PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 241, 20 March 1915, Page 4

PERSONAL.

I J?,' DonaW Robertson (late of Stratford) is gazetted lieutenant R A W.f!. (Kn«iamn ho die d »t Doreheater Mr. Henry Maguire, who was a Maori war veteran and an employ ee 0 f ™ Oamaru Borough Council" man " years, died on Monday, aged 78 ■ "Widespread regret lm, been created at w *. b crsffbST&i l ii aut^e If- Weston, who went the Trenthain camp of the expeditionary forces as a lieutenant on probation has Wh FW ca P sa 'ncy, which rank ht had held in the volunteer forces. Mr Primrose MeConnelV who has re. ' signed from the position of manager of the Ruakura State Farm; has bfen appointed manager of ' the Dilworth training farm for boys at Papatoetoe. Sympathetic reference wasrm«feV!i, , the annual report of the Wellimrt™ Football Club ?o the deatl. of M e f™ E. C. Batkm and J. H. Hempton, both Ilf « members of the club.

The wife of Admiral Sir Frederick Doveton Sturdee is a Melbourne lady, and was Miss M. A. Andrews. At th« / miral 'of l ?arria£e £ e famous'.,dmiral of the future was in command of the Porpoise in Australian waters; •

Captain H. S. Williams, of the Dorsetshire regiment, has been promoted to the rank of major. He has quite recovered from the wound he received at Mons, and is back at the front again. Major Williams is a Napier boy, Mr. John Clayton, Town Clerk of Melbourne since 181)1, will retire from that position at the end of the month. I hough incorporated nearly three-quar-ters of a century ago, Melbourne city has only had four town clerks.

Dr. D. M. Y. Somerville (St. Andrew a), Professor of Mathematics at Victoria College, and Dr. E. Marsden (Manchester), Professor of Physics at the same institution, arrived from tUa Old Country via Auckland yesterday afternoon.

At a meeting of the Inglewood Borough Council on Wednesday night the council considered applications for the position of electrical engineer, vice Mr. H. Scott, resigned. There were 41 applications 1 and the choice finally fell on -Mr. Hubbart, at present of the Blackball Coal Mines, Weatl&nd.

Mr. Laing, manager of the Dunedin branch of the Union Bank, lias received a cable message stating that his brother, Captain H. D, Laing, was killed in action on Saturday last. Captain Laing, vhu was a married man, about 38 years of age, was a captain in a Territorial regiment in Inverenrie, which' was attached to the Gordon Highlanders. A cable message has been received in Napier stating that Mr. Alec Watt, brother of Miss Mary Watt, of Napier, had been killed in action during a recent fight in France. The late Mr. Watt was a young Scotch" solicitor, and came o>it to New Zealand just before the war ti» visit his sister. He held a commission in territorial regiment at Home, and immediately on the outbreak of war he rejoiced his regiment. The Bishop of Wellington has written to the Vestry of St. Mary's, Hawem, that the Board of Nominators has appointed the Rev. Claud Herbert Grant Cowen, Bachelor'of Arts of Christ College, Cambridge, to the cure of the Hawera parochial district. The Bishop adds that, prior to coming to New Zealand. Mr. Cowen was curate of St. Paul's Cambridge, and for the past three years has been vicar of Hunterville, in which district he has done splendid work. The death occurred yesterday of Lien*; tenant-Colonel James Pirie. V.D.. in his 81st year. 'He was formerly Major and Adjutant of the Ist Regiment of Royal Guernsey Militia. After his arrival in New Zealand in 1879 the late officer was - actively connected with volunteer and defence matters, holding at one time the appointment of Instructor in Musketry and Inspector of Ammunition. Colonel Pirie was also for some years a member of the Officers' Examination 1 I Board, and retired from active military work only a few years ago.—Press Association.

Advice has been received in Palmerston of the death in Egvpt of Bandm«>ter B. J. Simpson, of the main expeditionary force, following upon an operation. He was well known in the Wairarapa, Canterbury, and flawke's Bay i« connection with brass bands. He was three years champion cornctist of the Dominion and was appointed ba,ndmsrtorof the regimental band of the main camp at Awapuni. He was the son of Nurse Simpson, of Palmeraton. He hag two brothers in Ashburton, a sister in Carterton, and three others in Palmerston. A brass tablet in memory of Lieut.Colonel W. R. Bloomfield, who perished. with his wife and daughter, in the wreck of the Empress of Ireland was unveiled last Sunday morning in St. Mary's Cathedral, [Auckland. The tablet had been subscribed for- by mem-' bers of the Auckland Garrison Officers' Club, about thirty of whom were present at the service and the unveiling cerewas performed by the president (Mr J P. Stephenson), who also handed o\er the memorial to the safe-keeping of' the churchwardens and vestry of th» cathedral. Dr Averill, Anglican Bishop of Auckland, said the dedicatory prayers and afterwards preaehed the sermon Mr John Studholme, of Goldstrcam, who has volunteered for active service at the front, departed from Ashburton on Saturday for Trentham. At the meeting of the Ashburton A. and P. Association, complimentary reference was made to Mr Stiulholme, membersstating that he was regarded as one of the most popular past-presidents of the association, and also one of its best and most active workers. It was unanimously resolved that a letter be sent trom the association, signed by the presidpnt and secretary, wishing him bod-speed and a safe return, and congratulating him on his action in volunteering to figl'it for his King and country.

An old New Zealandcr, in the person * of Mr W. Charles C. Spencer, who passed away last week_ was the eldest son of the late Rev. S. M. Spencer, who came . 1 to New Zealand witn Bishop Selwyn's party in 1842. It is interesting to note that the father, when a young man in Illinois, U.S.A., was attracted to the mission work among the Maoris by rcad>ng a little hook of Samuel Marsden'a apostolic labors in New Zealand. Mr W. C. C. Spencer was born on March 12th' ' 1844, at To Ngae, wljere his father was acting as locum tenens for the late Rev. T. Chapman 4 but spent his early years at Kariri and Te Mu, on Lake Tarawera. He was educated at Mr S. Kemptliorne's school, Parnell, and was then engage® m farm work at Tauranga,. When the war broke out, he went to Waimate, Bay of Islands, subsequently joining the survey Department under Major Heaphy. When the Thames Goldfields rush broke out_ he was in the Miners' Rights Office at Shortland. but left this to engage directly i n mining. He waa unsuccessful in tWs, and he rejoined the Survey Department, to which he waa. attached until his retirement some six years ago. For some years lie was engaged in surveying the rough wooded country from Gisborne to the East Cape, i and was probably the first to ascend Hikuraugi. the highest mountain on tho East Const. Subsequently he did a great deal of surveying in and about Coromandel and the Cape Colville Peninsula, and also in the lower Waikftto, ■