PERSONAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 84, 3 January 1919, Page 4

PERSONAL ITEMS

The Hon. G. W. Russell, Minister of Internal Affairs, left for the north yesterday. Ho intends to visit the Taupo district. A Press Association message from Perth (Western Australia) states that tho New Year honours included' the State Premier, tho Hon. 11. B. Lefroy, who is made Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George. Official advice has been received that Lieutenant C. G. H. Robinson, eldest son of Mr. G. W. .Robinson, Talavera Terrace, has been'awarded the Military Cross for gallantry in the field. Lieutenant Robinson was one of the first to enlist for the Sainoan Expedition. He returned to New.Zealand in March, 1915, and later he joined tho Fifteenth Reinforcements, but, sitting for his commission, his departure for France was postponed, and he left with tho Nineteenth Reinforcements in November, 1916. He was educated ill Auckland at .Si. John's Collegiate School, the Auckland College, and the Grammar School. He came to Wellington with his parents in 1806, and in 1907 joined the staff of Messrs. Dalgety and C0.,-Ltd.. and was in their service when he joined the N.Z.E.F. The Rev. Cecil Alfred 'Mallett, C.F., N.Z.E.F., who lost his life in a fire which broke out in his quarters on September 29, aged 37, was.ordained in 1910, and spent two years in curacies at Aylesford and Dartford, Kent (states the "British Australasian"). He returned to New Zealand to work inn.largo bush parish, and nfter tlie outbreak of wnr he offered his services as chaplain, and in duo course went to France, where, 111 addition to his spiritual work, ho became a member of the committee formed to carry on educational work among the men. His two- brothers are in the Armv, and one has been awarded.the M.C. He leaves a wife and child in New Zealand. Mr. W. Fletcher, 'of Otane, died suddenly on New Year's, morning. Mr. Fletcher, who was a son of the late Mr, H. H. Fletcher, one of Napier's oldpst identities,was .associated with the early life of Hawke's Bay, and was one time chairman oj the Otane Town Board. Mr. Fletcher leaves a widow and four children. Mr. A. D. Macfarlano, chief clerk in the Lands Office at Nelson, and formerly of Hokitika, has received notice of his transfer to Palmerston North, where ho' will open a branch of the Public Trust Office. . The Rev. E. Strpcte, vicar of. Roxburgh, has resigned and intends returning to England. • ' >, . Captain Ormsby G. R. Barnes, formerly of Christchurch, 'who is /serving with the'Rflyal West Kent Regiment, has been ill with malaria in Bombay. Private letters received in Christchurch state that Sergeant H. W. L. Digby (chief reporter of "Tho Press"), who is one of the lecturers at tho School of Instruction at New Zealand Headquarters in France, is working in association with two:well-known South Island lawyers—Mr. Anthony (of Messrs. Eussell and Anthony, Christchurch), and Mr. Duncan (of Messrs. Macgregor and . Duncan, Dunedin). At time of writing the trio had in view a tour of Italy, Private "Dick" Harris, another well-known New Zealand journalist, is also engaged in instructional, work at New Zealand Headquarters in Francs. Advice has been received by Ma's. H. S. Harris-lies, Fendalton, '.hat her husband, Quartermaster-Sergeant H. S. Harris-lies, was reported dangerously ill with .pneumonia 011 December 18. Quar-tefinaster-Sergeant lies enlisted with the Engineer Company of. tho Tenth .Reinforcements, 1 nnd has since been on tho New Zealand Training. Staff in Egypt and England, but has been quartermas-ter-sergeant in France since. March, 1917. He 1 was a keen member of the No. 1 Company, N.Z. Engineers, in the old -volunteering days, and held the office as quartermaster-sergeant to that company for several years prior to his enlistment.. Sir Joseph . James Kinsey,' K. 8., cf Christchurch, whose name appeared in the list of New Year honours, is a native of Kent, England. He was born in 1553and was educated at the Royal Naval School, Greenwich. Subsequently he was a master at Dulwich College and had occupied the position for nine years, when, in 18S0, he resigned and came to -New Zealand, taking up., his . residence in Christchurch' and engaging in the . commercial life of the city. Sir Joseph Kinsey established the well-known shipping firm of Kinsey, Barns and Co., soon after his arrival in Christchurch, Mr. Barns becoming a partner after the death o£ Mir. T. Acland, -who was-associated with him in an old-time stock and insurance firm in the city. Besides building.up a very important maritime firm, Sir Joseph Kinsey, ill 1898, became Consul for Belgium in Canterbury, Nelson, Marlborough and Westland. lie took a very great interest in Antarctic exploration and his firm was the headquarters- of the-'.lnto Captain Scott's expeditions of 1902 and 1910, Sir E. Shackietm's expedition and. the Aurora relief expedition of 1915, which was,sent out at tho combined cost of Great Britain, Australia, and New Zoaland to; relieve the explorers Who had become marooned in the. Far South. The Aurora was fitted out at Port Chalmers, but the other tlwee expeditions were dispatched from Eyttclton, all under the direction of the firm of J. J.-Kinsey and Co. Commandant (Colonel)! d'Andre, adjutant and aide-de-camp to General Pan, has had a very adventurous, careei-. He> is the son of a naval officer who visited Australia many years ago. and bis grandr father was a distinguished cavalry officer u.ndeir the Second Empire. 111 1900 Com-, mandant d'Andre was deputed by the French Government to assist in the training and reorganisation of the Peruvian Army, and remained in Peru till 11911, becoming in due course director of military training there.. He took part in the first operations against the Germans in (914, and fought in tho Battle of tho and at. Senlis. In September of the same year he had command of the troops which retoolc St. Souplet, and was responsible for capturing a number of machine-guns. For this ho was awarded the Cross of tho Legion of Honour. Afterwards lio was taken prisoner arid spent two yeairs in Germany, being finally repatriated through Switzerland. He lias been wounded. Fifteen members of his family, including his only brother, have fallen in the war. The Comniiuidant 'lias seen New Zealand troops in action, andlias the very highest opinion of their dualities- He .snvs that his own observation confirms all that has been written about, the pood relations existing between the New Zealandors and their French comrades-in-arms.