SIXTY YEARS

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 1600, 31 May 1924, Page 17 (Supplement)

SIXTY YEARS

Late Mr. John Atkinson

The late Mr John Atkinson, of River Road, Claudelands, was not a member of the 4th Company, but he arrived m Hamilton with a detachment of the 2nd Company in December, 1864. The Ist and 2nd Companies were located on the west side of the. river, the Ist extending from Whitiora bridge to Ward Street (the district until recently was known as "No. 1"); while the 2nd Company extended from Ward Street, southwards. Mr Atkinson enlisted'in Ballarat (Victoria). He kindly supplied us with the following narrative, covering the whole period of his connection with the militia, which we are sure will be greatly appreciated by our readers at the present time: — "I enlisted at, Ballarat through the representations of Colonel Eraser, who was acting as an agent of Colonel Pitt, and left Williamstown on January 28, IcG.i, in the Thomas Fletcher, as a militia man bound for New Zealand We sighted the Three Kings on the eighth day, but were blown to sea, and did not make land again until the 2nd of March. In Auckland we had been given up as lost, as the Swiftsure, which left the Victorian port at the same time, had arrived in the Waitcmata on tha ninth day. immediately upon arrival we were sworn To Servo Our Qucon

i and country for a period of three | years, and marched to quarters at j Onehunga. My impressions of AuckI land were not very favourable; for. , though Auckland was at that lime the i capital of New Zealand, if seemed to me that if it could have been shifted j bodily over to Ballarat it would have ; made no appreciable difference In the size nf Ihe Victorian town, and I i thought 1 had made a big mistake in j coming over. After I had been in j Onehunga for a few days I obtained I leave lo visit Urn cily on business, an I I went to a horse fair. A horse was brought forward which I valued at about £4'or £-*">. I was therefore sur- | prised when the auctioneer started it j nl £8 and il ran up to £!<>. I thought horses must he dear in this country: but Ihe auctioneer slopped short and asked: 'Well, what will you give me'.' (live me a bid I' It was my first experience of '(rotting.' After a short sojourn al Onehungn an order came for ."io men of the Ist Company lo go .to Otahuhu, and Ihrep days later a I furl her detail nf 50 were ordered to ! Drnry. The orders were received at ! 10 a.m.; the men were selected, an I jwe were at once marcher! to th n j armourer's lent lo get our arms and j aeco.nlrenvois. We had a large proj portion of new-chums.,mostly weavers ! from Clasgow and Manchester, ihe ! majority of whom hid

Never Pr;3v:ouj|y Seen n Rifle, much less handled otic-.. When Ihey got their hells Ihey did not know what io do with them, and they were advised lo find some old soldier to til them up. We fell in in marching order at, 2 p.m.. and I am sur" some of Ihe officers had a quiet grin when they saw us. We started about • p.m., an 1 reached Otahuhu at sundown. Fctr bell tents had been pitched for us. Otahuhu was the headquarters of most of the Imperial troops, and was u large camp. Our tents had been pitched a good distance from Ihe main body. Sixteen of- us under a

corporal were allolled No. 1 tent, and upon looking inside we saw plenty of scoria, some of the stones being as big as my head. We wen I lo the officers I" see about something besides scoria lo sleep on. and were loi 1 that 'a. soldier always carried his own bedding.' We sel to work, therefore, to remove some of Ihe largest boulders, and then inquired ahoul our evening meal. This time we werc-loul that we had drawn our rations in the morning al Onehunga, and if we had ito-1 brought them with us il was our own lookout-. I invited myself lo lea that evening with some of the men of No. 1 Company whom I knew in Ballarat. Ahoul '.' p.m. t made my way lo our tent and found that of Ihe 17 men only two had retired. I made up my bed as best I could, but in the morning feelingly realised that I had not reposed on a feather mattress. About 10 a.m. we made another start for Drury. The corporal, no doubt profiting by our experience of the previous evening, had 'commandeered' a pieee of beef, fully 101 b, which he ordered me In carry for the first stage of ihe journey. I refused, and afler some lively interchanges \ ldvised him lo lake his heel' to a place where there would be

