Jerrems Journal:

March 2016 Edition 132
I mentioned last month that we have been using Constant Contact (a commercial service) for 130 editions. In the past I used the previous month’s template, modify and add new content.
Now I am using a new format for traditional emails on a mobile device as well as a computer screen. I am getting used to the format and template; it is slightly easier to use, however, I can only use five images per edition.
Recently I learned that over half of the email sent are read on a smart phone, so this with this issue we will accommodate our mobile device users.
Let me know how it reads on your end.
Enjoy Ray’s article about Jabez (a Biblical male-given name from the Chronicles 1 in the Old Testament).
Donald Jerrems
Publisher Jerrems Journal since 1954 (boyhood editions back then)

JABEZ WILLIAM SMALL – ARTICLE
By Ray Jerrems, Our Genealogist, Historian, and Adventurer

Introduction

This article is about Jabez William Small, who was a grandson of Big Bill, being a son of Elizabeth Small (nee Jerrems) and William Small.

In earlier articles I described the life of Elizabeth and William while they lived in Boston in Lincolnshire in England and later migrated to Melbourne in 1850.

Later I wrote two articles about his older brother Thomas Stephen Small, who became a Lieutenant Colonel in the Richmond Volunteer Rifles. Now it is time to talk about the youngest child, Jabez William Small.

Jabez was ten when he arrived in Australia with his parents and older siblings Elizabeth and Thomas Stephen.

The family moves to Melbourne

Jabez’s father, William, was a surgeon, and the family lived in the centre of Boston near Boston’s St Botolphs Church (see Jerrems Journal June 2014). It would be reasonable to assume that the family was comfortably off in Boston and that Jabez and his brother attended the Grammar School attached to the Church.

As mentioned in an earlier article, it is rather a puzzle as to why the family moved to Australia. William was fifty at the time of the move, scarcely an age for seeking adventure in a new country.

Another puzzling aspect is the social and financial standing of William and Elizabeth when they settled in Melbourne. Although William is listed as a surgeon, Thomas would become a surveyor and Jabez a carpenter. Also, when William died in 1860 he lived in the fairly modest suburb of Richmond, where his brother-in-law Thomas (my great great grandfather) and his family also lived.

Jabez’s later childhood

Based on the information that Jabez was later a carpenter, it could be assumed that he attended school in Melbourne (possibly in Richmond) until 1854, where at the age of fourteen he would have begun his apprenticeship.

The next sighting of Jabez

The next sighting of Jabez is in September 1863, where at the age of 23 he volunteered to join what was to become known as the First Wakaito Militia Regiment and was later awarded a service medal. This regiment, the first of four, served in New Zealand in what was later dubbed “The Maori Wars” (subsequently re-named the more politically correct “New Zealand Wars”).

To understand the militia’s role (and Jabez’s role) in New Zealand it is necessary to take a brief look at New Zealand’s prior history.

New Zealand’s prior history

New Zealand was not settled by the British until the 19th Century, beginning with the South Island. The South Island was colonised easily because it had extensive grasslands suitable for grazing and agriculture and few native inhabitants to raise objections. On the other hand much of the North Island had rough terrain, thick forests and numerous tribes of Maoris who specialised in raising vigorous objections.

The Maoris had lived in New Zealand since the 13th Century and had frequently waged war against each other, developing a “warrior” culture and using defensive earthwork structures, each called a “pa”.

In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi effectively made New Zealand a British Colony whilst reserving some rights to the Maoris.

An uprising was suppressed by the British in 1845, and New Plymouth on the west coast was blockaded in 1860. More than 230 people had been killed or wounded and another 120 had died of disease. A truce in March 1861 ended the military conflict but did not resolve the underlying issue that the British were intent on taking over as much land as they could, supported by new legislation.

Second Taranaki War

Fresh fighting erupted in mid 1863 in what became known as the Second Taranaki War, named after the Taranaki area in the west of the North Island. There the British eventually had 12,000 imperial troops as well as 4000 colonial soldiers.

These troops successfully took over much of the Waikoto area, building roads and defensive fortifications known as redoubts as they advanced. However there were two decisive actions in this phase of the New Zealand Wars. In late April 1864, at Pukehinahina or the Gate Pa, 250 Maoris inflicted a heavy defeat on a much larger British force of 1700 soldiers and sailors.

