The Story of Our Volunteers.

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, 1 November 1900, Page 124

The Story of Our Volunteers.

By J. P. Whitblaw.

Part II

HE year 1875 saw the last of the old City Rifles. The affairs of the Company 3j had reached a crisis, and to avoid an otherwise inevitable disbandment, the Company transferred in a body to the Vicfoma Rifles. The Royals had in the meanwhile become an artillery corps, the " A " Battery, so that neither of the two original rifle companies now remained. During the years of peace which followed the last of the Maori wars, Volunteering was comparatively uneventful, though it had its ups and downs. Looking back, the most striking period of the movement appears to have been the great " revival " of 1885, when Volunteering in Auckland reached its zenith. Never before or since has it been so strong as at the date mentioned. The cause of this activity was the prospect of war between Russia and Great Britain. The war-cloud seemed ready to burst at any moment, and great preparations were made throughout the British Empire to strengthen the defences of Her Majesty's widespread dominions. New life was infused into the Volunteer forces of the Australasian colonies, particularly New Zealand. Prior to this, Volunteering had reached a very low ebb in Auckland. There were only five volunteer companies in existence in the City, one of them being a field battery equipped with four obsolete six- pounder Armstrong gnus. Volunteer companies now sprang up like mushrooms ; nineteen were formed in the space of three months in Auckland

alone, consisting of cavalry, mounted infantry, navals, engineers and infantry j? corps. It may be mentioned in passing that out of all the companies formed in the Auckland district at that time, only one — the Ponsonby Navals — remains. In a very short time Auckland possessed a naval battalion of six companies — Auckland Naval Artillery, Ponsonby Navals, Coastguard Artillery (aftemv'ards re-named the Waitemata Navals), Devonport Navnls and Thames Navals — under Captain-Cuai-mandant Le Roy ; two battalions of infantry, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel P. Dignan and Lieutenant-Colonel Mahon respectively ; two artillery corps — the "A *' Battery, under Major Payne, and the " 0 " Battery, under Captain Seymour Thome George ; a cavalry corps, under Dr. L. Erson ; and a lancer corps, under Captain Kempt. The officer in command of the garrison at that time was Lieutenant-Colonel T. V. Shepherd, who is still on the Active List of the New Zealand Militia, and several Auckland identities of the present day held important positions in the Volunteers during that period. Associated with Colonel Dignan were Majors Isaacs and Clifton, and Captain (afterwards Major) Skinner was Adjutant of the No. 1 Battalion. Major B. D. Tonks was second in command in the No. 2 Battalion, with Capt. C. V. Houghton as Adjutant. Captain Grerrard, an Indian Mutiny veteran, acted as Adjutant in the Naval Battalion. The First Battalion of infantry wore scarlet uniforms ; the second navy blue. The latter included a corps of veterans, and more than one honorary corps,

like the Gordon Rifles, which did not receive capitation from the Government. The "0" Battery, which was afterwards corn-

Hanna,

Auckland,

manded by Captain 0. James, used to man the guns at Fort Resolution, and Iheir Saturday afternoon pi*actice was quite a social function, the ladies attending in large numbers as interested spectators. It was the golden age of Volunteering ; almost every young man appeared to belong to some corps or other, and the parades attracted splendid musters. A garrison review in those days was quite an imposing spectacle, and the military funeral accorded to Colonel Lyon will long be remembered as one of most impressive interments that has ever taken place in Auckland. Field-days were held in the Metropolitan Grounds, Symonds-street, and the troops were reviewed there upon occasions by New Zealand's only General — Major-General Sir George Whitmore. The sham-fight at Tamaki in 1885 was about the largest ever held in Auckland.

But all this stir and enthusiasm proved of a temporary character. The war scare subsided, and with it the patriotic ardour which had prompted so many youths to take up arms. Had the Government of tho day been more liberal in their treatment of tho Volunteers, move of the companies might have carried on. As it was, the revival only lasted about four years. Then company after company began to disband, and in another year or two Volunteering in Auckland was slacker than ever. Iv 1890 tho Victoria Rifles was the only infantry corps in Auckland that went into camp at Easter, and the disbanding of the City Rifles (not the original City R.V.) left tho Victorias tho sole surviving company of the two infantry battalions of 1880. It was towards the end of 1897 that the Volunteering movement again became active. The only Volunteer Corps in

Auckland at this time were the Auckland, Ponsonby and Devonport Navals, the " A " Battery, the Victoria Rifles and the College