No Difficulty in Roasting It. The joint shortly afterwards found a peaceful resting place on the roadside. At Burton's Hotel, Papatoetoe. we halted for dinner. We staskod arms and broke off. and in a very few minutes had taken possession of the whole place, helping ourselves to what we. fancied. Our officers (Lieutenant Walker and Ensign Barnes) or. dered us lo fall in. and shortly afterwards we were again on the march. Upon reaching the Papakura Hotel the men loudly clamoured for a drink: but the officers were not taking any more chances. They marched us along io ihe pos! office, where there was a line spring, and told us if we wauled a drink we could help ourselves. There was very little demand for that brow of ale. When we reached Drury we found Iwo large. Indian marquees ready for us. General Galloway, who was in charge of the 4th Militia Regiment, came in 'o see us: gave us some good advice, and praised us as a fine body of men. We had nlenty of bcdriin.ar here in f.h? shape "f fern. Our' marquee was pitched on a slope, with a cart track running through the centre. The marquee had Iwo doors. We closed the upper one and turned in at. about 9 p.m. The rain come down in b,u«*ketsfnl, and "t penetrated the .canvas like a sieve. The ensign came in to see how we were fanner, and when he saw our plight, he tried to are!, us accommodation in the canteen, nut. news of our exploit zt Papatoetoe had evidently reached the ears nf (hose in charge, for Ensign Barnes' reouest. was

PareniDtorily Turned Down. The la'e Ocorire Mays and- his mate were Dine- in Ihe cenlre of the cart, track aforesaid, and not. fooling very comfortable they irot, no, whereupon their bedding floated off through the lower door of t h e marquee. T mannered to get off to sleep, but. was awakened b,y having my hair pulled. T accused my neietinur of the deed, hut, he denier] thp impeachment. After remaining quiet for a few minutes the nulling nroecss was resumed, and f then ascertained that, a rat, was the. culnrif. Drury at that time was infested with these rodents: they wers "••e-e m millions, reminding one of Bishop Hatto's experience in his castle on the Rhine:—

Some Early Recollections

lion of a Maori scltlomcnl in Ihe bus'.). Upon reaching the limber we were pill in skirmishing order. The sorgeanl came along the line and quietly ordered us to full-cock our rifles, shoulder arms, and march straight for the standing hush. I pul my shooting iron al half-cock and quietly passed Hie advice along the line for my comrades to do likewise. When we entered the bush the fun began. We were soon struggling amidst a tangled growth of roots, supplejacks, lawyers, etc., etc., and presently something Came Whizzing Past iVJy Ear. Then my rear rank man began to mutter. I looked round and saw I hat he was like Mahomet's coffin —hung up 'fwixt earth and heaven—amongst the supplejacks, and he told me he had lost his bayonet. I assisted him to reach terra, firma, an'd found the missing bayonet, but I have often wondered how we would have fared if we had charged inlo that bush with our rifles at. full-cock. After daybreak we got along a bit better, and soon struck a clearing where a man had been engaged cutting firewood. We were ordered lo prospect round, as it was thought the men had been murdered. We found the man's Looi'>, but neither blood nor bones, and the man subsequently turned up in the Waikato. We bagged no scalps on that memorable journey. Returning a few days later to Drury, I was told off with a covering parly over some stone breakers working: among the hills. I was stationed on a steep spur covered with, fern: before me was high ti-trec. behind me a hill covered with bush and dense undergrowth. Nearby were a couple of rough slab huts. I did not like the situation, and felt that I would have a poor chance if there were any hostile natives in the neighbourhood. After a careful look round, I entered one of Ihe huts, placed my rifle against the wall, sat. down, and lit my pipe. A 'bang* from the bush made me spring to my feet, seize my rifle, and peer anxiously through the crevices of the wall. I fell Like a Rat in a Trap, as I listened for the coming of the foe. Another shot was followed soon after by six or seven more. Then I put, down my rifle and resumed my interrupted smoke. The. stone-break-ers were blasting, and the reports, striking the bush, had echoed back to me. The next clay Paddy Whelan had a similar experience. He was stationed at the same place, and upon hearing the first, shot he 'stood not upon the order of his going, but went at once,' and executed a strategic movement upon the main body with more alacrity than dignity, and burst upon Hie company of stone-crackers, sans hat, sans breath, heroically striving to ejaculate 'M-M-Mao-Maoris!' He had lo go back. Shortly after this episode I was recalled to Onehunga. where I was engaged in the commissariat store. With the exception of a fortnight spent at the Wairoa, Henderson's and Galloway's Redoubts, T remained until ordered to the Waikato in December. 1864. "We left Onehunga for Hamilton on Christmas Eve, 1864, by steamer, the party being in. charge of Dr Carey, whose only subordinate officer was