It does not appear that the volunteers (including Jabez) were involved in any direct way in this action.
Gate Pa

Historically a pa was an earthen defensive structure strategically placed on the top of a hill, ridge, or headland, and was protected by high embankments and deep ditches. Defending warriors lined up on top of the embankments could despatch attackers attempting to climb out of the ditches towards them.

However this method of construction was ineffective against British firearms and artillery. So Gate Pa had been cleverly constructed by the Maoris with (for the first time) the addition of timber palisades (or fences), connecting trenches and dugouts designed to minimise the effects of the modern weapons. The palisades and the remains of the dugouts and connecting trenches can be seen in the drawing.

The defeat at Gate Pa embarrassed the British military and its leadership. Two months later some face was saved at Te Ranga when a Maori force of 500 men was heavily defeated after being caught in the open while trying to complete their fortifications.

In July 1864 the Maoris pledged peace and surrendered some of their weapons, effectively ending the War because the authorities in England refused to continue the expensive military campaign and the troops were gradually withdrawn.

The role of the colonial troops

I have seen references to the colonial troops being deployed into transport units, meaning that they were used to supply the British regular troops. This obviously freed up the Regulars.

This would have been strenuous work, involving loading and unloading supply carts and wagons, plus looking after the horses etc. It is also possible that they helped with road construction and maintenance and the building of defensive fortifications called redoubts.

The high rainfall and incidence of heavy vegetation and difficult terrain would have made this work even more strenuous.

The rolls of the colonial troops show that the men enlisted in August 1863 through to March 1864, indicating that the men who enlisted early (including Jabez who enlisted on 1st September 1863) would have served in Waikato from late 1863 until mid 1864.
The source of the colonial troops

The bulk of the troops came from Victoria, supplemented by volunteers from New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania.

On the day that Jabez enlisted (a Tuesday) 12 other Victorian men with a surname starting with “S” enlisted, out of about 160 men. It is possible that these men belonged to Volunteer Rifle Units in Melbourne, including the Richmond Unit which we know was later commanded by Jabez’s brother Thomas. It is very likely that Jabez was also a member of that unit.

The men came from diverse backgrounds ranging from labourers, tradesmen (including Jabez, who was listed as a carpenter) and office workers through to lawyers, chemists, architects, engineers and accountants.

Why did they volunteer?

Most of the volunteers came from urban areas and with no particular skills relevant to assisting the British regulars. However Jabez and some of the other tradesman would have been the exception due to their skills and fitness. For instance a carpenter like Jabez would have been very useful.

The presence of the professional men could indicate that the main motive for enlisting was patriotic, to help “the olde country”, similar to the motivation of many of the men who volunteered for the First World War, with a further ingredient of adventure, ignoring the fact that the pay would have been poor.

However, if the volunteers expected their service in New Zealand to be a lark in the park or a free holiday they would have been sadly disillusioned. The strenuous nature of the work and the demonstration of the Maori fighting qualities at Gate Pa would have shed a far different complexion on proceedings.

Jabez receives the New Zealand Medal
The New Zealand Medal is what is now called a service medal. It was instituted in 1869. While it is British, the medal can be described as New Zealand’s first local campaign medal and was awarded for service in the New Zealand Wars of 1845-47 and 1860-66 by members of the British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Marines, and to colonial volunteers.
The Tauranga Gate PA monument pictured above memorializes those who perished in the 1864 battle.
Mount Egmont/Taranaki

Mount Taranaki (formerly known as Mount Egmont) is the highest mountain in the area at 2,518 metres (8,261 feet) and is visible from a long distance. On one side there is a small ski field with difficult access, and for the average person the mountain would be considered quite a challenge to climb. It takes a person with good fitness level a day to make the up-and-back climb.

As of 30 October 2013, 82 people have died on the mountain since records began in 1891, many having been caught by a sudden change in the weather. In terms of fatalities this mountain is the second most dangerous mountain in New Zealand after Mount Cook on the South Island.

Jabez could probably have seen the mountain during his tour of duty. Perhaps he admired its beauty but one might doubt that its beauty would have inspired him to stay in New Zealand any longer than was absolutely necessary.

Conclusion

In a later article I will describe Jabez’s later life, including his marriage and his adventurous business pursuits in Melbourne and Sydney.