MAJOR BROWNE'S PLIGHT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 329, 22 January 1909, Page 4

MAJOR BROWNE'S PLIGHT

i A correspondent of the Hawera Star says:—There \vns a person named tleorge Hamilton Browne who jnined ttie ■Armed Constabulary force in 1872 or ■late in 1871. He went to Taupo district in 1872; in 1874 he was made amounted man, and stationed at Opepe, where he earned tiie soubriquet of M tori Browne, •lie left for Auckland in 187b' to practise iis native interpreter. The new business being a failure, 1 understand, he left for South Africa in 1878. I feel certain that he never obtained the Xew Zealand war medal, as 1 have carefuly had that list of heroes contained in Captain (Uulgeon's hook examined, and there is not • a lirowne. The president of the Farmers' Cnion —1 mean Mr K. .Maxwell—having been at one time in the Armed Constabulary, will no doubt possess a copy of Mr Gudgeon's "Heroes of Xew Zealand" and see for himself. Since writing the above an old friend of the front rank tells me that in 1871 he played in a game- called ''shinty" with the same (J. Hamilton Browne in the province of Ulster, so that clinches the matter. Fogarty (my friend) also assures me that Browne mis not up to the measurement bi height for the regular army. and therefore could not join the Armed Constabulary in St. John Brannigan's time. Now, Sir, I will not intrude fur-1 ther on your valuable space on Browne. May I suggest to the Farmers' L'nion to read Star on the removal of the remains of such heroes as described therein at Xew Plymouth last week, and pass a motion of sympathy to the living relatives. Xot a few wore left orphan* to light the battle of life, their sires having fought and fell in the struggles to make this Dominion, in the words of the late Tom Bracken, "find's Own Country." May their souls rest in peace.