OBITUARY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2294, 30 October 1914, Page 6

OBITUARY

MR. C. T. BENZONI. The death occurred in the Wellington Hospital on Wednesday of Mr. Charles T. Benzoin, for many years a member of the Civil Service and an old resident of Wellington. The deceased, who was bom 81 years ago, was educated at a private school at St. Albans, Hertfordshire. He was in commerce when tho Crimean War broke out, and offering for service, was attached to the Army Medical. Corps. After passing sovoral examinations, he bccame a member of Lord Elgin's Expedition to China, Captain (afterwards Field-Mar-shnl Lord) Wolseley being in command of one of the companies. The warship Transit, in which Mr. Benzoni and the troops wore travelling was wrecked in the Straits of Sunda, and when they reached Singapore tliey were divorted to Bengal, where the natives had mutinied. Mr. Benzoni subsequently saw service in China, and was engaged in the bombardment of Canton. Ho was afterwards' among the Royal Engineers engaged at the Taku forts bombardment. ■He afterwards _to England, studied surgery and medicino still further, and becamo dispenser to tho Royal Artillery Staff. With tho Guards > and Rifle Brigade ho was engaged in British North America, an action occasioned by the United States sloop San Jacinto having taken tho Confederate States Commissioners off the English mail steamer Trent. After serving some time at Notloy. Mr. Benzoni' came out to New Zealand, and 6erved with General Cameron's force in the Waikato. When the troops left for England, he engaged in mining and journalism in Auckland until 1870, when he was appointed field quartermaster in charge of the commissariat in the Te Kooti Expedition. He waa afterwards employed in the Stores DoSartment under Colonel Goring, and in 873 was transferred to tho Publio "Works and Goldfields Department as chief clerk, rising to the position of Assistant Under-Secretary. On the reconstruction of tho Department in 1885, ho was retrenched, but re-enter-ed the service as Deputy-Registrar of Friendly Societies, from which position he retired over a decade ago. Mr. Benzoni was a City Councillor from 18S5 to 1887, and was a member of the Thorndon School Committee for many years. He leaves a widow, three eons, and one daughter.