“RUM CURVE” WAS WELL KNOWN IN EARLIEST RIFLE SHOOTING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19060, 3 May 1930, Page 21 (Supplement)

“RUM CURVE” WAS WELL KNOWN IN EARLIEST RIFLE SHOOTING.

Visits To The Keg At Heathcote Affected Volunteer Marksmanship Written for the " Star ”

By

W. H. R. DALE.

Number 8 Company, mentioned in my recent article, was inaugurated in the early sixties, by Mr George Holmes, one of the contractors for the Lyttelton tunnel, in order that the workmen might have recreation and amusement in their spare time. When the company was formed it, doubtless, must have been an “ awkward squad ” to the casual onlooker, as the men were of various heights and sizes, the shortest man being about oft 4in and the tallest 6ft. Two, in particular, are worthy of mention. One was very bow-legged, and the other had feet that spread fan-like to an angle of about 30 degrees, so that when the company was “ marking time ” those on each side of him were in danger of having their toes trodden on. To prevent this he was placed at the end of the line. The uniform consisted of a red cloth Garibaldi with black facings, black cloth trousers with a red stripe on the sides, and a black shako. The accoutrements were a leather waist belt with a large pouch for cartridges, a smaller one for percussion caps, a long Enfield rifle, and a bayonet. The method of loading the rifle was as follows:—From the “shoulder arms,” the rifle was taken by the left hand and placed in front of the volunteer, the front of the rifle facing outwards. The ammunition consisted of a stiff paper shell, with a waxed bullet in the end, and a shell containing powder. The soft paper at the end of the latter was generally bitten off with the teeth, and the powder was poured into the barrel, then the bullet was inserted, and rammed home by the ramrod. The rifle was then brought to a horizonal position across the waist line, and a percussion cap was put on the nipple, with the right hand. All of these movements were made by the company in unison, and in strict time. The rifle range was on the east side of the Horotane Valley. It was a good one, and shooting matches were held whenever it was possible. The target was a sheet of fin iron, about 14ft square, painted with the outer, the centre, and the bull's-eye. About 10ft to the right of the target there was a dug-out for the marker to sit in, and to register the hits. He did this by holding up a white flag for an outer, a green flag for a centre, and a red flag for a bull’s-eye. A two-gallon keg of beer, called “ the major,” generally accompanied the shooting party, and when the firing began at 100 and 200 yai'ds it was fairly good, but, after a few visits to “ the major ” it became rather wild and erratic, especially at 400 and 500 yards; in fact, it was reported that the marker said that the safest place for him was in front of the target. The “ major ” was discarded after a while, and then good shooting followed, many prizes being won. The company used to drill on the school ground, and the officers were Captain Holmes, Ensign Fitzmaurice and Sergeants Martindale and Sandford. .When the tunnel was finished No. 8 Company was disbanded, as the meri left Heathcote to seek for work elsewhere. No. 2 Engineers—consisting mainly of the younger men—of whom I was one, was then formed, and also a brass band, under the leadership of Herr Lind. The uniform was the same as that of No. 8 Company, except that the shako was discarded, and in its place we had a black cloth cap, with a red band and a straight peak, generally referred to as a cheesecutter. The long Enfield rifles were recalled, and the company was armed with a nice rifle named the Lancaster. Mr George Holmes still retained the rank of honorary captain, with Captain Pavitt in command. Drills were held monthly on the school ground, after which the company, accompanied by mm m m is m m ® m is m m es m I*l m m ® m u [

the band, would march to “ Casterton,” Mr Holmes’s private residence, and line up, two deep, in front of the verandah, standing at ease. Captain Holmes would then appear and say “ Good evening Sergeant, good evening men.'’ A course of evolutions would follow. “ Attention! Shoulder Arms! Present! Slope. Ground Arms! Stand at ease! Stand easy! Very good Sergeant. Here is a pound for the boys.” The next order was Attention! Right turn! Quick march ! Then straight to Birdsey's Hotel at the foot of the Bridle Path, where the Queen’s health was drunk, and a convivial evening was spent. RIFLEMAN WAS SEIZED BY HAU-HAU NATIVES. MASSACRE FOLLOWED RETURN TO MAINLAND. Some of our early colonists may remember the three-masted schooner Rifleman, which was seized by native prisoners, at the Chatham Islands, dur ing the Maori War in the 'sixties. The vessel vras well-known at Lyttelton, and naturally the incident caused a big sensation. The story is as follows : A young Maori warrior, named Te Kooti Rikirangi, who had been fighting on our side, was arrested, and charged with communicating with the enemy, but was released. The Poverty Bay settlers, however, had grave doubts as to his loyalty, and in compliance with their wishes he was re-arrested and deported, with other Hau-hau prisoners, to the Chatham Islands, where they were to be detained for two years. When that period had passed, and it seemed that their detention w*as to be indefinite, the Maoris decided to make an effort to escape back to the mainland, and awaited an opportunity to put their plans into effect. Accordingly, when the schooner Rifleman arrived, Te Kooti, and his band of fellow-exiles, overpowered the guard—killing one who resisted—then collected, all of the arms and ammunition available, and seized the vessel. Captain Christian was absent on business at the time, so they ordered Mr Payne, the first mate, to navigate the ship back to New Zealand. I knew Mr Payne well, and he told me afterwards that they threatened to throw him overboard if he refused to obey. So, under these conditions, the escapees, numbering nearly 300 men, women and children, set sail for Poverty Bay, and landed at Whareongaonga, in July, IS6B. Te Kooti and his followers reached the back country, and planned a raid on the settlement at Matawhero, near Gisborne, and on the morning of November 10, thirty-two Europeans and nearly forty natives were massacred. This dreadful affair was followed by a savage guerilla warfare which lasted for over three years, and it was in a running fight at Te Kapenga that Lieutenant Gilbert Mai.* won the New Zealand Cross. At the end of 1871, Te Kooti broke through the cordon which was designed to keep him from the Waikato, and took refuge in the King Country, where he died in 1893. The mate of the Rifleman, Mr Payne, afterwards commanded the Excelsior, which used to carry limestone from Amuri Bluff to Major Hornbrook’s kilns at Woolston. Eventually, the Rifleman was lost, with all hands, while on a trip from Lyttelton to Picton. Captain Peter Toomey was in command at the time. (To be continued.)