A LIFE OF SACRIFICE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 226, 18 June 1919, Page 3

A LIFE OF SACRIFICE

MEMORIAL TO LIEUT. FOSTER 1 • CROUCH. A meeting was hold in the' Mayor's i room yesterday afternoon to consider what steps should be taken to perpetuate the memory of. Lieut. Foster Crouch of this city, who went forward to tho ftont as a lieutenant in the Duke of Cornwall si Light Infantry, and was twice mentioned m dispatches before.ho was killed in action. Lieut. Crouch left practically • the whole of his estate .(valued at ,£1000) • to necessitous soldiers and. their dependants, through the medium of tho War i e S300latl 0 n » having niade a will to that effect before he left for England'. The Mayor (Mr. j. P, Luke), .who occupied the chair, said that. the; meeting had been convened at the instance of tho •- executive of the War' Belief Association, the intention was to interest citizens in the lite of the late Lieut. Crouch, lie knew Lieut,- Crouch, and knew him to be a very'deserving and unselfish youim man, for whom he hud the highest es- . teem and regard.' Unable to join up with the New Zealand Forces, lie had gono Homo and joined up there, and during his time at the front was twice mentioned'm dispatches. Mr. Lnko made referonce to the conduct of the late Lieut; Crouch as a son, his lifo being an" example of true-hearted devotion arid selfsacrifice. Tho Hon. J. G. W. Aitken, M.L.C., Mr. .M. Hannny, Sir Robert otout, and others had offered to assist in anything that was'done. Ho .did "not wish to lead the meeting, but h3(hought that the best thing to be done was' to givo some other young man a chance that was not given to ;the deceased. He thought it nould be best to establish a scholarMr. John Hutoheson paid a meed of praise to the late Lieut. Crouch, whoso life was a model of filial dovotion and patriotic duty. He explained that drcumstances had forbidden his joining v.p With the New 'Zealand Forces in Enfland, 'because of his having to go to England to wind up a small estate of lus mother's, and there he joined up with tho Imperial Forces. He had been asked where the line,was to be,-.drawn; The line of demarcation was the dearest: He had not only given his services and his life, but he had given up all that would make life comfortable to the soldiers of and their dependents.. Mr. 'Hutcheson said he had had many promises of material support, and nianv had spoken, to him of the fine ■ qualities, of this young man. ■ Mr. L. O. IL Tripp said it was'an ex. ceptional case. Lieut. Crouch gave his Jouth to his parents, his lifo to his coutiyj. ana then left all he had to tho soldiers of acw Zealand. Ho thought his memory should be perpetuated in some way, so that hereafter wlKjn-inquiry was mado as to who Lieut. Crouch was his Jifo and death would be recalled as a model and pattern to others, v . After a brief discussion in committcc, n, committee. was set up to go into the matter of the form of the appeal, which would no doubt bo educational. On the motion of the Mayor, the following committee'was appointed:—Messrs. John Hutcheson. J. P. Maxwell. .T. P. Firth, D. M'Laren, Alex. Macintosh, W. lioiintrce, L. 0. H. Tripp, and . the Mayor, with power to add to their number. It was mentioned that the late Lieuc. • Crouch had Attended the Wellington College for a .brief period, and that if a scholarship wero established it frould most probably be given to that institution. > . ■