PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 153, 18 March 1918, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS

The Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald, Minister of Agriculture, returned io Wcl« lington by the ferry steamer yesterday.Tbo Hon. Sir James Allen will leave Hotorua for the south to-day. The Hon. T. M. Wilford, who has been in tho Wnikato district, returned to Wellington on Saturday. A Press Association cable messagei from London announces that Sir Douglas Haig's first son has been born aC Kingston. The Hon. Dr. Pomare, Minister of Native Affairs, arrived in Wellington/ from Christchurch yesterday. Mr. Harry Holmes, formerly secretary to the Y.M.C.A. in Wellington,, has now been promoted to take lull , charge of tho Y.M.C.A. work -.vitli the; British Anny at the front. During bis 1 ' recent visit to America (when ho was , married) hie services as a sneaker on; behajf of the "Red Triangle" .vero re-, , quisifcioiied, and he addressed some bigi meetings in the United Sta'es arid! Canada. ■ jn the latter Dominion an effort was. niado to secure his services; for •Y.M.C.A. ->york with the Canadian i Forces at the froflt, but his organising; capacity and big experience wera nc-ed-' ed for the more responsible position/ Mrs. Holmes is accompli ving her husband back to Franco to share in iua war work there. Tbe death of Sir George Alexander, actor and theatrical manager, is announced by a Router message fromLondon. Sir George, who was born in.1858, wae created a Xnight in 1911. Mr. N. M. Richmond, of Christchurch', who is at present in camp, haa' ! been advised that he had passed his; final examination for the B.A. degree,, and has secured a. senior Uniyorsity scholarship in applied, mathematics. Mr. Charles E. Archibald, late st-'-rp-tary of the Otago Land Board and Receiver of Land Revenue for t;:e Otago district, has been appointed to the head office of the Public Trust in Wei-: lington for the purpose of organising a records system in the office. He will' commence his duties at the Public Trust Office to-day. Mr. Archibald hap been in the service of the Lands Department for the poet 32 years, and prior to going to Dunedin he was on the staff of th'e Taranaki Land Board. Aft the meeting of the Otago Land Board! on Wednesday last, the Commissioner Mr. R. T. Sadd) referred in terms of hieli eulogy to" the work Mr. Arehi- | bald had performed while in Dunedin.. ! His successor is Mr. A. D. M'Garoch, at present chief clerk of tho Lands Department at Invorcargill. Mr. Archibald was formerly in Wellington ana was commanding officer of the PotoTie Navnl Artillery. Mr. "W. Hopkirk, of Majoribanks Street, lias received word that his son, Mr. J. A. D. Hopkirk, who left these shores with the New Zealand Rifle Bricade. has been promoted to the rank of captain in the First Now Zealand Macbmegnn Corps. ■ Judge Jones arrived in Wellington by the Maori from the. South Island j.«Rterday. ~ The death of Dick Bunse, tho pupil-' ist, is announced bv a Press Association cable message from London. Mr. A. B. Lane, well known in Clreistchurch and throughout New Zfialand, has been appointed editor of the Christchurch "Star." and will . take nharco of that journal as from to-dav. Ho has been for some three, years subeditor of tho "Sun." Tbe death from illness attributable to war conditions is announced at Penzanco, Cornwall, on January 19, of Mr. Basil Sleeman, youngest son of Lieu-tenant-Colonel Sleeman, Director of Military Training. -\

Miss K. E. Kirk, of Casliel Street, Christchurch, has received advice tluti her brother, Private Frederick William 'Eric, lias been recommended for "immediato reward" by the officer commanding. The particulars are given as follow: "Operations—Bereclaere sector, east of Ypres, period December 10 to 14, 1917. For conspicuous gallantry, and devotion to duty. At about; 10' , p.m. on the night of December 12-13, 1917, tlio enemy heavily ibomharded! La Butte de Polygon. Private Kirk, a. brigade runner, was near the entranceto the brigade headquarters, return- ; ing with 3. dispatch, when an onemy shell burst ,so close that the force or. the explosion knocked him over, ana although unwounded ho was badly shaken. Nevertheless, he refused to :go off duty. A few minutes later, on hearing the cries of a wounded man, he rushed out of the dug-out, and in soite of the bombardment, -which was still in. [ progress,' Private Kirk, at great persona! risk, in the pitch darkness.'. I searched ■ out, the wounded man find brought him into safety. His gallant ! conduct is worthy of the very highest praise." Private. Kirk who is only nineteen years of age, is a native or Belfast, Ireland, but came to the Do- ; minion eight years ago. He was edu- ! cated at the East Christchurch School, and at the time of enlistment with the Ninth Reinforcements was in the employment cf Messrs. A. J. White. Ad- ' vice has been received that he has been. , wounded since the gallant exploit for which he has been recommended for reward. '

The death is announced of Mr. Charles Gray, of Waiohika, Auckland, a resident of that district for the iasfc 41 years. Born in Godmanchester, England in 1840, he was educated at Brighton College. In his early years lie spent eleven years at sea, in the course of which lie had many exciting experiences whilst engaged in blockade-run* nin? during the American Civil War. Engaging with si brother in tlie pastoral industry in Queensland, the late Mr. Gray spent a number of years there, and eventually, crossed over to. Ivetf Zealand and settled down m Poverty Bav. Mr. Gray sustained the loss of his'first wife in 1880, shortly after their arrival in the district. He suhsequeiur/ married a daughter of the late TRishop W. L. Williams, of W'aiapu.