THE LATE MR. H. T. MARSH.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1013, 31 December 1910, Page 3

THE LATE MR. H. T. MARSH.

AND THE MAORI WAR. TRIBUTE BY A COMRADE. "A Hawke's Bay and West Copst Veteran" writes: —In yesterday's issue of The Dom7Kion mention was made of the death of Mr. Herbert T. Marsh, of Masterton, and it would, appear from the article that he first served under Colonel Porter. This, however, is not the case. Both T. W. Porter and H. T. Marsh, with a number of others, were enrolled as troopers ill' the -Hawke's Bay Defence Force in Dunedin, where the corps was raised in the early part, of ISC4, and came up to Napier in the old steamer Lord Ashley, then, I think, commanded by Captain Andrews. The Hawke's Bay Defence Force were formed of two troops, under Captains Anderson and Le Sauer, and thc other officers were Lieutenants Hudson, St. George, and Gascoyne, the whole force being under Major Whitmore,. Commandant. They_ were put through a course of training, and w-ero stationed near Rissington Station. Except for'about 25 to 30 men, who remained under Captain Le Saner and Lieutenant St. George, they were subsequently disbanded.

The late Mr. Marsh was in the troop which was disbanded. In May, 1865, when the Hau Hau trouble broke' out, a small corps for special service was enrolled by Lieutenant Riggs ' (afterwards Major Riggs, killed at Poverty Bay). Theso were principally old Defeneo Force men, amongst others, H". T. Jlarsh, generally known, as "Tom Marsh." Riggs was sent first to Wairoa with twenty men, in tho Hero, 18 tons, commanded by Captain Jolin Campbell,, now a well-known settler in Feilding. From thence this force was sent in the cutter Mahia. (Captain Rendall) to Waiapu, East Cape, where Captain Deighton, R.M., .had commenced hostilities with tho friendly Natives under Mokera Ivohcrc against the reb T els. This force .was further augmented' by 100 Hawke's Bay military settlers, under Captain (afterwards Colonel) James Eraser.

Then commenced the East, Coast campaign of 1865, with itd successes, and our late comrade "Tom" Marsh was a foremost man in all the fights, moro particularly at Pakairomiromi and tho I ukemaire fortress. In tho meanwhile the detachment of the Defence I' orco, under Captain Le . Sauer and Lieutenant St. George, wero sent down to.loverty Bay in H.M. Brisk, and at once began building a redoubt at Turanganui, on the northern side of tho river—now known as North Gisborno. Amongst these men was T. W. Porter, then a lance corporal. After the fighting concluded at .Waiapu, the whole force moved ,to Poverty Bay, and the rebels were attacked by tho combined Ngatiporou, tribe,' under Rapata "Waliawalia, Moteno Pororangi, and tho Europcan # forces under Major Fraser. . ' The fighting lasted five days, and resulted in the fall of Wairangaliika Pa, and' the surrender of a large numbor of Natives. - - -

T T ,' 3 , as tho only time that tho Hawke s Bay Defence Force, as a troop, was engaged in the field, although Lieutenant St. George'was at , Wairoa, attached to tho military settlers. "Tom" Marsh, was engaged at «airangalulia on December 25, 1865, and other fights. Ho left tho forco mien Riggs's Corps was disbanded in 1866, and happened to bo in Napier on October -of that year when' fhe fight took place at Omarunui. "Tom" was always ready for anything stirring, and so he took the place of a business mail, who was bound to go or find a substitute. Afterwards he .joined the Hawke s Bay Military Settlors as a substitute, and took land at Wairoa, where he was living when Te Kooti descended on Whareongaonga from tho Chatham Islands.' A scratch force was raised to take tho. field, and this was 5™ « ver by Captain Richardson, ond -lorn made sergeant. Wo had air engagement with "the rebels two days after at Whenuakiira, above To Rein™ falls, and, after this, "Tom" -joined the Armed Constabulary Force, retaining his rank as sergeant. Ho served throughout the East and AVost Coast and iaupo campaigns under Colonols Whitmore, Herricks, and M'Donne'l