TARANAKI BOYS.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 September 1917, Page 8

TARANAKI BOYS.

WHO WON DISTINCTION AND LOST LIVES. SERGEANT-MAJOR ANDREW TAYLOR,. On Saturday Mr. J. Taylor, of Fitzroy, received official notification from Sir •James Allen, 'Minister of Defence, that his son Sergt. Andrew Taylor had heen awarded the Military Medal for gallantry on the field of action. Sir James Allen also expressed regret that Sergt. Taylor had not been spared to receive personally such a coveted decoration. Mr. J. Taylor has also received the following letter from Lieut. R. C. Ahemetliy, dated France, July G:— Dear Mr. Taylor,—Long ere this reaches you you will no doubt have received the sad news of the death of your Bon, and I hardly like to remind you of your great loss, but I am sure you will like to know of tile esteem in which he was held by all of our company (A. Coy., Ist Battalion, N.Z.R.8.). I have often heard Captain Inglis, onetime O.C. of this company, say that Taylor was the smartest rifleman in the company, and it was this that led him to promote him to the rank of sergeant several months ago. Just after that I joined up and at the last big push at Messines I appointed him Acting-Sergeant-Major within the first three or four hours of the advance as our former Acting-Sergt.-Major had been killed. 'By that time I was the only officer left in the company, the other three being casualtied, and your son Andrew proved himself of great assistance to me. He was a very fine noncommissioned officer, and for his coolness and sound common sense during the advance he was commended for a decoration. That decoration, tfie Military Medal, was right well earned and I am deeply grieved that lie was not spared to enjoy the honor, which was conferred on him through orders on the 27th Juflt. He survived the advance all right and met with the wound jhat caused his death about a fortnight afterwards when our battalion, along with others, was on a very ticklish job digging in a new trench near the scene of the advance, He was working in the new trench when a big shell landed close 'beside him and gal* him a very nasty wound in the thigh. We got him away to the dressing station immediately and hoped that he would ma'ke a recovery but it was not to be and he died in hospital shortly afterwards. May I offer my sympathies and close by saying your son Andrew did his duty finely as a soldier and was held in the highest respect by the whole of his company.—l am, yours faithfully, R. C. ABERNETHY, 2nd-Lieut. Sergt. Andrew Taylor was well known in the Tarata district from where he enlisted.