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Two exceedingly important photographs showing men of the 1st…
Sale Title:
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Auckland
Date:
9-May-2011
Lot No.
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Description:
Two exceedingly important photographs showing men of the 1st Contingent to the Boer War, including Callaway, the first Maori to ever serve overseas, the first image shows four men of the 1st New Zealand Contingent who were also coromandel rifle Volunteers members, they are named verso and were all noted soldiers of the Boer War. 1st subject - Leonard M. Tarrant, a miner, a private in the 1st Contingent to the Boer War. He was taken prisoner by the Boers at Koornspruit on 31 March 1900 and died of enteric fever 15 April 1900. 2nd subject - Charles Blenkhorn, a miner, a private in the 1st Contingent to the Boer War and later as a Lieutenant in the 6th Contingent. on 18 May 1901 Lt. Blenkhorn's horse was shot from under him and he was taken prisoner, but released after being stripped of his accoutrements. 3rd subject - Charles McLean, a miner with earlier service in the coromandel Rifles. He served as a private in the 1st Contingent to the Boer War. in 1905 he moved to Australia to work as a miner and in October 1936 he was murdered in his home by an offender who later committed suicide. 4th subject - John Walter Callaway, a miner, but living in Devonport when the Boer War broke out. in enlisting to serve overseas he became the first Maori to do so, and later in the war he was commissioned in the New Zealand forces. While en route to South Africa he composed the New Zealand er's war Cry 'Kia, Kaha, Nui Tireni. Whaiwhai Maiea Mo Ti Kuinui, to Kaianga. Ake! Ake! Ake!' He was a noted scout and was mentioned in despatches for his work in carrying despatches alone at night. He served with the 1st, 7th and 9th Contingents eventually attaining the rank of Lieutenant. in 1901 he was shot in the lungs and never fully recovered from his wound. As a result he was given a lifetime pension and settled in Devonport, where he died in 1926. His biography has recently been published (December 2010). a very rare important image taken of this man as he was about to embark on the service for which he became so known, the second photograph is a group photograph of the coromandel rifle Volunteers c. 1899 and showing all four solders from the smaller photograph as well as other members of the unit.
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Militaria & Weapons: Ephemera