BRADFORD MEMORIAL SERVICE

Te Aroha News, Volume XVI, Issue 222043, 30 January 1900, Page 3

BRADFORD MEMORIAL SERVICE

'T’jik No. 2 Battalion parade and sor'•'..e in TuO- rv <>; the ]ot-> Ser.reant•ujor 'to ‘j first N»:\v Zen- . lander to lose his life in South Africa for Queen and Empire—was held ai Paeroa, head-quar'eis for N<>. 2 Battalion A I.Y , yesterday. Tho Rev. Wilson, chaplain No. 2 c unpany (Paeroa R'fles) officiated. The p rado was under C iptain Porrit-, adju ant, assisted by Captain Harper, officer ikbmrnanding No. 4 (Hauraki Rifles).

were over 200 volunteers present, beside the two bands and pipers. The Thauu s Navals and Ilaur.rki came, up by spec'al train, the Waihi Nn. 3 coinp iny by coiches, and the Thames Rifles (under Lieut. Sect) in one of Smar lon's brakes. Captain O’Meagher, in ci arge of the Te Aroha Rifl s, was also present. Sever..l .-•oth -r parties in buggies went on to Paeroa t > witn ss the p ;rade. > The Te Ar ha Rifles-left here about

0 a.in. with Yolu;eor Fo. dyee in charge the 5 horse team wi it 20 men on .. the brake, and safely landed them in Paeroa soon after 10.30. The battalion had just fallen in, and we took our place as No. 1 company i f No. 2 ba talion. 'ihe So •toil pipers, in full diess, with drummers, headed tlic march,-then the Ilauraki, Paeroa, and Waihi 1 a ads. After a shmt march, they ha ted in from of the Criterion Theatre, and took die places reserved for tin m. Chaplain .Wi.fon took ihe service, and preached a very elonu -lit and patriotic sermon. He gave a short resume of tlie events tha* led up to tho war, and especially dwelt ou the way that the colonb a had and were responding to the ‘call.’ Tho No. 2 Battalion had had tim sorrowful honor >?o furnish the first of the New Zea land volunteers to give up life in the cause of freedom and civil liberty. He eulogised our departed comrade as ’ a being a man who was fit to live as a sol ier ar.d die as a Christian hero should tn the full ex- cudonof thedu y that he lnd given up all that he possessed—himself, his lit'.—for the h‘>nur and safety of us all —Queen, Empire, 'f an 1 F eed"tn. He also spoke of th*‘ nee ssity that exists at the piesent and in the immediate future of every man doing his b -st, and the need that nil able to do so should lit them eh > s in case that their servic s shou’d be reqiii;ed. N w Zealand Imving fur d h< r quota in the defence of die Empire, had taken a place as a in itni v power, though' small, to lie nckoned upon by "tir enemies, and should

further c niplic tions arise th-v ui 1 not he s'ow t-> punish the ‘ K v of the P.eific,’ oki«ing th“ m-ed of universal armament ■ f the wh le of the Australasian colonies.

At the clos of the serin n, 'ho rev. ch plain said t'i t, witn the cons nt of his churchw r lens, the wh lo of 'he off r orv would be giv n to the Patriotic Fund. The collection resu t d in £l7 13s. • Tho’-e was a full choir end exeollel t singing. At tho commoner men

of the service, ns a processional hymn, h> ‘ Onvvar I Cliristiau Soiilers ’ was sung a.s the volunteers marched to their plac s, and af er the sermon an anthem was render* cl, nl-o a S'd » l>v M iss Mein yre, * Come* Unto ?>le Ye Weary ’ After :ho D xology and die Bemdic'i’ n. the Wallii and Hauraki bands rendered, in a splendid manner, the ‘ Dead Ma.ch in S .u! and then, .. widi all the bands, egan, choir, and over 600 v /ices, rang out that grand and glorious hymn ‘ God Save the - • Queen.’ The congregation remained st* nding while the volunteers file 1 out of the Thea're and formed up in quarter column and marched through the town, headed by the bands and pipers returning to the Theatre, where they wi re dismissed. The number of men present were : No. 1 Oompanj'—Te Aroha Volunteers, Cap ain O’Meagher, Lieutenant Scott, and 22 men. No. 2 Company —PaeroaEifi.es —L : -ut McAr hur and .51 men. No. 3 Company -Waihi Eifies —Captain Walmsley, Lieutenants Gilmore and Wearne and 35 men.

No. 4 Company—H. xmiki Eifies— Captain Harper, Lieut. Lucas, and 45 men Pipers Gi lie and Crawf* rd, Vt'aihi. Waihi Band Banchna-ter Benfie and 22 men. Hauraki Band I nd.mastef E. Williams and 22 men. The whole number present Pehn 220 of all ranks. Tli»re arc two permanent memorial s*-hemes spoken of : one a memorial brass plate in the Paeroa church, of which the late Sergt Major was a consistent member; the other a memorial challenge shield, to be competed : or half-yearly by the companies forming No 2 Battalion. The funds for which are to be raised by a shilling •\ subscription from the whole of the members of No 2 Ba'talion. The memoriahchullenge shield seemed to be most in favour, as our late . SergtM«jor was an enthusiast in all ma fers connee'ed with rifle competition' and ... m rksmanship. I see no reason why both of the . schemes should not be put forward, the volunteers to take up ihe challenge'shield and the whole of ihose who have so kindly thoughts towards the first of. our noble men who fell for duty’s sake in South Africa, should S'>nd their shilling to ma’. k their appreciation towards the brass p'ate i or window for the Church where our brother-’always attended. I "know | Chaplain Wilson wi 1 bi glad o j “ receive,'and See that effect is given t), | the wish s ef those who con' ib to Tiie m ii of No. 2 Battalion shoul!, through their officers, contribute the i

shilling, and the. first competition to the place on the range, where our ’ate Sergeant Major spent much of his t ne in helping to train his men 'o be : er-e-rt wi ’ 'djo rifle, -hi* ‘Bradford ; Me-uori. i-A -.11 ugo Shi id’ rs an ! op-lor.unity to ti.e volunteers of INo. 2 j Battalion to perpetuate th m m rv of (the first New Z‘aland volume r who I gave his iif - in S •uth Af ica in defence of Queen, E npire, and Ltb-uty—a ! goo 1 settler, an < nthusias'ic volunte r, jan 1 who, as Ch iplain W Ison said, was i fr to live as a Christian man and also r a !y to die as a Christian soldier, and N<-w Zealand has many more like him —‘ ready, aye ready.’

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