PERSONAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 December 1939, Page 4

PERSONAL

Last evening the Governor-General and Lady Galway left for Auckland, where they will go into residence at Government House for the next few weeks.

Lieutenant-Colonel D. G. S. Urmson, late of the Indian Army, has been appointed a general staff officer at Army Headquarters, Wellington. In recognition of his service to the brigade for 37 years, the Marton Volunteer Fire Brigade has presented a silver life honorary member’s badge and medal to its ex-secretary, Mr L. Mclndoe.

Staff-Sergeant-Major C. E. Rogers, of the local Defence Department, who spent the weekend in Dannevirke, where he attended a bivouac of the Dannevirke Territorial Company as instructor, returned to Masterton yesterday. Messrs E. Stevens, C. Clement, R. L. Hughes and H. W. Chadwick (Masterton) have been selected for preliminary training in the New Zealand Air Force, the former as flight mechanic and the three latter as flight riggers. Messrs Stevens and Chadwick will train at Wigram and Messrs Clement and Hughes at New Plymouth.

The funeral of the late Mr A. M. Devery took place yesterday, the officiating priest being the Rev. Father Moore. Many beautiful wreaths were in evidence and among those present were Messrs R. Whyborn, H. G. Alexander and A. E. Prentice, representing the W’airarapa Returned Soldiers’ Association. Five thousand women and children stood in a roped-off area at the funeral of Douglas Fairbanks, Senr., a Hollywood cablegram reports. Charlie Chaplin was a pall-bearer. Tom Mix wore a black cowboy outfit. The casket was placed alongside that of Will Rogers in a temporary vault. Douglas Fairbanks, Junr., escorted the widow, who collapsed. Mary Pickford did not attend. She said she preferred “to remember Doug, as the lively spirit I knew in life.”

The Bishop of Nelson, the Rt Rev W. G. Hilliard, has accepted an invitation from the Archbishop of Sydney to become rector of the parish of St John’s, Parramatta. and assistant bishop of the Diocese of Sydney. ■ In a pastoral letter the Bishop said he had taken this step, not because of any dissatisfaction with his present post, in which he had been extremely happy, but because he had been challenged by an invitation io undertake other work which he felt he could not refuse without turning his back upon his obvious duty. Lieut.-Commissioner J. Evan Smith, territorial commander for Wales and Western Territory (United Kingdom), has been appointed territorial commander for New Zealand. The new commissioner was born in London, and began his career as an office boy at international headquarters, becoming an officei - from Balham in 1907. He served the founder in a secretarial capacity, and for many years was private secretary to General Bramwell Booth. Travelling with them, he saw Army work in many lands, including New Zealand. He was appointed national young people's secretary for the British territory in 1928. He became chief secretary for South Africa in 1931, and was appointed territorial commander for the Wales and Western Territory (United Kingdom) three years ago. He married Captain Elizabeth Moulton in 1911.