AN OLD CAMPAIGNER

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 51, 23 May 1927, Page 5

AN OLD CAMPAIGNER

VETERAN’S DIAMOND WEDDING CAPTAIN NEWBY’S CAREER MANY men have had adventurous careers, but it falls to the lot of few to live to 92 to tell of it. Captain William John Newby has lived a life crammed with adventure—from an eight months’ campaign as a lieutenant in the British Legion under Garibaldi to a gold rush to the Thames —and his 54 descendants, most of whom assembled to-day at Grey Lynn, where he now lives, are proud to do him honour at his diamond wedding. Captain Newby’s adventurous spirit was held in check long enough to enable him to take his B.A. degree at Trinity College, Cambridge. He joined the Army soon afterwards, however, and as a lieutenant, joined the expedition of 1,000 picked men which Britain sent to help the Italian patriot, Guiseppe Garibaldi, in 1859. CAMPAIGNING IN ITALY

After a stormy voyage across the Bay of Biscay, which nearly culminated in disaster, the British Legion landed in Italy and for eight months fought through one of the hardest campaigns of history in which nearly 300 of the Legion were killed. A picture of Garibaldi hangs on the wall of Captain Newby’s home at Grey Lynn. Among his cherished possessions is a letter nearly 70 years old addressed to him from the old Italian castle of Caserta and dated November 22, 1860. “We the undermentioned noncommissioned officers and privates of the sixth company of the British Legion, respectfully request you to accept our grateful thanks for the care and anxiety evinced by you for our comfort and welfare while under your command, and we wish to testify to your gallant conduct in action and all the trying emergencies that have occurred during the campaign/' Three years later Captain Newby landed at Auckland from the ship Winteher with his sister and brother-in-law, Judge MacDonald. He joined the Waikato Regiment, but too late to see further fighting in the Maori wars. A THAMES PIONEER On May 23, 1867, he married Janet Douglas Caitcheon, of Whangarei, and the following year took part in the gold rush to Thames, finding little however but hard work. He settled in that district, however, and remained there farming for over 30 years. He raised a strong company of volunteers at Thames and was instrumental in getting a school for Tapu. Captain Newby, who is said to be the oldest Justice of the Peace living, has lived in retirement in Auckland for more than 20 years. He is an active member of the Working Men’s Club and walks to the club once a week. He and Mrs. Newby had 13 children, of whom 10 are now living. They are Messrs. Arthur, Frederick and Reginald, of Auckland, and Leslie, of Tapu. The daughters are Mrs. A. A. Wrigg, Mrs. R. McNeil, Mrs. J. Chapman, Mrs. H. McKinnon and Mrs. G. Bell, all of Auckland, and Mrs. W. B. Plummer, of Dunedin. There are 10 great-grand-children and 34 grandchildren. ,