Rifles. Within a few months an infantry battalion was formed, and placed under the command of Major (afterwards LieutenantColonel) T. L. Murray, an old Thames volunteer. The first new company formed was the No. 1 New Zealand Native Rifles. This corps was started by the New Zealand Natives' Association, the chief promoters being Messrs E. Ford (president) and E. H. Montgomery, who first proposed the formation of the corps at a meeting of the Association. The No. 1 Natives was formed in November, 1897, the No. 2 and No. 3 Natives, Auckland Rifles and No. 2 Victorias followed next April. The Newton Rifles, the most recent infantry corps in Auckland, was formed in October, 1898, and completed the Auckland Infantry Battalion No. 1. Meanwhile the Devonport Coastguard Artillery had been formed in February of the same year ; the Auckland Mounted Rifles were gazetted in October, and the Engineers in November, 1898. Since then the. only other corps formed in Auckland has been the Seddon Horse, a company of mounted infantry started a few months ago. The new No. 1 Battalion came into prominence last Easter by offering its services for Samoa. An attempt was made in some quarters to belittle the offer of a New Zealand force for service in Samoa, and to sneer at the idea as jingoistic ; but for the most part the volunteers were warmly commended for the spirit they displayed. The offer was not accepted by the Home authorities, but the fact of its being made was evidence of the readiness of colonial troops to help the Mother Country. In what a striking and practical manner this " spirit of Empire " has since been manifested by all the British colonies, no one needs to be reminded. The Transvaal War will be memorable for the part played in it by colonial volunteer troops. At the present time there are only five Volunteer Companies in Auckland of more than four years' standing. Of these the "A" Battery, the Victoria Rifles and the Auckland Naval Artillery date back to the earliest days of the movement, while the

Ponsonby Naval Artillery have been fifteen, and the Submarine Mining Corps six years in existence. A sketch of the history of the older corps of the Auckland Garrison should be of interest.

The "A" Battery,

As the direct descendants of the old Royal Rifles, the first Volunteer Company sworn-in in New Zealand, the " A " Battery of Artillery can fairly claim to be the oldest Volunteer Company in the colony. The

Royals were formed in 1858, and carried on as an infantry corps till 1866, when the members decided to re-form as an infantry corps. There was at the time no field artillery in Auckland, the old Auckland Artillery having already disbanded. The Government agreed to the proposal, and the Royal Rifles accordingly became the Auckland Royal Artillery. Their armament consisted of part of a battery of six-pounder Armstrong breech-loading guns, belonging to Captain Mercer's Artillery in the Maori War. The Volunteers used these guns for many years, and became very proficient with them. The corps had, of course, its ups and downs, following upon that tidelike " ebb and flow " which has been such a

feature of the Volunteer movement. At one time the Battery would have splendid musters on parade ; at another, it was hard work to scrape together a detachment to man one gun. But the corps, even when the movement was at its lowest ebb, always managed to avoid disbandment. It is one of the few companies which survived the " slump " in volunteering which followed the revival of 1885. The first commander of the Auckland Royal Artillery was Captain Featon, but this gentleman soon gave place to Captain (afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel) Burns. The latter held the command for about four years. During his captaincy the Artillery Companies throughout the colony were

formed into a regiment, through the instrumentality of Sergeant-Major Hyde, and the Auckland Corps, by virtue of its seniority, became the "A" Battery, New Zealand Regiment of Artillery. On the resignation of Captain Burns the command of the corps was given to one of the subalterns, Lieutenant Payne (now Lieuten-ant-Colonel commanding tho New Zealand Regiment of Artillery), who held the position right up to September, 1887. He resigned on being promoted to the rank of Major, and the vacant captaincy was filled by Lieutenant J. McK. Geddes, one of the subalterns, and a former member of the old Auckland Artillery. During his

captaincy fresh life was infused into the corps, and its officiency was favourably commented upon in Colonel Fox's famous report of 1892, which contained somo scathing remarks on not a fovv of the Volunteer Companies then in existence. Captain Greddes resigned in August, 1892, and Lieutenant L. O'Brien, tf§fr senior subaltern, was elected captain ot,ihe corps, which position he still holds. As a shooting corps, the " A " Battery has a record second to none. The success of one of the corps — (runner t!S» in winning the Carbine Championship!,^ the colony, in 1876, seomed to Nupp-v' the necessary stimulus, for after this thr Uorps took up shooting enthusiastically, ) and

turned out some excellent marksmen. Sergeant Parslow won the Carbine Championship of the colony in 1885, and the Rifle Championship in 1889, a performance which was equalled later on by another "A " Battery man, Sergeant H. Doughty. Among other members of the corps, Gunner Taylor was once runner-up for the championship, and Gunner Henderson finished fifth on two occasions, while for three years in succession the " A " Battery carried off the teams' championship of the colony, besides finishing twice in this competition on more than one occasion. In 1887 the corps won no less than £60 in prizes at the class-firing competitions, and

