Incidents in Life of Taranaki

Taranaki Daily News, 17 December 1926, Page 4 (Supplement)

Incidents in Life of Taranaki

Essays by School Children

PERILOUS SITUATION CUT OFF BY THE ENEMY SAVED BY JACK TARS (First Prize.—Joan Mcduggage, Stratford; aged 14 years.) .It was on the morning of the 28th. of March, in the year - 1860, that the town of New Plymouth, then enclosed within an encircling line of palisadings and earthworks, and closely infested by some hundreds of fierce veteran Maori warriors, sent forth from its gates a detachment of the old 65th Regiment, under Major Murray, and one hundred and two men of the Volunteers and Militia, the former under Major Charles Brown, and Captain Adjutant Stapp, and the Volunteers under Major Atkinson, to make a demonstration against the famous Waireka Pa, then held by about 800 of the Ngatiruanui and Taranaki tribes. The story of the Waireka fight is one that has already been told many times, ind the gallantry of the seaman, Od■ers, of H.M.S. Niger, has become a latter of history, yet here I shall eneavour to write down the story of the illant band of Militia and Volunteers •ho, cut off by the enemy after the retreat of the Regulars, fought on desperately until the opportune arrival of the ever-ready handy man from H.M.S. Niger. There are few people, even in New Plymouth itself, nowadays, who know or can realise that at one time the town was in such a state of defence. It seems hard to imagine, in this prosperous place, that long line of palisadings which surrounded it in those days—a line of defence extending from the sea on the eastern side of the town round to Mareland Hill in the centre, and then back again to the sea, whilst across Devon Street and the South Road were two large double gates, which had to be closed every night to complete the security of the town. All through the anxious hours of the darkness watchful sentries paced the line of defences, ever on the alert for the expected assault of the savage besiegers .that luckily never came. Many a time throughout the night watches there would tome from beyond the town tiie flicker and crash of a rifle Are, and at the sound of the alarm ringing out in clear bugle notes women and children would make hastily for the blockhouse and redoubt on the summit of Marsland Hill, their one sanctuary in case of an attack. Apparently not knowing their own strength, however, the warlike tribes surrounding the town made no general assault, so that the place happily escaped the horrors of capture and the destruction that would have surely followed in its wake.

Out through the western gateway of the town on this eventful morning marched the two little companies of men —No. 10 Company of the veteran 65th Regiment, in their blue uniforms, their rifles, the old-fashioned Enfield, at the slope, each man carrying the regimental cartridge pouch attached to his belt, and the deadly bayonet swinging i at his left hip. Next to them marched I the resolute little band of volunteers, I 102 all told, the men who were to prove ' again, and yet again, throughout the ■ progress of the war, that the armed i settler was more than a match for even the savage Maori. Along the road- I way they swung, looking soldierly enough in their grey uniforms and i shakos, some armed with the Enfield, | and others with the still more old-fash-ioned and unreliable Brown Bess. On reaching the hill over which the road leads to Oinata, the two forces separated, the Regulars following the road, whilst the Volunteers and Militia branched off towards Paritutu, intending to advance along the coast and thus attack the enemy on the flank. Toiling over the fern-clad sandhills at the base of the great sugar-loaf rock, they at last turned inland towards the enemy’s stronghold, which could now be plainly seen crowning a hill some little distance down the coast. Onward they pressed, unresisted, until presently, leaving the sandhills behind them, they reached more open country clothed in low fern, with scattered flax bushes every here and there across it. Further ahead still the flax grew thicker, clothing the slopes of the gullies with a heavy growth of dark green, forming excellent cover for the enemy, and towards this the little company advanced warily, feeling instinctively that their further progress would most probably be arrested at this point. They were not mistaken, either, for euddenly a puff of smoke broke in a white blur across the flax belt directly in advance of them, and the sound of the shot ringing out seemed to be the signal for a general fusilade to burst out along the whole length of the cover. Spreading out and taking advantage of every scrap of cover, the settlers, moving forward in skirmishing order, opened a brisk return fire on the enemy, who, well hidden among the heavy clumps of flax, were now replying vigorously. Hotter grew the firing as the cottiers pressed slowly forward, approaching ever nearer to the smokech rouded flax belt that barred their way. Reinforcements of fresh warriors could now be seen hurrying from the pa. throwing off their mats as they ran. At this juncture the heavy crash of combined rifle fire broke out all at once ir.land. where the Regulars had also come in touch with the Maoris, and were pushing their attack. As the afternoon wore on the settlers slowly gained ground, the kilted, halfnaked warriors falling back before their determined advance. Fresh parties of natives, however, attracted from a distance by the firing, kept arriving and dropping into the fighting line, so that no decisive advantage had as yet been gained. .All at once, quite unaccountably, it seemed to the settlers, the clear notes of a bugle rang out in the distance, the regimental call of the 65th. A pause, and then the retire sounded severa 1 times, echoing down to them on the breeze. Listening wonderingly. they heard the firing of the Regulars die down and cease. They had evidently retired There was nothing for it but for them to follow suit. It was not till then that it was discovered that the whole force of the enemy, relieved of the pressure on their fight caused by tbe advance of the Regulars. l ad swept down behind them and effectually cut them off from retreat. Tt was a most perilous position for the h ave little of settlers to bp in. -

