MAORI WARS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 125, 19 January 1932, Page 6

MAORI WARS

STORMY ENCOUNTERS ANNIVERSARY - OF FAMOUS CAPTURE OF THE OTAPAWA PA. HAUHAUS' GREAT STRONGHOLD. January. 13 was the sixty-sixth anniversary of the storming of Otapawa Pa by the Middlesex Regiment (the "Diehards") in what was one of the bloodiest encounters of the series of I battles with the Maorisl The Fifty-seventh (Middlesex) Regiment was led by Lieutenant-Colo-nels Butler and Hassard in this affray, and the pa, on the terminal of a long and densely wooded tableland, was earried at the point of the bayonet. Sharp fighting south of Patea had driven the Hauhaus inland, and the scene of action shifted to the heart of the rebel country, where, on the bank of the Tangahoe River, the Hauhaus had built the famous pa, the strongest they made in the campaign. The Fifty-seventh, a detachment of the Fourteenth Regiment, some Forest Rangers under Major von Tempsky, and 200 of the Native Contingent formed the invading foree which was to capture the pa. From the base of Tawhiti, near the present site of Hawera, Major-General Trevor Chute advanced over level ground, and on the 12th January he camped within striking distance of Otapawa. Very early next morning his forces advanced, three Armstrong field-guns shelled the pa, and the troops set about the assault. There was no fire from the stronghold, and it was thought that the Maoris had desertthe place, but over 200 Hauhaus were in the trenches coolly waiting for their foes to come within short range. The Fifty-seventh, supported by the Fourteenth, rushed the pa and were greeted with two volleys at close range. Slashing at the fastenings of the pa- 1 lisading, the troops were soon in the stronghold, and the Hauhaus fled. The Hauhaus lost over thirty killed in this sharp encounter, and they had many wounded, who were removed to a sheltered spot. The British loss in the assault was was eleven killed and twenty wounded. Among the killed was LieutenantColonel Hassard, while a bullet tore the braid of the coat of Major-General Chute, to whose impetuous attack the rather heavy caualties were due. * Regiment's New Colours. In October last the Prince of Wales presented new colours to the first battalion of the "Diehards," and in an address reminded officers and men of the service of the regiment. The battalion, he said, originated from the Fifty-ninth Foot, which was raised on Christmas Day, 1755, by Colonel Arabin. The following year the regiment was re-numbered the Fifty-seventh, and it entered upon a series of arduous campaigns in the Mediterranean. From 1775 it took part in fifteen years of fighting in the North American Continent, and although chiefly composed of Scotsmen, it was called the East Middlesex Regiment. The second battalion originated •from the Seventy-seventh Foot, raised by Colonel Marsh for service in India. The distinguished part it played under Sir Arthur Wellesley was testified by its battle honours, "Seringapatam" and "Mysore." In 1807, bhough chiefly . composed of Irishmen, it was called the West Middlesex

Regiment. Both battalions served with great valour in the Peninsular War and the Crimea. At Albuhera, in 1811, gallant Colonel Inglis, when mortally wounded, exhorted his men to "die hard," and from this came its famous name. In 1881 the battalions were united to form the Duke of Cambridge's Own (the Middlesex Regiment), and the badges of their caps to-day display the insignia of both battalions. The battle honour of "New Zealand" commemorated the Maori Wars of 1860, and further distinctions were gained in South Africa In the Great War, raised to fifty-six battalions, the regiment served in every theatre of war, and gained eighty-one battle honours. Sergeant-Major E. Bezar is the sole survivor of the old "Diehards" in New Zealand,