£30 the following year. They carried off the Gordon Shield four times, being the only corps in the present garrison which has won this annual teams' match more than once. In 1897 two members of the "A " Battery, Messrs. J. P. Webster and Hazard, went, to England with the New Zealand team which competed at Bisley, and was only beaten by two points in the competition for the Kolapore Cup, a contest open to teams from all parts of the British Empire. The present strength of the corps is close on

100. All the field artillery companies were instructed last year to recruit up to 100, in anticipation of receiving new guns from England, the present batteries being admittedly out of date. So far, however, only one new battery has reached the colony, the war being doubtless mainly responsible for the delay.

The Victoria Rifles,

Formed originally as an off-shoot of the old City Rifles, the Victoria Rifles can fairly claim to be an excellent illustration of " the

survival of the fittest." For not only are they the oldest infantry corps in Auckland, but they are (with one exception, which exists under a fresh name) the only " survivors " out of the first five companies formed some forty years ago. To complete the analogy, this old-established corps has not only outlived, but has actually incorporated, one after another, all the original companies except the Eoyals, which corps still survives as the "A " Battery of Artillery. Some of the old companies

gained a new lease of life by amalgamating ■with one another, or with new companies, but all eventually merged into the Victoria Rifles. The latter may well feel proud of their record, for no corps in the colony has withstood better the many vicissitudes through which the Volunteer movement has passed. Started about the end of 1859, it is as strong to-day as ever, and its long and successful career has developed to a high degree that esprit de corps upon which, more than anything else, the life of a Volunteer Company depends.

The "Victoria Rifles were formed by a few of the members of the City Rifles, one of the first two companies enrolled in Auckland. Dissension arising in the City camp, some of the members, at a meeting held in the guard-room of the old O'Rorke-street Barracks, decided to form a new Volunteer Company. Members were enrolled, and as the Victoria Rifles, the new company was accepted by the Government. it was the fourth rifle company formed in Auckland, those already in existence being the Royal, City and Rutland Rifles. The first commander of the Victorias was Captain Sims, wjio had with him as subalterns Lieutenant Derrom (the leading spirit in the formation of both the City and the Victoria Rifles) and Lieutenant T. Thompson (afterwards Minister of Justice and Defence in the Parliament of 1897-9). Captain Sims, however, only held the command for six months, and after his retirement Lieutenant Derrom was elected captain of the corps, a position which he filled with credit for no less than twenty years. In 1871 Captain Derrom resigned the command, having been promoted to the rank of Major. The vacant captaincy was filled by Captain (afterwards Lieutenant- Colonel) Mahon, another prominent identity in Auckland Volunteer annals, and he, on receiving his majority, was succeeded as captain of the Victorias by the senior subaltern, Lieutenant W. H. Skinner. The latter was one of the oldest of the Auckland volunteers in point of service, having joined the old Royals as far back as 1859. He in turn was succeeded by Captain E. Cooper, who was succeeded two or three years later by Captain Somers. In 1895 Captain (now Lieutenant-Colonel) W. B. White, formerly captain of the Gordon Rifles, was elected to the command. At this time Volunteering throughout the colony was at a very low ebb. The stimulus which had galvanized the Volunteer movement into such activity ten years before had long since ceased to be felt, and of the numerous infantry corps which had sprung into existence then, only two, the

Victorias and tho City lliflos, now romainod. That the Victorias had managed to hold on in the midst of general disbandment, speaks well indeed for the enthusiasm of the members who stuck to tho old corps " through thick and thin." The turn of tho tide came after the election of Captain White to the command of tho corps. Ho was ably backed up by Lieutenant L. V. Skinner (son of Major Skinner) and Sergeants Dormtn and Mclntosh (tho only members of the present Victorias who were in the corps at that time), and with tho assistance of Dr. F. W. B. Dawson and others the corps was worked up to its present high level. Last year Captain White, having received his majority, was succeeded by Lieutenant L. P. Skinner, who had been a member of the Victorias ever since 1878, rising step by step from the ranks. At the present time the Victoria Rifles' reputation for dlieioney is unsurpassed by any infantry corps in the district. They have always been a crack shooting corps, and in this respect are still perhaps the strongest in Auckland.

