AN HISTORICAL EVENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 January 1916, Page 8

AN HISTORICAL EVENT.

THE DAY BEFORE WAIREKA. (By "Fifty-one," in the Hawera Star.)' The Battle of Waireka is an event that will never be forgotten in Taranaki, because the colors presented to the Militia and Volunteers bear the name "Waireka" in unmistakable letters, and March 28 of each year is also fittingly celebrated by the veterans of New Plymouth to commemorate that date in 1860 when father | and son of the early settlers, together j with Imperial forces (navy and army) fought side by side to maintain Queen J Victoria's authority in this province. But i I would like.to ask this question: Would the battle of Waireka have been fought on March 28 had not three settlers (Messrs Ford, Shaw, and Passmore) been shot down at Wairewa Hill the preceding day? The murder (for ,i can be" called nothing else) of the two lads (Pote and Parker) about the same time was a part of the Maoris' programme to commence active hostilities in the south. What I wish to draw attention to is the fact that there is no public record of the great tragedy preceding the battle of Waireka—in fact, to my mind, the event which led up to the historical engagement. The Official Year Book does not even mention in its "Principal Event-'' pages a calamity which forced the hands of the military authorities, and was followed by a general attack on Waireka pa. Although hostilities had commenced at Waitara, and a Maori pa was captured on March 18, the killing of the settlers above referred to in the south came as a great shock. ' This set Taranaka ablaze from one end to the other, indeed from Auckland to Wanganui. My object in writing these few lines is merely to place on record the names of the first European victims in the Taranaki war. So far as I know two out of the three were unmarried. The widow of the married victim (Mr. Ford) is still living, having attained considerably beyond the allotted span of three score years and ten.