PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2272, 5 October 1914, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS

Vice-Regal. By command of His . Majesty th© King, His Excellency tho\Governor on Saturday morning invested Mr. Christopher James Parr, Mayor of the City of Auckland, with the Insignia of a Companion of tfie Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, and Mr. Thomas Ronayne, late General •Manager of the New Zealand State Railways, with the Badge of a Companion of tho Imperial Service Order.

Tho Rov. A. 0. Williams and Mrs. Williams, of Putiki, returned from a trip to England by the Ruahine on Sat-, urday.

The death is announced of Mrs. S. H. Pilcher, a resident of Wellington for over fifty years. _ Mrs. Pilcher, who was born in London in 1837, was a daughter of Mr. T. W. Downs. Sho arrived in Nelson with her parents in 1857 by tho ship, John M'Vicar, but removed to Picton ! shortly afterwards. In 1860> she married Mr. T. W. Pilcher, and waß closely identified with, the social lifo of Wellington in tho early days. Sho leaves four sons, two daughters, aiid several' grandchildren. • Mr. Alfred Gyles, the well-known Now Zealand chess player, who was in England when' tho war broke out, joined the 2nd City of London Field Ambulance Corps, and! is probably now at the front. Mr. Wilfred Sim, barrister and solicitor, and a son of Mr. Justice Sim, has been appointed Commissioner of the Police, Crown Prosecutor, and. Administrator of Nativo Affairs at Samoa. Mr. Sim was a member of the first section of tho Expeditionary Force. Dr. H. Adams and Mrs. Adams, Mr. D. T. T. Thompson, and Captain J. B. Robertson were passengers from London ; by tho Ruahiuo. Among the passengers from London by the Ruahino was Mr. G. S. Clifford, bis wife and family, who have como to New Zealand for a trip. Mr. Clifford is a brother of Captain R. C. Clifford, of tho Ruapehu, who happens to be in Wellington at the present tinio. ' Tho death is announced of Mr. W. A. Ritson, lata cab proprietor, of Cambridge Terraco. The deceased, who was a well-known resident of Wellington, was formerly president of the Drivers Union, and was a prominent member at one time of the Bxcolsior 'Lodgq ot Druids. Mr. Ritson was also associated with Wednesday cricket in Wclhugton for some years. To mark his admittance to a partnership in the legal firm of Messrs. Wilford and Levi, Mr. P. W. Jackson was tendered a complimentary smolco concert bv the members of tho Civil Scrvico Club on Friday night. Mi. Girling. Butcher presented Mr. Jackson with an illuminated address.

Sir John Campbell, of Dunblane, Perthshire, who some four months ago was an inspector attached to the Wel-

lington City Council's electric lighting department, writes interestingly to a Wellington friend. When Sir John left Wellington for Scotland to take up the title and estates, it was with the firm intention of returning to Wellington and taking up his work hero again, as ho had never experienced such contentment and good health as when resident in Wellington. Sir John writes from Dunblane under date August 13:—"I have been in the Old Country nearly three weeks, and had made all arrangements for leaving between November 1 and 10 to return to Now Zealand, via

Russia and Japan. The war having broken out has upset all my calculations. I have joined the Scottish Horse, and yesterday motored up to Perth to meet Lord Tullibardine, who

has kindly given me a junior commission. Ho (Tullibardine) is raising ono thousand mounted men from Perthshire, and a groat many officers arp landowners' in Perthshire and friends of my family. . . . Ido not know yet how long I have to sign on for, but I expeot it will be a minimum of ono year, or for the duration of the war, The whole country is ono large > military camp, and everybody who can is enlisting. I see by the papers that New Zealand, proposes to send 8000 men. . . , I leave on Monday next to go into camp for three or four months, at a placo. oalled Scone, which has been lent to the Scottish. Horse by Lord Mansfield. It is the place where the Scottish kings were formerly crowned." Mr. Howard Hill, solicitor, has gond to Taupo on Native land business, and returns next Thursday.

Mt. J. Cliaso has resigned the position of custodian of the Grand OperaHouse. He intends to organise a vaudei villo company to tour New Zealand.