THE H.B. REGIMENT

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 181, 18 August 1937, Page 10

THE H.B. REGIMENT

■ ■*!»' »l Official History of 72 Years to be Compiled SERVICES RECALLED After complcting 25 years of Empire servico as territorials, officers of the Hawke's Bay Eegiment consider that the time is appropriate to commemorato the occasion by eompiling a regimental history. Actually the regiment can trace its associations baclc for some 72 years, though officially it is recognised only as tlie Hawke's Bay Kegiment over the last quarter-of-a-century. A start has been made with the compilation, and already much valuable and interesting informatiou has been collated. Such an undertaking is no light one, as members of the regiment are widely scattered, and there appears to have been no official rccord kept. However, it is hoped that Avith tho assemblago of old members at tho Jubilee Ball to bo held in tho Hastings Assemblv Hall ncxt Thursday night, much interesting' information Will be gathered. Tho original boys of the Hawke's Bay Regiment wero stationcd at Barraclc Hill, Napier, in 1865, according io Lieut. P. J. S. Georgc, of Hastings, who had 30 years unbroken service, including three years overs.eas. Wheu foundea the regiment consiSted of cme company of the G5th Regiment, the D Militia Cohipany and ono company of the

Napier Bifles Volunteers. There wero othcr companies down the East Coast, there being the company of Mounted Rifles under Capt. T. Tanncr, who owned Riverslea, a mounted company at Elsthoiqic and another at Porangahau, which in those days was lookcd upon as an open j>ort. Tho Napier companies fought at the Battlo of Omarunui in 1807 under Col. Whitmore, in company with friendly native tri.bes, and were successful in defeating the hogtile Hauhaus under Te Kooti. it was the intention of tno Hauhaus to lure the major portion of tho garrison out of Napier, leaving tho uudefended women and children at tho mercy of their main body waiting near Moteo. However, ao the attacking Maori dotachment retreated along the lreach to Petane, only a small troop of British soldiers went in pursuit, leaving tho garrison boys concentrated at Puketapu and Omarunui. As the main attack developed at Omarunui the Maoris had. tho advantage of a commanding position, which onqbled them to observe all movemenfcs of the British forces. A little company moved out from. Napier, crossed the Tutaekuri and attacked the Maoris' right flank at a position near the present Waiohiki golf links and although the Hauhaus were greatly superior in numbers, they wero unablo to deal with the tacticai surpriso and evcntually surrenderod. In 18SG the Hastings Rifles wert, formed under Capt. W. Ks Russell, later Sir William Russell, an uncle of the present Sir Audrew Russell, and linked up with the Third Battalion, Wellingtoi\ Regiment. Some timo later the Napier Guards were formed from ihe old E Battery, then followed in tuni tho forming of the Napier Rifles, Ranfurly Rifles,, "Woodville Rifles aud Waipawa Rifles. Each company was of 60 men, and rcmained in activo force until 1912. With tho introduction of the torritorial system in that ycar tho Hawko's Bay Regiment, then under the command of Col. Hyslop, became kuowu as the 9th Hawke's Bay and absorbed thp 17th Ruahine Regiment from Mastorton and Petone, und the 3rd Battalion, Wellington Regimeut, from the East Coast. The uominal strength .was 1000 men. Of the orginal B Company (Hastings) of the Hawke's Bay Regiment, 26 volunteered and trained with the main body and served on Gallipoli. Within 12 nionths of the outbreak of the Great War, 150 men of this company had been accepted for war service. It was nearly the full strength of the company. The company commander at Gallipoli was Capt. "Bobbio" Young, later Major-General of the New Zealand Forces. With him were Lieute. Hart, Cook, Turnbull and Morrison, while Capt. Erie Morgan was transport officer. In 1^31 the nctiv.e strength of the regiment was cut down to about half and the regiment^placed back on the volunteor system. Though iQW rather lotcking in numbers, there is still tho samo old pride and cnthusiasm, and the ball on Thursday evening will be to a great rnauy of the members a xeuniou, rather than a teocial engagonient.