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Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
At midday on 29 August 1920 Sir Frederick Lang, Speaker of the House, unveiled two wooden memorial tablets in Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Picton Street, Howick. These were inscribed with the words: “Erected in memory / of the / imperial soldiers / who fought in the Maori War / and are interred in the / Howick cemetery.” Altogether, the tablets listed the names of 59 men.
Later in the afternoon Bishop Dr H.W. Cleary unveiled two similar tablets in St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Panmure. These were inscribed with the names of a further 66 veterans who had been buried in the Panmure cemetery.
The majority of the men listed were former imperial soldiers who arrived in New Zealand between 1847 and 1852 as members of Royal New Zealand Fencibles. They were settled on the outskirts of Auckland to provide a defence against potential Māori attack. Newspaper reports published at the time of the tablets’ unveiling described these men as ‘Maori War veterans’ [sic], and the inscription quoted above suggests that they took an active part in hostilities. In fact, apart from regular musters and the occasional call-out, few if any of the Fencibles undertook service in the field within New Zealand.
Some years ago, the original tablets from Our Lady Star of the Sea were transferred to Howick Historical Village, where they are now on display in the old Howick Methodist church building. Replica tablets have recently been placed in Our Lady Star of the Sea.
Some years ago the two wooden tablets in St Patrick’s were replaced by a single brass plaque, perhaps when the original St Patrick’s was demolished in 1958. The plaque is on display in the new church’s foyer.
Sources
- ‘[Note re memorial to deceased Maori War veterans]’, NZ Herald, 28/8/1920, p. 9, col. 1
- ‘Memorial Unveiled: Tablets to Maori War Veterans’, Auckland Star, 30/8/1920, p. 2
- ‘Maori War Veterans: Tablets to their Memory’, NZ Herald, 30/8/1920,p. 6
- Mike and Helen Hammond, Footsteps of the Faith: Our Lady Star of the Sea 1847-2010, Howick, 2010, p. 203.
Bruce Ringer, Auckland Libraries, 2014
The majority of the men listed on these roll of honour boards were former imperial soldiers who arrived in New Zealand between 1847 and 1852 as members of Royal New Zealand Fencibles.
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