LYTTELTON NAVAL ARTILLERY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4739, 2 September 1893, Page 5

LYTTELTON NAVAL ARTILLERY.

<p Farewell to Captain J. Hose. On Friday evening the members of the Lyttdton Naval Artillery, with their families, assembled in the Oddfellows' Hall, for the purpose of bidding farewell to Captain John Eose, who is retiring from the com* mand of the corps. The gathering took the form of a " social evening," and after several dances and songs had been disposed of, Lieutenant Joyce, on behalf of the members of the corps, presented Captain Eose with a handsomely mounted photograph of the company and a pair of field glasses. In making the presentation, Lieutenant Joyce said they had met there that evening as a corps to bid good-bye to their skipper, and to ask his acceptance, of some small token by whioh he might be assisted in remembering the many very pleasant timeathey had all spent together. He need not Bay, of course, that the whole of the members regretted exceedingly the fact that the time had come when they were called upon to say farewell to their captain, and he knew he was only expressing the; feelings of every member when he said that they would have a very difficult task in finding a commander who would take such a keen interest in their welfare. He (Mr Joyce) hoped that Captain Bose would long be spared to look upon the photographs of his old corps and to recall the many occasions which they had spent together under arms. Captain Bose in acknowledging the presentation said he thanked them from his heart for the handsome photograph of the corps and for the field glasses. The former he was indeed proud of, and it would serve to remind him of the many happy gatherings they had enjoyed so much. But he wished to thank them more than anything else for the good feelings which had prompted their action. He had been eight yeare their Captain, and had always felt that every member of the corps was one of his friends. They bad always managed to get along without any friction, and the recollection of the days gone by would ever be green in his memory. He regretted very much the fact that circumstances had arisen which made it impossible, owing to his removal from Lyttelton, to further continue as their skipper, but he would always have an interest in the corps, and trusted it would prosper. Although he waa now a member of another corps, he could assure them that he could never have the Bame feeling towards another corps as he had felt towards the Lyttelton Navals, whom he considered any man might be proud of ; commanding. He again thanked them for '•■ the presents, and sat down amid hearty cheere, followed by the singing of " He's a Jolly Good Fellow."