THROUGH MANY YEARS

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 41, 18 February 1930, Page 9

THROUGH MANY YEARS

SERGEANT-MAJOR E. BEZAR

Sergeant-Major Edwin Bezar, of Wellington, one of the oldest of the Maori War veterans, is celebrating his ninetysecond birthday to-day. :

Born in "Wiltshire, in 1838, he joined the Ist Wiltshire Begiment in January, 1855, when he was only. 17 yeara of age. Within fourteen days of joining up he proceeded on active service arid served with his regiment, in the Crimea. In March, 1857, he was transferred to the 57th Kegiment,; commonly known as> the "Die Hards,"' a 'name earned in the Peninsula War, and of which its members were very proud. ■With the "Die. Hards", he- left for ■Malta in September of that year, but on trouble cropping up with the Sepoys lie was transferred to Aden with some 200. others of Iris company, they being in plain clothes. In March of the following year he was onoof the company which had a brush with' the Arabs', and in March, 1860, he joined his regiuient at Poona, India. ,Sergcant-Majqr Bezar-.left India in November, ■1860, with the "Die Hards," landing in New Zealand early in 1861. From then, oil he took part in all engagements of his regiment in the Maori War, notably, at Kaierau, where nine of the regiment wore killed, the capture of Hori Keria, the attack on Katikara, and the capture of the pa there, and at-the captur* of Kakakaramea Pa in .1865. Ser-geant-Major • Bezar recalls that it. was after the capture of Hori Keria that the first prisoner taken was sentenced to death, but this was commuted and the prisoner was released about four years later. Sergeant-Major Bezar was in command of the advance guard which, went to;the relief of Captain Lloyd's party after their' severe reverse at T» • Ahuahu. •. . ■ ■'■.■..■. . .

I In IB6o'the "Die Sards" were re- ; called to England, .but Sergeant-Major Bezar, having decided to make New Zealand his future. home, took his -discharge in the colony as colour-sergeant, having had the unique recor,d of.holding the rank of N.C.O. for.the whole of the period of his service in the British Forces from enlisting at the age of 17. Ever since leaving the Army ha has kept ill close touch with his old regiment by correspondence. During his military service, Sergeant? Major Bezar served r under Generals Waugh, Logan, and C* M. Clarke, and Colonel Bussell. Amongst his treasured possessions is a framed photograph,of regimental office"rs, taken in Ceylon in. 1866,' and presented to him by General Clarke some ten years after that officer had left the regiment. In 1866 he married Mary. Ann, daughter of Sergeant T. Kearns, and has five sons and four daughters living.

In September, 1868, when the Maoris again threatened troublo on the West Coast, he was appointed sergeant-major in the Wanganui district. . In 1872 he organised the first school cadet corps, and later organised the first Maori Bifle Corps under Volunteer regulations. In 1881 he was transferred by the Defonce Department to the Wairarapa district, with headquarters at Featherston, and to Dunedin in 1891. In 1892 he resigned his position, and has lived in Wellington ever since.

Sergeant-Major Bezar invented .ths target-marking system adopted by th' Defence Department.