The Life and Adventures of "Rowley" Hill.

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 6, 1 March 1900, Page 33

The Life and Adventures of "Rowley" Hill.

By

James Cowan.

" My name is O'Kelly, I've heard the reoelly From Birr to Bareilly, From Leeds to Lahore." — Barrack-Room Ballads. WN these stirring days, when martial talk ; is the fashion, and when some hundreds ( k of our New Zealand boys are off to do battle for the Old Flag, this true and unvarnished narrative of one of our old soldiers should be worth listening to. It is the tale of a warrior whose fighting days are done, though he is still alert and hearty — the life-story of a man who has served the guns before Sebastopol, who has fought hordes of Sepoy mutineers at Lucknow and Cawnpore — whom the shrill reveille has awakened on the plains of India, and amidst the fern and damp dark forests of Maoriland — who has faced death a hundred times in many climes, and who can tell of "trekking" over the desolate plains of South Africa, as well as campaigning amongst the remotest wilds of our own colony. Such a man — and a New Zealand Cross man withal — should surely have a story worth the telling. George Hill, better known amongst his old comrades as " Rowley," is a short, keeneyed, wiry, firmly-framed old soldier, who is now employed in the Volunteer Brigade Office in Auckland. As for his ago, it would be a puzzle to tell it from a glance at the man. He is not very grey, and does not look more than fifty at the most. Yet he has had over forty years' naval and military service — twelve years active service in the British Navy, and over thirty of a military career in New Zealand — served in the Baltic, the Crimea, the Indian Mutiny, Garibaldi's

Campaign, and tho Maori wars ; am! lias a whole chcstfnl of medals, as may bo seen from our photo. Hill reckons that ho is about sixty-six years of age, and ho is t lie best authority on the subject. The life of Rowley Hill is that of a typical, devil-may-care British sailor or soldier. A born tighter, careless of life ; now singled <>u1 for commendation for " distinguished conduct in the iield ;" risking hih life to save a comrade; deserting his ship for fresh scenes of warfare ; and ever on the ijui ihiw for active service — Hill saw more than I he usual share of slaughter in Queen Victoria's wars. Including his naval services and his New Zealand career, he took part in upwards of thirty engagements; and — like " our hoys " now iv South Africa— he well knows Unsound of the ugly bullets when they "come peckiu' through the dust."