in the New Zealand Expeditiona ;y Force snd the men trained under him were known as the best dis-i--lined men in the force. Cdonel Malone bad been held in the highest esteem by all who came in contact with him, and the Memorial would stand as an inspiration to others to follow in the footsteps of a good soldier, a good citizen and a good gentleman. He assured the officers of the Regiment that the Council would have great pleasure in taking the utmost care of the Memorial. The ceremony was conclude by the sinking of a verse of KipMn-'s "Recessional", the soundn- of the "Last Post" by Mr W. Power and the singing of the National Anthem
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Bibliographic details
Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 80, 9 August 1923, Page 2
Word Count
2,219The late Colonel Malone Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 80, 9 August 1923, Page 2
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