TARANAKI IN EXTREMIS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 29, 24 June 1914, Page 6

TARANAKI IN EXTREMIS.

"A MOST MEMORABLE DAY." "(By W. T. Jennings). Period: 181K), Wednesday, June 27. "A most memorable day" is the beginning of tlie interesting published diary of 'Sergt. V. .Yiarjo'uram, K.A., who was present at the attack on the Maori pa at Puke Takauere by the British forces at Waitara. To old colonists in tihe North Island it was indeed' a memorable day, for the victory gained by the Maoris on that occasion afterwards cost many valuable lives, retarded settlement for fully twenty-Jive years, and, generally speaking, pCayed havoc witli the settled habits of 'both races'. To-day it matters wot that worse than a bluiubr occurred on tiliat occasion (there was a force of near 400 trained troops within two miles of the fight), ami no good can be gained by re-opening a bitter controversy that raged for acme time after the disaster as to who was responsible for the blunder of not sendin« reinforcements to assist the forces en" gaged. All that one can gather from the records is that the officers, soldiers, sailors and artillerymen, though outnumbered by three to one, fought at Y\ aitara ■witii, a tenacity that saved the whole- force from complete annihilation, tlie Maori in those days* was a horn fighter, and, physically, could compare with the men of the British forces in a fighting or strategic capacity; and he exccKed himself on the day under review, aa the number of Maoris killed was very small, I may say that during over twent • years association with the King and Wariauto country, I -met several kauniatuas (old Maori men) who had taken part in the fight at Waitara. One of them said a taua (war) party with winch he was attached came from the king Country via Totoro and Mokay river, in fine for the fight, and they had less tha:i 20 lliour,-' notice. The oame down tlie Jfokau river cany the whaka over the slrailbwg of the reaches below Totoro. The death of Lieutenant Brookes, by one who witnessed it, ww also described to me. In to nfZ V****} 0 * commanded by this, officer suffered' tier cent, were placed out of action. The 5K iSh? T** a,,d tho men ™ Kl Tat 3ln a *"*• Brookes wa,, .surrounded while he wa s andmg on a black head (that is a stump of a fern or nikau), a ld was struck -cn the head with a W hawk, my informant said there wa« -i Zid'SV t0 that '"^^nVe e „nit 'At if ffC r,pe w>teßn t .lon,.and on"ue i ° SOMd b ' y d,cki »» J»" state that ™ ",•' ?*> ' m «>««« ion, tara, where W n f av. 7, l " ai " part in thl rli t that to <>!<

W. T. JENNINGS.

SERGEANT MARJOURAMS DIARY.

UST .OF KIT LED AND WOUNDED.

—can be picKeil.—

Ro.vnl Naval Brigade,

Captain 11. JJeauehamp Seymour, R N wounded .-evercly m (e". Lewis Delbridge, Sergeant, 0 U.M., ditto ditto. Henry Baker, R.M.A., ditto, in arm. Charles Ciuirchill, A.J!., ditto, ditto I-aac Cure, Stoker, damrermislv in arm and chest. Joint Trwuftin All, ,i;,,j, th . ,„ hncL Nmuel Jenkins, A.1',., severely in arm. Walter ilannaford, A.1!., severely in h-o-James Pelford, A.H.. .-everelv in'lc-r "' John Marshall, A.8., severely in Ws. ilo/al Artillery. Wounded—tiiinner W. Weir (siir • dead). Ronert Rogers, William. West •lOth Regiment. Lijfht Company:—Killed: Lieut. C. F. Brooke, [Sergeant E. O'Cal-lagOian. Corporal David Vahey, Privates J. Filling-ham, Allen, P.' Broderick, S. Abery, W. Cliff, T. Dimipdv, Dmdas, W. Hayes, P. J-agan P. lieCabi" C. GiDllagher, W. Scott, W. F. Perry, W, Marcome, E, Ci, Hanis.—WoundPrivates Charles Baker. Clias. Smith, Thomas Brion, John McCarthy, Jeremiah Lynch, John Channing, Thomas McGuire (sjnee dead). James Lucas, Jeremiah Murphy' James S. Plunkett, J. Bark, Patrick O'Brien, Jas. New-man, James Mntoen. Grenadier Company:—Killed: Corporals S. Mcßurney, E. Ryan, Privates James Byrne, J. Downs, James Gore, William Hicltev, John Gill. Archibald McOum, Oemge Marsden, TI. E. Martyn, Francis P. Robinson! John Webber.—Wounded: Privale Wm. Burgess. Joun Fislier. Michael Head, James Hogan, John Tomney, Thos. Loque, Jas. Smith, Abel For'd.

REBEL MAORIS KILLED. Killed—Matu Waeroa (Kingi's brother), Hori Koniipc (Kingi's follower). Hone Kiritahauga (Huirangi), To,v ''"* (apiteto chief), Wi Ropafa, »ounded.-Hapuronu (chief of Ilui-i-angi), llaimona Kob.ua, Nepetarima Tamihana te Arohi, Knipako. pake, Hakopa te Wahao.