The Auckland Navai.s

The first naval company formed in Now Zealand was the Auckland Naval Artillery. This corps was established in April, 1860, the members being sworn in by Captain Campion, of Her Majesty's brig Esk, at the old mill at Official Bay, near the present site of Briscoe, McNeil and Oo.'s new warehouse. A Mr. Hobbs, who was local manager of a line of steamers which used to run to Panama, was the first captain of the Auckland Naval s. The men were instructed at Fort Britomart by Mr. Buckle, gunner of H.M.S. Iris, and on Queen's Birthday, 1860, they fired the Royal Salute from the fort for the first time. They wore the naval uniform from the first, and were armed with rifles of the old muzzle loading pattern. The corps was originally called Coastguard Artillery, but the name was soon altered to Naval Artillery. Between 1860 and 1868 the command of the corps passed from Captain Hobbs to Captain Fitzgerald, chief clerk in the Auckland Post Office; from the latter

to Captain Daldy, who gave place to Captain Breton, the director of the Kohimarama Training School. About this time the corps were placed on day duty at the Miranda redoubt at the Thames, their duty being to land provisions for the Imperial troops stationed there at the time. The Navals, unlike the rifle companies, never saw any active fighting. The nearest approach they had to active service was in 1863. Word reached Auckland that the Maoris were mustering at Waiuku with the

Vaile,

intention of coming up the Manukan Harbour, and attacking Onehunga. The Navals were ordered to proceed to Waiuku to quell the rising. The force proceeded to Onehunga, and then down the Manukau to Waiuku. It was destined to prove a bloodless campaign. They found over a hundred canoes collected at the river-mouth, but the Maoris themselves, thinking discretion the better part of valour, had decamped. Meanwhile the Waikato Militia, under Captain Lloyd, had marched down

from the Waikato to Waiuku to assist in quelling the threatened uprising, and came very near engaging the Auckland troops iv mistake for the enemy, being doubtless misled by the sight of the canoes. Returning up the Manakau with the captured canoes, the Navals landed at Mangere, and here another amusing mistake occurred. They were actually mistaken once more for a body of natives, and the Auckland Rifles, who had just reached Otahuhu, were ordered across to oppose their landing. This order

Auckland,

was countermanded, and the cavalry were just about to be despatched in their stead when the mistake was discovered. Thus ended the expedition. It was certainly the irony of fate to be twice mistaken for the opponents whom they themselves had been looking for in vain. Some volunteer officers took their responsibilities very lightly in those early days of the movement. In 1867 the authorities woke up to the fact that both the lieutenants of the Auckland Navals had been

absent from their Company for months. One was in charge of a sawmill down the coast, and the other was running an hotel at the Thames ! Both were called upon to come back to their duties or resign, and both promptly sent in their resignations. One of the vacant lieutenancies was filled by Private B. Le Roy, who was afterwards for many years one of the most prominent of Auckland's naval volunteers. Prior to joining the Navals, Mr. Le Roy was a lieutenant in the old City Rifles, which position he gave up in order to enter the Naval Artillery branch of the service. That his enthusiasm for volunteering was genuine and deep rooted is shown by the fact that he was willing to go back to the ranks on joining the Navals, and by his subsequent twenty-two years' unbroken service with that force. In 1871, on the death of Captain Guilding, Lieutenant Le Roy was elected to the command of the Auckland Navals, and this position he held for fourteen years. He resigned in 1885, on being appointed Captain-Commandant of the Naval Battalion formed during the Russian war scare. He retained the command of the Naval Brigade ttnli! January Ist, 1889, when a Government regulation compelling all officers over sixty years of age to retire from active service came into force. The Captain-Commandant was a year over the age-limit, and accordingly sent in his resignation, thus closing a career of thirty-one years' unbroken efficient service in the Volunteer force of Auckland. After the retirement of Captain-Comman-dant Le Roy (who was placed on the Honorary Unattached List) the Auckland Navals passed under the command of Captain Henry Parker, of Her Majesty's Customs, and at present in command of the Devonport Submarine Mining Volunteers. He held the position until 1893, and was succeeded by Lieutenant-Commander C. Little, first lieutenant, who in turn resigned in August, 1897, being gazetted to the District Reserve Corps. Lieutenant-Com-mander C. H. Clemens was elected in his stead, and has filled the position with credit up to the present time. The corps has now

completed its fortieth year of unbrokon service, and judging by its present flourishing condition should have a long life ahead-of it still.

