A MEMORIAL OF THE BRAVE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2282, 29 April 1886, Page 2

A MEMORIAL OF THE BRAVE.

.. (Press Association,) Haweea, April 27. Yesterday the ceremony was performed of unveilinp a monument erected at Manaia'to the memory of the officers and men who fell during the last war,on the West Coast. It had been'arranged that the Hon. Mr Ballance should porform the qeremony, but he was unfortunately detained on the East Coast, The ceremony was performed by Lieutenant-Colonel Roberts (New Zealand Constabulary), who, as Captain Roberts, led the forces out ot Te Ngutu after the disaster there, when ■ Von Tompsky fell. Colonel Roberts, in speaking, said that as one of the surviving officers of all the engagements described on tlw monument, ho should bo neglecting tho duty which lay upon him to show honor to his dead comrades, if he did not say a few words expressive of bis admiration of the devoted conduct of the brave men whose names were there recorded. When he looked at the sad long list, his memory rushed back to within a few months of 18 years ago at Te Ngutu-o-te-Manu. 1 hero fell the gal'ant Major Von. Tempsky, whose name' appeared first on the roll; and no wonder that it did so appear, <W he was first in all dangers, and last to leave them, and never asked a man to do what by example he was not' prepared to do himself. They did well to honour such men. If ho had a fault as a soldier, it was the characteristic ono of always being in advance. ' Tho next one oil the list was Hunter, whose bravery and courage whs alw*ys conspicuous, and who fell mortally wounded early in tho fight, while showing his love and devotion to hii country. His last words Colonel Roberts remembered well, j " Follow me closely," Captain Ross was next on the list.. He lost his life in defending a post which lie was commanding. Unfortunately for him and the and the handfuil of men who were with him, he was taken at such disadvantage that he was unable to make use of the soldierly qualities that he possessed. Captain Brown fell in the trenches before Ngatapa while nobly setting his men an example of scorning danger when duty demanded exposure, Tho next name was Captain Buck, a man of undoubted courage and cool, Bound judgmont. Colonel Roberts remembered well his | firm, unflinching courage at Te Ngutu-o- ---[ te-Manu s Having,lost their leaders, they held a brief counsel together as to what should be done, and Colonel Roberts directed Captain Buck to hold a certain position and await his return from, the search for Von Tompsky, He carried out the orders only too faithfully. Colonel Roberts returned to find him there at the assigned post, but dead, with his face to the foe. ,Captain Palmer and Lieutenant Hastings were next on the list, men- who met their death while nobly doing their duty; and then Lieutenant Hunter,, who was the life of the camp, with his sparklinst wit and jovial laugh, and whose bright humour was not absent in time of uanger. Only a few minutes before lie foil he laughingly said-" There is one of them ; I can see the wliito of his eye; give it to him." Mere simple words, but they were the words of a brave sustaining spirit-words to inspire men with courage in time of difficulty, and lighten the sense of danger. Colonel Roberts said he would fain run over the list of non-commissioned officers and men, and of their allies, the friendly Natives, the majority of whom he knew, and whose couraee and devotion he was an eye witness to, but time would not permit. They were too apt to forgot what they owed to the bravo men whose memory they"'were there to honor, and surrounding oiroumstance under which they sacrificed their lives. All tho pomps of war. were wanting, but none of its hardships and dangers. There were no brilliant uniforms, no flying bannen .to oheer the weary as they filed their way thronph tanked, gloomy, trackless forest, nor blast of trumpet nor beat of drum to rouse them to the charpe; yet nobly all did their duty; and tho last moments of some, .perhaps of the majority, wore not eased by a comrade's kindly touch, nor soothed by sympathetic looks nor hopeful words, but were often agonised by the fiendish yells of the savage, mutilating foe. He need say no more, and trusted that the monument would be kept in good preservation, that the names thereon written might be cherished with pride by generations to come, He concluded by expressing his great regret that Captain Hempton, to whom much credit was due for the erection of. the monument, was not _ there. (Applause.) Some other survivorj were also present, but most were too'eutili juflfecfee'd to-sp'eak at any lenjtfih,' '' • ">