PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 August 1916, Page 4

PERSONAL.

Cable advice has been received that Sergeant "Charlie'' Webster is in hospital butlcring from pleurisy. ' Driver J. Murray, who was invalided home some months ago and has been an inmate of Cambridge Sanatorium, has now returned to New 'Plymouth.

Among those reported in recent lists of wounded are Rifleman Frederick Epping, of Hawera, and Private John M. B. Taylor, of Waiongona. The condition of Private Xorman Anstis, of Omata, is said to be very grave.

Hie Rev. F. Hales, who recently r<v signed from the pastorate of New 'Plymouth Baptist Church,, has applied for admission to the Presbyterian Church. The application was before the Taranaki Piesbytery yesterday, and will be sent on to tlie General Assembly. >

Advice was received on Tuesday that Private Percy J. Mason, son of Mr. A. Masou, Devon Street East, was wounded in France on July 19. Further information received on Wednesday night indicates that Private Mason is suffer* ing from a severe wound in the head. 1 At the meeting of the Taranaki Presbytery at Hawera yesterday the call of the Rev. Dawson Madill, of Auckland, to Stratford; the call of the-Rev. ,T. 11. Roseveare, of New Plymouth, to Cambridge; and that of the Rev. j! R. Shore, M.A., of Hawera, to Hamilton, were all sustained and were accepted by the respective ministers concerned.

Dr. W. H. Cleary. Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, had a private audience with Pope Benedict XV. on June The Pope has sent his blessing to the priests and his people in Auckland. Bishop Cleary is now- visiting' his home in Wexford, Ireland, and expects to return to Xew Zealand about Christmas.

At tlie T.owgarlh dairv factory on Friday last, the Misses Johnson were given a farewell social, there being a large gathering of residents. Mr. D. L. Astbury, on behalf of the Lowgarth people, presented Miss Johnston with a manicure set and Miss Winnie Johnston with a scent bottle. Miss Dinah Coats, captain of the Hockey Club, presented Miss Winnie Johnson with an autograph album. Tho recipient suitably responded.

After thirty-four years' service with the Xelson Education Board, twentytwo of which have been spent as headmaster at Wakefield, Mr. F. ft Peart has retired, and letter to the Board lie expressed his appreciation of the treatment he lmd received. The Board passed a "Kgsolutiou complimenting Mr. Peart on his longand faithful service. Mr. Frank Coleman, late of the Waimeo. West school succeeds Mr. Peart ■-* Wakefield.

The late Mr. John Hawke, who van killed as the result of being knocked down by a tram-car 011 the South Road on Wednesday night, was a very old settler of this district. He was a son of the late Mr. and Ml-3, Joseph Hawke, and was born in JCew Plymouth 'in 1844. He served through the Maori war and was presented by Governor Browne with a revolver in recognition of special bravery at the "L" pah on March 17, •ISO!!. He was also at the battle of Waireka. After the war he went farming at Mnngorei, and except for a short time spent in Xelson has resided in that district ever since.

Seeond-Liputenant Horace lan?, B.A. (reported killed in action), was a master at Christ's College, Christehureh. He was about 2.5 years of age, was born in England, aiul was educated at Christ's Hospital. He then went to Cambridge University, where lie took his degree in mathematics. He w.i, appointed to Christ's College in 1914, and had not been long in his new position before he enlisted, bus owing to a severe attack of appendicitis he was unable to go into camp till August, 1015. He received a commission and was sent to the firing line in France. Quite recently he obtained leave to go to London; where he was married. All his relatives niv ' 1 England.

One of the leading pastoralists of tn» Wellington district passed away at Wellington on Thursday last, in the person of Mr, Arthur Drake. He was born at Johnsonville on March 10, 1860. His parents arrived in Wellington on the (lay of the foundation of the province, .Ja-mia"y '22, 1840, making the voyage to 'Xew Zealand in the, Aurora. Oil Sop* tomber 2;l, lSS'i,'.the deceased settler married a daughter of the lato Wiilinm .Halse. For a long time he held interests in grazing properties at Patea and Manakau, eventually making the latter place his permanent home—at about tie lime of the opening of the railway line from Wellington to Longburn. The late Mr. Drake was very well known in the Horowiienua district, and 'held in iivli esteem by pakeha and Maori alike. He is survived by a widow, four sops (Messrs Clayton, Roland, Ivan and Ray Drake) and three daughters (the Misses Loeta, May and Marjorie Drake). Messrs Clayton and Roland Drake are memb6:s of the Kith Reinforcement*. Colonel C. M. Gibbon, who has just been gazetted general stall officer, first grade, while serving as Chief of the (iencral Staff in New Zealand, has been in the Dominion since early in 1914. In April of that year he was appointed Director of Military Operations for th.) Dominion, and in the following September he succeeded Colonel W. G. Braidiwaite, D.5.0., as Chief of the General Staff on that officer leaving for tiio front with the Expeditionary Force. Colonel Gibbon is an Imperial office, lie joined the SDth Regiment, Royal Irish Fusiliers, from Sandhurst in 1898, and served in South, Africa throughout the Boer War. lie afterwards served with the Army in India, being a station staff officer from 11)02 to 1905. In the latter year he was appointed to tho genenl staff branch of the headquarters staff, and continued to occupy that position until 1910, when he returned to England. He passed through the Imperial Stall College, 1911-12, and then served with his regiment until lie received his appointment in New Zealand.