Another Real Old Soldier

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 16, Issue 28, 4 December 1950, Page 4

Another Real Old Soldier

From S. Rolston, Tawa Flat It was in' 1905 that I met Patrick Kavanagh, a small grey-haired Irishman who lived at Kereru (now Koputaroa). At that time we were patients together in the Otaki hospital and a patient’s life was nothing new to Paddy as he was called, but it must have been very different from his original experience. He lived inly a few miles from my home and told me his life story. He enlisted in the Imperial Army at the age of 17 and served in the Crimean campaign, Indian Mutiny, and both Maori wars. He was holder of several medals, including the Turkish war medal and the French medal for meritorious conduct. He saw the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, and was wounded twice by the Russians. First he had part of an ankle shot off and then a far more serious wound when a Russian thrust a bayonet right through his stomach, the point coming out of his back. The result of this latter wound was that he had to lie on his back for nine months, There were no anaesthetics then, and the wounded just had to bear what pain there was. As a boy I was greatly, impressed by this soldier, who showed me his war scars. One can only imagine the intense suffering and fortitude of those days and try to compare them with the up-to-date medical, surgical and nursing skill of today.