The Ponsonby Navals

Of all the Volunteer Companies which sprang into existence during tho Russian war scare of 1885, the only corps now left in the Auckland district is the Ponsonby Naval Artillery. This corps was formed in March, 1885, at a meeting hold in the Ponsonby Rowing Club's shed at Shelly Beach (Ponsonby). The promoter of the corps, Mr. James Bruce Morpeth, was unaniinouslyelected to the position of captain. The corps was recruited entirely from the members of the Ponsonby Rowing »uid Sailing Club. It was considered that a company consisting of men so well accustomed to boating would be of great for harbour and coastal defence, and the Ponsonby Navals were formed principally for that purpose. The residents of Ponsonby subscribed for a cutter, and through the instrumentality of Mr. J. H. Witheford and the late Sir Frederick Whitaker, who worked with untiring energy, a handsome sum was raised, and the Ponsonby Navals were presented with a beautiful cutter, equipped with oars, masts, sails and everything complete. A boat shed was also erected at Shelly Beach for the cutter mid its equipment. When the guns were mounted on North Head (the present Fort Cautley), the Pousonby Navals were told off to be instructed in gunnery, and the corps was thenceforward known as the Ponsonby Naval Artillery. A detachment was afterwards told off to go through a coarse of submarine mining; but this step did not give satisfaction, as ifc intended to split up the corps, and the submarine work was consequently abandoned. The corps thenceforward remained entirely an artillery corps. Captain Morpeth succumbed to typhoid fever in 1888. He was accorded a military funeral, and the corps afterwards subscribed for a monument, which was brought from

9 I

Vol. lI.— No. U — 10.

Aberdeen and erected over Captain Morpeth's grave. Lieutenant D. Miller was elected to the vacant command. About this time the notorious Te Kooti was creating a stir, and the Ponsonby Navals, with other corps, were ordered to Opotiki to prevent the rebel chief from raiding that district. After disembarking and marching inland the Volunteers came upon a large native force, with whom was Te Kooti. The natives offered no resistance, and Te Kooti and the other ringleaders were arrested, and brought to Auckland in the s.s. Ohelmsford. The whole expedition only occupied five days, and being unaccompanied by bloodshed, it proved to be a fine excursion for the Volunteers. In 1899 the Devonport Navals, being on the point of disbanding, transferred in a body to the Ponsonby Naval Artillery, and thus greatly strengthened them. The corps continued its artillery work with excellent results. In 18 days on board H.M.S. Ringar<

892 at the invitation °^ Captain Bourke, the corps spent two rooma, where they were allowed to practice with some of the ship's guns. The men made excellent practice, and Captain Bourke complimented them on their knowledge of gunnery. It seems a pity that our Naval Volunteers are not given such opportunities more frequently. The corps remained under the command of Captain Miller until pressure of business necessitated his retirement from Volunteering! Since then its commanders have been Lieutenant Graham, Lieutenant G. J. Watson, and the present Lieutenant Commander, Mr G. W. S. Patterson, the well-known gum merchant. At the present time the Ponsonby Naval Artillery are a credit not only to the Auckland Volunteer Force, but to New Zealand. The corps has a membership of 110— ten more than the Government allow capitation for— and is, I believe, the only corps in the colony at present over its full strength. The Company

has from its formation been an excellent shooting corps, and its members are always encouraged in the use of the rifle. The

The Edwards Studio,

principal trophies in the district have been held by members of the corps, which has also been ably represented for a number of years at the New Zealand Riflo Association meetings, its members carrying off a great number of prizes at various times. Many prizes have also been presented to the corps from time to time, and have been in many instances productive of some excellent shooting. Devonport Submarine Mining Corps. As the first Volunteer Torpedo Corps to be formed in New Zealand, the Devonport Submarine Mining Volunteer Company, though comparatively a young corps, should find mention in the present article. This corps, which has been in existence about six years, owes its origin to the efforts of one or two gentlemen who felt there was room for a submarine mining volunteer company in Auckland. Captain Henry Parker, of H.M. Customs, a volunteer }o£ many years

experience, who had lately resigned tlio command of the Auckland Naval Artillery, was approached, and at once entered heartily into the formation of tlio new corps. With the assistance of Mcssiu .Kruest Mohs Davis, C. J. Stone, M. Keofo, Lioutenant Smith and a few others, a meeting was called, members were enrolled, and thoir services wcro offered to the Government. The offor was accepted by the authorities, and on July 20th, 1894, the " Devonport Torpedo Volunteers " were gazetted. Later on the Government altered the name of the company to " Devonport Naval Artillery Volunteers," and again quite recently, to the designation the company now bears. The first officers elected were LieutenantCommander Parker, Lieutenant E. Davis (both of whom still hold their positions), and Lieutenant M. Keefe. The company is

at jpresent up to] its full strength, and its financial position is very good, so that the outlook is very satisfactory.

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