-Turn; -Uh.-A most nrcanoraWe (lav At tliivn o'clock this .morning we we're turned out, and marched towards the Waikato pa, about a .mile, distant The morning was wet and stormv. We assembled a few yard* outside of ti.e (•an>p-our force consistins oF two Irandiort and fifty of tile 40th, fifty sailors and marines, and eighteen artillerymen. I Ins _ small bod} was divided into'three divisions, tin whole under the comitiand of Major Xolson, 40th Regiment. One division was sent, round to the >■''«• of the ~„, to lie in ambu>h near lie river and out off the retreat of the H'lX'ls: the of*..-.- two advanced with the SHis to the front. Our silent march tl.-roiiyJi tlie darkne-s was- ■"•Wnv enough; tlie inorn!ug w, raw" anil "iwiny: and to heighten my distress, f leU mto a ditch of water, it being ton (lark to distinguish anv object before ■ine. We arrived off the pa at daybreak; and placing tlie guns in position about throe Jumdrod and fifty yards distant we oper.c-d fire at seven o'clock. I lie natives at once returned the aiack. Having dosfa-oyod a portion of lie stockade, .Major Nelson was doto take the ptoee by Mom,. I He advance' was sounded, and now begun « struggle from a mmrtcr orvite unexpected. The division lying j n W bush ,„ rear of the pa were attacked 1 v a large body of natives, who rushed down from the bush and ovoi-now<>v t .,l our meru outnumbering them by hundred* The that "ensued was feartul. Many of our poor fellows belong- >

ing to tins division -were drr. >-n into 'swamps, and even across tin.- river. They fought well, and kid. in.;, been assisted, might have beaten th.- , ebels; but no aid was' at hand. I'm- natives rushed upon them like tigns. tomahawking the wounded in tilu: ...esenec of their comrades. Poor Lii -u.niint Brookes was i-)!iot and toma-awked Whilst endeavouring to cseap. ; two won' drowned in tlie swamp; and as for those, -who escaped, their deliver n;. e was a miracle.

"Rebels wer> now arriving f,,im all quarters in largo force, and as our men were advancing to attack the |.<i, they came nls-ng an entrenchment mil '.-. thev were within a few yards of us winn they opened a heavy fire. Our miu> : -i.i Uy replied without delay but the natives ran ; upon our men, yelling like -fiends, and even dared the British .bayonei. At [this moment they received a ic-mforce-I ment, and sprang upon' us more furiously than ever. Our guns, hum-ever, did much havoc, frequently checking their advance About this time .one of my gunners v.iat assisting me to li.\ the fuse in a shell; Ik was sitting with his back towards {'lie pa while I wa -. facing 'him; tlie shell lay on the gr.und between us; suddenly the poor fellow fell over, casting a took at me which T shall never forget, at the same time crvim* 'Oh, I am shot-' I had not time to'pnv him any attention. The ball had entered the lu'p, passing out th.ron.jh the groin, afterwards passing between my : legs. We were evidently -getting the worst of it. Many of our best men had 'been cut down, while the rebels, seemed .rather to increase than decrease; so Major Nelson thought the wiVst plan would be to (retire at once. The 'retreat was sounded, but our men were so mixed up with the enemy that we could not bring awav out dead and wounded-many of the latter bavin" been tomalhawked during the fig-ht <u] that -were able to creep awa, to the rear did so; Captain Sevmore.'who was Winded in the calf of the W, belli" among tihe numb?.-. We must..red in good order returning to camp about eleven o clock a.m., disheartened and dispirited, when i»-e a ,certaim-d that our loss amounted to thii-tv-fwo killed or missing, _ a, 1(1 thirty-three wounded; about eighteen per cent. Thank God, my hte was spared; and I hope entcrri«Uy to praise Him for this deliverance. What an awful thing to fall into the Bands of these unmerciful savages! Iheir numbers were estimated from eight hundred- to one thousand, ami they had the advantage of entrenchments, except wlliere they charged upon uy The sights we witnessed" to-dav ■were truly {horrifying; nor nm the*y ever 'be erased from my meniinry "Fighting with these Maoris is ten tunes worse than engaging with an honorable foe; for a civilised enemy knows how to spare the wounded. Wo have since been informed that Colonel W.d commanding the troops, wa* on us way to fur assistance -witHi four hundred men, but that when 'he arrived within two miles of the scene of battle, believing the affair was over he returned to tewn. Had this force on!v come m time, the Maoris would- have been taught a lesson they would nev-r have forgotten.

'During the afternoon a poor fellow managed to creep lAirotigh the fern towards t'he camp, and on being observed was immediately rescued. Instated that When -he found himself enclosed by rebels on every side, Inplunged into the river and swam to the opposite Ibank, the balls flying- about him like hail, he meanwhile marvellous''v escaping unhurt. On arriving at tinother side of the river On- lav down in the fern for a few hours, anil when lie saw all iwas clear, swam back again and made- his way towards the camp. About six or seven o'clock in the evening, loud shouting was heard in redirection of the rebels, evidently the voice of an Hi irishman. Several'of us instantly stalled off in the direction from Which the sound proceeded, and after some search v/e found a poor sailor who had been four h-;:-urs creeping through the fun on one knee, a shot having struck the other and remained in the joint. Tlie joy of the poor feKonv was very great when he found -himself once mere among his countrymen. Another man, who returned to"camp with i! \ in the morning wounded, had a very narrow escape. During the focal of the light, several natives came up to tomahawk him, as 'ho lay for dead. Supposing, 'however, that the breath was realty out of his body, they did not molest him; i'lid as soon as he saw his way clear, he crept towards our party, and arrived in time to return to c-aimp with us. This affair is teiined the battle of the Wait'ara. but as it is probable many battles will yet takplace in tihe same district I shall call it the biittd- of Pnketakauere, the nam:of the pa we attacked.