NOTES ABOUT THE OFFICERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 11648, 4 January 1902, Page 3

NOTES ABOUT THE OFFICERS.

The Wellington "Post" of Tuesday says: — . . , Much interest has been evinced in the selection of officers of the new Contingent. As already intimated, Lieutenant-Colonel Davies. the officer commanding the Auckland Volunteer District, will take command of the Contingent, and it is probable that he will receive the rank of Colonel .and Brigadier. Colonel Davies had experience with both the First and the Fourth Contingents, and is therefore ■well qualified for the important commwid. It was fully expected that Captain Bartlett. who served as a captain under Major Davies with the First Contingent would receive his majority on joining the fcjgntn, but the rank of second in command has been conferred upon Major Crawshaw, the Timaru schoolmaster, who went, out as a. subaltern -with the Second Contingent ("Cradock's Own"), and returned with regimental rank. Major Crawshaw was severa! times "wounded, and returned to the fighting line after each recovery. Altogether he was an intrepid officer, and brave to a fault. He again leaves his class in the Timaru Main School to take up active i service. The Major is young, enthusiastic, and comes of a fighting family. Another popu/ar officer who did good work at the front with the Third Contingent, is Captain Louis Bourn, who also belongs to Timaru. Captain Bourn was captured bv the Boers, and suffered several months' imprisonment with a party of New Zealanders. He left again for South Africa some time ago, and will join the Eighth over there. Captain G. Saxbv, of Napier, was Sergeant-Major in the ] Fourth, in which Captain Pringle, who is a member of ihe well-known Hutt family, was in command of No. 7 Comjjany. Captains Poison and Jackson held similar rank in the Fifth Contingent. Captain Cameron- went out as ai trooper, was promoted to subaltern, and now goes out with two stars on his shoulder. ActingCaptain Haselden, who went out as a subaltern with the Fifth, is a son of the Wellington Stipendiary Magistrate. It is pleasing to note that many of the men who won their stripes as noncommissioned officers with former Contingents, have been given Lieutenancies. Among those who have been offered commissions in.the'TEightn who are weU-known in Wellington are the following. who was Sergeant-Major m the First ; Messrs O'Callaghan, A. J- S. Thompson, Blair, Kelsall, and Wighton, all of the Second Contingent; and Messrs I. - Gardner and J. W. A. Thompson, of the Fourth. The non-coms, in the Second and Fourth Contingents have scored well in securing commisions in the Eighth, ana in nearly every case the promotion was well deserved. Mr Joyce, who is a mem"ber of the well-known Lyttelton family, "has only just returned from the front. Mr McMillan was a subaltern in the Fifth Contingent. Mr Ferguson served with the Fourth, Mr O'Dowd was a sergeant in the s?.*ne Contingent, and Mr Mason was its Quartermaster-Sergeant. Mr Hickson is well known in Wellington, having been Clerk of the Magistrates Court here, ' and he is resigning a similar peaceful post at Hokitika in order to go to the war. He is a son of the late Police-Inspector Hickson. [Mr Hickson acted as Clerk of the Court and Returning Officer in Timaru. during Mr Howlev's visit to the Old Country.] Messrs Morgan and Pitt were serreants in the First Contingent, Mr Orb ell went away as a trooper, and won his stripes in the same Contingent, Mr Street was Sergeant-Major in the Second. and Mr McNab is a Lieutenant of the M.itaura Mounted Rifles. Of the five medical officers appointed three are to report themselves at the Addinston Camp, and two (Drs Forbes and Eccles) at the Trentham Camp. Dr Baldwin has just resigned charge of the Otaki Hospital, where he succeeded Dr Mason. Of. the 44 officers required for the two battalions, 40 have been selected, according to the above list. There is a rumour abroad to the effect that it is intended to appoint 56 officers, and that the remainder of the commissions to make up that total will not be issued for another week. The ■ officers so far selected will have to pass ■ their medical and other tests before rei ceiving definite appointments. They have i to report themselves at one or other of the camps on Friday or Saturday next.