They came in at the windows and in nt the door, And through the wall by thousands j they pour, j And down through the ceiling and up i through the floor, j From the right and the left, from beI hind and before.

Cats and dogs would not, take any notice of the vermin, beyond looking at them running about. Drury at this time was a very busy place, for all forage and rations for the troops at the front, came there by cutters from Onehunga, being thence transported to the Bluff below Mercer by waggons. We were attached to thou Auckland Militia, and we found it a very hard camp. Every other nig.it we had to go on guard, and were not relieved until 8 a.m. Some days there would be as many as Five Cutters to Unload, rind the goods had to be all carried into the store, while every day 40 or more* waggons had to be loaded up with stuff for the front. Mounting guard was the easiest part of our duty. I remember on one occasion the troops were drawn up for inspection in full marching order, and our equipment comprised, amongst other trifles, 50 rounds of ammunition, which in those days was no light weight. Something prompted Ihe major not to I rust too much to appearances, and while inspecting Ihe opened cartouche pouches of Ihe Auckland Militia men he touched Ihe packets of presumed ammunition, only to find that they were dummies: the men carried fen rounds in Iheir pockets and carefully slowed the others away. The delinquents were marched off to gel Iheir full complements, but upon ihe llrsl favourable opportunity Ihey again dispensed with the 40 rounds. When we had been at Drury for a shorl season we were taken out for rifle practice. After we had fired three rounds the sergeantmajor approached one man. whom we had nick-anmed 'Apries,' and told him that his rifle had not been fired. 'Apples' said it had: but the sergeant. major was not satisfied. He, look the weapon, capped it, and put it to his shoulder preparatory to firing. Somethins, however, prompted him lo investigale further before taking any risk: so he dropped the ramrod down the barrel. He hastily handed lh' n rifle back to 'Apples' and advised hjm to proceed cautiously lo Ihe armourer, with, a request To Draw the Charge. The sergeant-major, had he lire i that rifle, would have, gol a surprise: il contained three full charges. Aftc" being in Drury for a fortnight w were ordered hack lo Papakura, and met the 4th Company, under Captain Steele, going lo Henderson's and Calloway's redoubls. Papakur.i was absolutely Ihe worsl place ror fleas f ever experienced. The Defence Corps were sialioned there, and early one. beautiful moonlight morning three drays passed along. The sentry challenged them three times, bul received no answer. Shortly afterwitds two more came up; these Ihe sentry challenged twice, and receiving no reply be fired, muzzle-stopper and all. The camp got a scare, and all hands turned out. A week or so later, at 2..'!0 a.m., 25 of us were paraded fully armed, loaded and capped. We received strict orders thai .here musl be no talking, smoking, or sinking matches, hut -follow our leader.* Wo marched down a I rack for about three-quarters of a mile in (he diree-

Sergeant Dent. We reached the Waikato Heads the same evening, and 'reembarked upon a couple of barges in readiness for an early start next morning. About 10 p.m. a man named Middleton, who was in charge of the guard, fell overboard, and was drowned. We could hear him shouting in the water, but could do Nothing to Rescue Him.

