PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 April 1918, Page 4

PERSONAL.

Mr. T. Goodson, of Hawera, has left for Wellington, en route to England, to join the Flying Corps. Mr. E. Walsh, of St. Aubyn Street, has received word that his son, Rifleman T. L. Walsh, is progressing satisfactorily in Brockenhurst Hospital. Mrs. J. F. Batey, Barrett Street, lias received cable advice that liev son, .Tack, "chief motor mechanic," is missing. His father is serving with the Samoan Relief Force.

Sergeant C. S. Fern, M.H.R. for Cobar (New South Wales), is dead. He recently returned from the front suffering from shell-shock and tuberculosis. —Press Association.

Mr. T. J. Billing, of New Plymouth, and late of Opunake, received word yesterday of the death from wounds of his son, Private E. A. Billing, on April 12. This is the second son who lias been killed. A third has been wounded. Private E. A. Billing left with the 10th Reinforcements, and had been with the forces for nearly three years. He had ohly recently been awarded the Military Medal. In the latest hospital report the following Taranaki names appear:—Dangerously ill: T. S. 'Cox (Patea). Not severe cases: J. Bropljy (Okato), A. G. Clark and J. Pearae (Inglewood), C. W. Field (Oaonui), C. S. Rye, J. D.' Grant, and ,T. Hilliard (M.M. and Croix de Guerre; Hawera), P. E. Speck (Stratford) and T. Thompson (Eltham).

Mr. W. W. Thomson, who has been secretary of the West End School Committee for the past five or six years, was last evening entertained at a social evening at the residence of Mrs. Dowliiig, headmistress of the school. The members of the committee and their wives, as well as the members of the teaching staff of the school, were present, and 011 behalf of the committee, Mr. A. K. Smart (chairman) presented Mr. Thomson with a silver tea set, in recognition of his services.

Lance-Corporal H. M. Hogben, who was killed in action on March 27, was the son of Mr. G. Hogben, C.M.G., of Wellington, and lately Inspector-General of the Education Department. This is the second son to make the supreme sacrifice, and another son is still, in France. LanceCorporal Hogben was engaged to Miss Riti Strack, B.Sc., of the Hawera District High School, whose brother was killed at Passchendaele last October. Mrs. Hogben (mother of the deceased soldier) had been enjoying a holiday with Mr. and Mrs. Strack for a fortnight when the sad news came through.

Corporal Eric Grant, news pf whose death in action was.received onl Wednes-j day, was the third son of Mrs. Grant, of Vivian Street, New Plymouth, and of the late Mr. J. Grant, who was headmaster of the Inglewood School. Wlien his father retired and took up his residence in New Plymouth, Corporal Grant attended the Cefitral School, and then the Boys' High School, where he passed the matriculation examination. lie joined the commercial staff of the Herald, but subsequently entered the service of the Bank of New South Wales, and was later transferred to Hastings, from which place he enlisted with the lflth Reinforcements. His eldest brother, Sergeant Alf. Grant, who was a member of the Samoan Contingent, leaves New Zealand shortly with one of the reinforcements. Lieutenant lan Grant has been serving with the forces for over two years. Mrs. Grant's youngest son, Donald, leaves for camp in a month or two. It will therefore be seen that the family has a splendid patriotic record. Eric Grant, like his brothers, was an excellent athlete, and his clever play in the three-quarter line of the High School and Rovers will not easily be forgotten by those who saw. the matches.