A NEW ZEALAND MEDAL.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 95, 26 October 1868, Page 257

A NEW ZEALAND MEDAL.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, 3rd July.

°£ the tno^on fo* going into Committee ‘of Supply—--Enfield called attention, to the services of the troops engaged in the New Zealand war, observing that in so doing hej was conscious that the recollection of these services had been to a great extent effaced by the Abyssinian campaign, to the troops engaged in which the House had yesterday paid a graceful and grateful compliment. -Lhe war in New Zealand might he traced back to the campaigns of 1845 and 1846, but the principal interest attached of course to those commenced in the Waikato districts in 1863, and ending in- the submission of the. hostile tribes in 1866. The late war in New Zealand was, , to some extent, unpopular in this country, and might have been impolitic! It certainly was very costly, but he would not discuss those questions A soldier or sailor had nothing to do with politics ; his duty was to go where he was sent, and to fight when he was ordered, and if he did his duty well he was entitled to his reward. (Hear, hear.) It was frequently urged that a medal should be granted only for services against a foreign enemy, but this rule had been departed from in some instances—such as the Indian mutiny and the Kaffir war j the latter especially bearing a great analogy to the New Zealand campaign. In the case ■ of the superior officers engaged in New Zealand recognit ion had been made of their services to the following extent: — Two G-enerals had been made Knights Commanders of the Bath; fourteen officers of the two services of the respective ranks of Colonel, Major, and Captain, had been made Commanders of the Bath; twentyone brevet, promotions had been given to officers, and seven had been decorated with the Victoria Cross. The non-commissioned officers and privates, however, had Only been rewarded-to the following extent: — . Pour non-commissioned officers had received the Victoria Cross, as also did one blue-jacket and a drummer. Five distin guished conduct medals had been issued to the soldiers, and three commissions had been given from the ranks. Tho nature, however, of these rewards proved that the war had been considered a serious and severe one, the Maori race, one of the most formidable subject to British authority, fighting with all those local advantages which made;them doubly dai gji-ous. The fore s engaged consisted of the Boyal Artillery,. Koyal Engineers, and Military Train; the Ist battalion 12th Foot, 2ni battalion 14th Foot, 2nd battalion 18th • Foot, the 40th regiment, 43rd regiment. .* 50th, regiment, 57th regiment, 65th regi ment, 68th regiment, and 70fch regiment. To,these were added.3oo men oftheßoyal Naval Brigade; and some Colonial Forces, comprising Forest Bangers, Bush Ban- ■ gers, .and native troops. .To his hon. and gallant friend the member for Trurb.he was indebted for some very useful details of campaigns, from which he had been - enabled to: ascertain that the number of skirmishes v and engagements-were fifteen in; all. . The numberof troops empioyed were^—of land forces mbout 9,000 men j and of the-Naval, Brigade ;800 men >and officers. The;total.of killed and wounded, he regretted to officers were killed,. 56 wounded, and 15 ...■ diedieubsequently* ofr wounds received beforethe.enemy.The Naval Brigade- lost . —in killed 6 offioerß and l 4 tnen, and in wpnnded;B officers "andl3-men, making s total loss of 60! The New Zealand war v- W as on P.-’inp whiclrrthe troops metfwitb , dutiee/ repeated ambus- - I cades,- ; a ( nd perpetual fighting, either <6 Q 8 • emails t:alargAßcale•^4heyhadnb^loot ,, -'•to j<wk f6rwardftq,t;and ho<prize-moh ; eVtio ■ mofe any resolution: on the subject;-'’'be-, iievingtliatsHck a-course might bbiUn-

;constitutional and; impolitic y .but J he trust?. ®d tnafc the day would; be far distant;,when an inaependent member of Parliament ®QftW-teitate < tojay.:a;jtord..in bis place in behalf oftheservices of English soldiers and sauorsVwh'o hridbecri byill-luck or iri-: advertence overlooked or neglected. Tbe noble lord in conclhsibn risked ‘ the Secretary of .State for War whether a medal , would,be issubd to the soldiers and sailors who had been engaged in the New Zealand war.

Colonel North rose with great pleasure to support the noble lord’s request, which none- could • have brought forward with greater ability., His noble friend had rather understated than overstated the number of casualties in the New Zealand war, and the ability and zeal of the gallant men engaged in it. Those men had gone through great fatigue =, with less excitement to carry them forward than soldiers engaged in campaigns of greater magnitude. It was often so of little wars. A friend of his who had been engaged in the Kaffir and Crimean wars had declared the hardships of the former far more severe thau those of the latter. He trusted, therefore, that.the Secretary of War would -recommend her Majesty to bestow some mark of distinction upon the men engaged in New Zealand in acknowledgment of their faithful services to the Queen and country. Lord E. Cecil feared we were no int the habit of rewarding our troops in a way they had a right to expect, and trusted no petty motives of economy would interfere to prevent the very reasonable request made through the noble lord being complied with. Since we had recently expended some £5,000,000 in rescuing our fellowsubjects from the hands of a barbarian, he hoped a few hundreds would be willingly spared to confer a well-earned decoration on the soldiers of the New Zealand war:

, Mr Gilpin felt himself in rbther a peculiar position as a supporter of this request, since he was neither soldier nor soldier’s friend ; but he ad led his voice to that of the noble lord on the principle that we are bound in common justice adequately to reward those whom we employ. He believed many of those occupying high positions in the New Zealand army had been rewarded, and knowing how efficienty their efforts had been seconded by the rank and file, those officers, he was assured,'would hail with delight the granting! of the request made by the noble lord. Mr Disraeli :—I regret very much my right hion. friend the Secretary for War is not present, because he would speak with more authority than Lean on this subj ct: what are the reasons of his absence at this particular hour I will not now inquire. (A laugh.) In considering this question the House will in candour remember that the New Zealand war was originated and conducted to a conclusion not under the pre sent Government, and that therefore we are not responsible for any neglect (hear, hear) of the troops engaged, or for any deficiency of feeling in the matter of recognising the very great things those troops accomplished. "Regarding these very severe colonial struggles, which perhaps too frequently occur, we must always remember that the merits of those engaged are not to be estimated merely by the result of the operations. Those who are engaged in a great European struggle or imperial war have tiiat excitement to sustain them which is produced by consciousness of the considerable circumstances with which they are connected, and the public recognition of their services in the journals of Europe. A soldier engaged under such circumstances is sustained by the feeling that an admiring world and a grateful country are applauding his deeds, and this he feels is some compensation for the great hazards and endurance he is called on to undergo. But not less heroic qualities are requisite in connection with less obscure encounters, and I think it was very wise on the part of the Government to recognise the conduct of the troops engaged iu the campaign of the Kaffir war. The noble lord who introduced this question, with tbatpropriety which always characterises his proceedings in this House (hear, hear), has; called our attention to the ample recognition of the services of the officers, but we must remember that this is not the age in which we should forget the qualities of the men. Only yesterday the House,, in the most generous spirit of appreciation, publicly acknowledged how grateful this greet country is to the soldiers and sailors (hear, hear) engaged in the A byssinian expedition ; and certainly, in the case of the New Zealand war, I am sure it would not give satisfaction to the country or, accord with the feelings of the Sovereign if the services of the troops engaged in; that prolonged struggle remained unrecognised. I can, therefore, assure the noble lord, while reminding him that the present Government are in no way responsible (hear, hear) for any neglect hitherto, we will give the most candid consideration to the-subject; and I am sure the ultimate decision arrived at i will become the dignity and honor und good feeling of the country (cheers;)