I was at once placed in charge. I had been on duty all the previous night, and my new duties precluded me seeking the embrace of Morpheus for the. remainder of that evening, so I was beginning to feel the strain. We cast off at about, i a.m. on Christmas Day, and reached "the Bluff," about a mile below Mercer, the same evening. I told the guard that they would have to relieve themselves, as I was determined to have some sleep. The barges were heavily laden, a space about, 18in. wide being left all round the cargo for the passengers lo move around on. I wrapped myself up in a tarpaulin and got, off to sleep; but awoke with a start to find that the guard had allowed a stranger to come aboard. After putting the man ashore and having warned the guard lo be a little more vigilant, I again sought, slumber, and Ibis time was rudely awakened and informed that I was wanted ashore. I expostulated, but my disturber was insistent. So I obediently walked the plank. Upon beaching terra flrma my olfactory organ detected a most appetising odour, which I ascertained proceeded from a pot hung gipsy fashion over a large fire, and the cook handed me a large helping of the most, delicious game broth r have ever tasted. My inquiry as to whence it came was mel by the advice to put no queries as I would then hear no prevarications, and I accepted the hint, as well as another bowl or Ihe bounty of Ihe gods. On Boxing morning we started on the Last Stage of Our Journey to the. new El Dorado. About 8 o'clock I observed one of the ladies, who possessed a pen of poultry, proceed lo give Ihem Iheir morning meal. A few minutes afterwards an exclamation of surprise was followed by Ihe remark, 'Thai was whal Sylvester was afler. I'll warrant.' The 'ould' lady seized a belaying pin and set out in search of Ihe individual referred 10, and for upwards of an hour Ihe ship's company was treated to a most comical game of 'hide and seek.' Sylvester (who knew absolutely nothing about the mysterious disappearance of the gander) had lo use all his agility and wits to circumvent the irate dame, who was determined to try the texture of her belaying pin upon his ruddy pate. We reached Hamilton at about i o'clock in the afternoon, and my first impression was thai I had made a big mistake in leaving Victoria. Before I landed I was ordered on guard early the following morning, and no protest availed. We landed on Ihe west, side of •the river, and our firs I redoubt —a circular one —was constructed about where the Dank of New Zealand now stands: a larger one was subsequently built, on the hm nC ar St. Peter's Anglican Church. The day afler my arrival I was told off for Hie stores, and was relieved of guard duty. A ferry service between the 3rd and 4th companies, who were situated on either side of the river, was al once instituted; ibis was subsequently replaced by a punl constructed of two .Maori canoes boarded over. All communication wilh the outside world was by river, a [.learner running about twice a week. I remained with the company until 1 secured my section some seven or eight months), and then took up my residence on my farm of Gi acres on the Ohaupo Road. The land was very swampy, only some 10 acres being workable, and it was for Ibis reason I was allowed the extra 12 acres. 1 purchased 50 acres immediately opposi'e my own Int 1!j0, an<* set up as a farmer, paying 20 Guineas for IWy First Cow, 'which 1 led all Ihe way from To Horc. There was a Maori scare on an average of ahoul once a month, when all Hie men. their wives and Iheir families, were summoned lo the redoubt by mounted messengers, for mutual prelection. I do nol think that more than one in 20 of Ihe Militia took up Heir land. Al the conclusion of the war liiiiigs were very dull; there was no money and no work, and wages were exceedingly low. The original formation of Victoria Street, from ahoul Mrs McGarrigle's shop to the present commercial Hotel, was con.' traded for al 'is Gil per chain, and it included Ihe culling down of several substantial hills and the filling of sundry 'potholes.' Though wages were low the cost of living was high, as witness: A box of matches cost Gd. a sack of flour .; 2001 b) £3 3s, butter '2s Gd per lb, milk Is per quart, and meat (when procurable) from 7d to Js per lb. Pome n( Ihe early breeders in the district had to pay £3 10s for their breeding ewes. It was not until the, 'TO's that things began to look up. Then several large tracts of country were taken vp |jy various people and companies, and Ihe draining of these areas provided employment for large numbers of men. If if. had not been for the large estates none of the small holders would have been able to hold out.