PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 80, 30 December 1918, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS

Major Eric Covkill, M.C. (Oriental Bay), who is at present with the K.AjM.C. in Germany, lias been awarded a bar to the Military Cross. Major Robert Hannah, son of Mr, Boberf, Hannah, sen., of Wellington, who served with tho Imperial Army, and was very seriously wnindnd in action early in the 'present year, left. England for Now Zealand on December 19. Major Hannah entered the Royal Field Artillery as a second lieutenant, and such was his capacity and bravery that hi> rose to be major within a couple of years. He returns invalided to Np.\v Zealand. Mr. F. C. Pettit, of Nelson, received intimation on Friday that his son, Lieutenant Ilarry ; Pottit, had been awarded the Military Cross. Lieutenant Pettit went to the front with a medical corps unit early in 1915. receiving his commission after the first Battle of the Somme, when he was transferred to a fighting unit. The death .occurred'at her residence, 5 Harbour View, Wellington, yesterday, of Mrs. Ruby Hume, widow of tho late Lieu-tenant-Colonel A. Hume, formerly Inspector of Prisons in New Zealand. The deceased was born in Jersey, Channel Islands, seventy-six years ago, «nd was a daughter of Br. Maciiityre, of the Indian Medical Service. She was married in 1864, at Murine, India, where her husband' was serving with the 79th Cameron Highlanders. At the end of 1579 the late Mrs. Hume arrived in New Zealand from England in the Durham* and resided in Wellington until her death. Deceased loaves a family of five sons, these , being Colonel J. § in. Hume, Officer' Commanding the Wellington Military District; Major F. G. Hume, Officer Commanding the Royal New Zealand ' Artillery, Wellington; Messrs. IC. V. Hume, of the Sydney staff of the Union Steam Ship Company; P. 13. Hume, manager of the Christchurch liranch or tha Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company; and H. L. Hume, a rubber planter in the Malay States. There wero two other'sons, one being Major Arthur Hume, who was killed on Gallipoli, tfhjre he was engaged with the Auckland Infantry Battalion, and the other Mr. Stanley Hume, who died at Palinerston North some years ago. The interment will be private. i Mr. G. G. Chisholm, formerly Clerk of the Court, Ashburton, but recently at Waimate, ■ has been promoted to be De-puty-Registrar of the Supreme Court, Dunedin.

Mrs. M. A. Jacobsen, of Nelson, has received a letter from her son, Engineer C. S. Jacobsen, stating' that ho has Deen promoted second engineer of H.M.S. Palmol. When war broke out ho was an engineer in the coastal trade. Ho enlisted in the Main Body and served on Gallipoli and in France. Later he was transferred to the British Navy, when lie joined H.M.S. Patia as tenth engineer. His next appointment was third engineer of the Perthshire, then the Servitor as oxtra second,' and last the Palmol aa second. Mr. A. D. Macfarlane, chief clerk in the Lands Office at Nelson and formerly of Hokitika, has received notice of his transfer to Palmerston North, where lie will open a branch of the Public Trust OBice. Mr. Macfarlano will take up his new duties on February 1. News has reached Wellington of the death in Montello, Nevada, U.S.A., of Mr. Hoderio M'CaHum, late of Balla-rat, Sydney, and Wellington. The late Mr. M'CaHum was well known in the theatrical and picture business in Wellington. Ho was manager of the French airman, M. Guillaux in Australia, and afterwards managed a George Street (Sydney) picture theatre. Ho was brought over to Wellington to manage the' Queon 5 Theatre, Cuba Street, when it was originally opened, and a few months ugo wont to America on behalf of a picture-buy-ing syndicate in Wellington. The. late Mr. M'Cnllum, who was about 44 years of age, leaves a widow mul infant. Advices have been received by Mr. M'Raa Forbes, of Birkenhead. Auckland, that his son, Captain , A. M'Rae Forbes, has been awarded tho Military Cross for gallantry on the field. Captain Forbes , left. New Zealand as a second lieutenant with the Eijrhth Reinforcements, and has been with the Auckland Infantry ever since. He wns wounded in the Battle of tho Somme, but recovered and returned to his unit.

Mr. G. W. Aitken, of Gisborne, has been advised thut hie brother, Lieutenant L. Aitken, was admitted to hospital on November 29, suffering from deafness through shell explosion. Lieutenant Aition went from Canterbury with the Thirty-sixth lieinforcements. Instancing the luck experienced in the. war zone, Lieutenant Aitken mentioned in a lute letter that Now Zealanders moved' up ami occupied a town recently evacuated -'oy the Germans. The town was littered 'with rubbish, which they proceeded to clean up. Along with a party of men the writer was assisting in the cleaning up, and when about to move a box lying at the side c£. the road they were culled elsewhere. Singularly enough, the box remained, although the rubbish all around was subsequently cleared away. After a week's occupation the New Zealanders, received instructions to move on, and a party of half a dozen men ivere passim? the spot when one of them accidentally tripped on the box, which exploded, killing all six. It was remarkable that the box should have remained untouched in the middle of the camp all the week.

Private advice has been received by Mr. A. Meaney, of Waiwera, that his son, Lance-Corporal Anthony Meaney has iheen awarded the Military Medal for conspicuous gallantry in the .field. He left New Zealand over two years ago, and has had eighteen months' eervicc in France. Lance-Corporal Meaney was wounded in October last, and is at present nn inmate of the New Zealand Convalescent Hospital, Eornchurch. ■

Dr. Cameron, who has been on military duty, has resumed practice as a specialist in X-ray work. '