ing tally of wounded. Sergeant Fahey, of the Militia, had been shot dead. Lieutenant Hammerton, of the Volunteers, had been hit above the knee and disabled. Hawken, of the Militia, was severely 'wounded in the thigh, Private Rawson was wounded in the leg, and W. Oliver, of the Militia, shot in the neek. There-was only one thing left to do, and that was to entrench themselves swiftly, and fight it out, so carrying the wounded to an old house that stood close by, the mien set to work to build up such cover as the materials at hand allowed. Sheaves of oats, pieces of timber, mangolds pulled from the ground and laid in heaps; anything that would make any sort of a shelter against the enemy's bullets, was hastily put together. On one side an old ditch and bank made excellent cover, whilst flax bushes, here and there, did like service, and now the brave little band settled down to what they might well consider to be their last fight. Under the hot fire that the enemy were now keeping up, - the numbers of the wounded were still further increased, Private Inch, of the Volunteers, and Privates J. Climo and W. Bayley, of the Militia, being added to the list of casualties.

Desperate indeed seemed the case of the beleaguered little company as the fierce, relentless Ngatiruanui and Taranaki warriors closed in upon them. Slowly the sun sank down . towards the western horizon, and there were many among that brave little band lying there watching its descent who wondered whether they would ever see the sun set again. To add to their other misfortunes, too, their supply of ammunition had now run so low that the officers were going from man to man to spread it out as equally as possible, in readiness for the last final rush of the enemy, which they expected would come every moment. At last the sun dipped slowly j below the sea in a soft, warm glow, ; that faded rapidly before the pale lustreI less rays of a waning moon hanging low ! in the" western sky. Swiftly and sudi denly darkness swept over the land, and the settlers, crouching close behind their roughly-formed shelter, rammed home their last charges and waited grimly. The Maoris were very elose now, and the blight flashes from their guns stabbed through the gloom on all sides The time was drawing near to the closing I scene of the drama, and each individual ! man nerved himself for a final effort. ■ That final effort, however, was destined I never to be, for on a sudden a bright I stream of fire leaping from the hills i inland trailed in a long, dazzling curve against the darkness, and finally fell with a loud report within the pa. An- | other, and yet another, leapt upwards in quick succession, each descending upon the silent palisading with a crash, and then, as the firing died out around the hard-pressed settlers, there came the flicker and crackle of a volley against the very gateway of the pa itself, and j after that dead silence fell over all. i Fearful lest this might be some ruse | of the enemy, the settlers lay for some I time without moving. Then, as the silence still, held, they commenced to make arrangements for a retreat. Waiting .until the moon had set, they hastilv made some rough stretchers out of 1 poles, with flax strips lashed across, on . these they laid their wounded comrades. and with officers leading, started silently out on the return to town. Creeping stealthily through the darkness they were suddenly brought to a halt by the whispered statement that there were Maoris in front. Cautiously reconnoitring, however, the alarm was found to have been caused by the dead bodies of several of the enemy, who, shot during the progress of the fight, were lying propped up in the flax bushes where they had fallen. Pressing for. ward on their weary journey after this, they at last reached the Omata stockade in safety, where they learnt for the first time of the time attack on the pa by the 50 sailors of H.M.S. Niger, who, led by Captain Cracroft, and daringly guided by Frank Mace and two others of the Omata stockade garrison, stormed and captured the famous Waireka stronghold at the point of the bayonet.