William Hulme (British Army officer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William Hulme
Born(1788-05-10)10 May 1788
Halifax, Nova Scotia[1]
Died21 August 1855(1855-08-21) (aged 67)
Auckland, New Zealand[2]
Buried
Symonds Street Cemetery, Auckland[3]
Allegiance United Kingdom
BranchUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland British Army
Years of service1803–1849
RankLieutenant Colonel
UnitNova Scotia Fencibles, 1803–[4][5]

1st Regiment (Royal Scots), 1805–

7th Royal Fusiliers, 1822–

96th Regiment, 1824–49[6]
Commands heldNew Zealand, 1844–45
CampaignsPindaree War

Flagstaff War

Hutt Valley
Other workMember, General Legislative Council of New Zealand, 1849[9]
Justice of the Peace for the Province of New Ulster, 1849–[9]
Postmaster, Province of Auckland, 1854–55[10]
Manager, Colonial Bank of Issue, Auckland

Lieutenant colonel William Hulme (10 May 1788 – 21 August 1855)[11] was an officer of the 96th Regiment of Foot, British Army.

Early years[]

William Browne Hulme was born at Halifax, Nova Scotia on 10 May 1788.[1] He was educated at King's College, Windsor, Halifax, Nova Scotia.[4]

Career[]

Upon leaving college,[4] Hulme received a commission as ensign in the newly raised Nova Scotia Fencibles on 23 September 1803.[1]

West Indies[]

The first and second battalions of the 1st Regiment (Royal Scots) had been stationed in the West Indies since 1803. Hulme joined the regiment with the rank of lieutenant on 26 June 1805,[1] but his service in North America soon came to an end on 17 December 1805. A substantially reduced second battalion returned to England in January 1806 to news of the revolt of two Sepoy battalions employed by the East India Company at Vellore and of other troubles. The battalion was immediately ordered to India, reinforced to 1000 men with volunteers from the third and fourth battalions stationed at Bexhill.[12]: 174–175 

New Zealand[]

Flagstaff War[]

William Hulme's military career was most notable for his part in the Flagstaff War, also known as the First Anglo-Māori War, which took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1846. As Brevet Lieutenant Colonel[13] he commanded the colonial forces at the attack on Heke's pā at Puketutu (sometimes called Te Mawhe Pā) on the shores of Lake Ōmāpere.[14] In May 1845 Heke's pā was attacked by troops from the 58th, 96th and 99th Regiments with marines and a Congreve rocket unit.[15]

The colonial forces arrived at Heke's pā at Puketutu on 7 May 1845. Lieutenant Colonel Hulme and his second in command Major Cyprian Bridge made an inspection of Heke's pā and found it to be quite formidable.[16] Lacking any better plan they decided on a frontal assault the following day. Te Ruki Kawiti and his warriors attacked the colonial forces as they approached the pā, with Heke and his warriors firing from behind the defences of the pā. There followed a savage and confused battle. Eventually the discipline and cohesiveness of the British troops began to prevail and the Māori were driven back inside the pā. But they were by no means beaten, far from it, as without artillery the British had no way to overcome the defences of the pā. Hulme decided to disengage and retreat back to the Bay of Islands.[17] Hulme returned to Auckland, and from the arrival of additional troops in June 1845, was superseded in command of the forces in New Zealand by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Despard, 99th Regiment,[18] a soldier who did very little to inspire any confidence in his troops.[15]

Later life[]

In 1846 he purchased a house in Parnell, Auckland, which became and is still known as Hulme Court. While not open to the public, this is on the New Zealand Historic Places register and is one of the oldest documented houses in Auckland still standing.[19]

Hulme was later appointed by Governor Grey as the first Postmaster for the Province of Auckland from 1 January 1854.[20] He died on 21 August 1855 in his 68th year. He was buried in Symonds Street Cemetery.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d WO 25/804/4: Folio 6. Statement of Services of Bt Major Wm Hulme of the 96th Regiment of Infantry with a Record of such Particulars as may be useful in case of his Death, The National Archives
  2. ^ "Died". The Southern Cross. Vol. 12, no. 851. 24 August 1855. p. 2.
  3. ^ "LTC William Hulme". Find a Grave. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Eaton, Arthur Wentworth Hamilton (1891). The Church of England in Nova Scotia and the Tory Clergy of the Revolution. New York: Thomas Whitaker. p. 209.
  5. ^ War Office (1805). A List of All the Officers of the Army and Royal Marines on Full and Half-pay with an Index: and a Succession of Colonels. War Office. p. 362.
  6. ^ a b c Groves, Percy (1903). Historical Records of the 7th or Royal Regiment of Fusiliers: Now Known as the Royal Fusiliers (the City of London Regiment), 1685-1903. Guernsey: Frederick B. Guerin. p. 359.
  7. ^ "Original Correspondence: To the Editor of the Auckland Times. Narrative of Proceedings Leading to the Capture of Pomare". Auckland Times. Vol. 3, no. 124. 24 May 1845. p. 3.
  8. ^ a b Collinson, Thomas Bernard (1853). "2. Remarks on the Military Operations in New Zealand" (PDF). Papers on Subjects Connected with the Duties of the Corp of Royal Engineers. London: John Weale. New Series 3: 5–69.
  9. ^ a b "Government Gazette: Legislative, Council Chamber". The New-Zealander. Vol. 5, no. 333. 26 July 1849. p. 4.
  10. ^ "The Southern Cross". The Southern Cross. Vol. 11, no. 705. 31 March 1854. p. 2.
  11. ^ McKenzie, Joan (11 April 2011). "Burrows House, Parnell". New Zealand Historic Places Trust. p. 3. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
  12. ^ Cannon, Richard (1847). Historical Record of the First Regiment of Foot: Containing an Account of the Origin of the Regiment in the Reign of King James VI. of Scotland, and of its Subsequent Services to 1846. London: Parker, Furnivall & Parker.
  13. ^ Hart, Henry George (1846). The New Annual Army List for 1846. Vol. 7. London: John Murray. p. 249.
  14. ^ "Puketutu and Te Ahuahu – Northern War". Ministry for Culture and Heritage – NZ History online. 3 April 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  15. ^ a b Raugh, Harold E. (2004). The Victorians at war, 1815-1914: an encyclopedia of British military history. ABC-CLIO. pp. 225–226. ISBN 9781576079256.
  16. ^ Reeves, William Pember (1895). "F. E. Maning "Heke's War … told by an Old Chief"". The New Zealand Reader. Wellington: Samuel Costall. pp. 173–179.
  17. ^ Cowan, James (1922). "Chapter 6: The Fighting at Omapere". The New Zealand Wars: a history of the Maori campaigns and the pioneering period, Volume I: 1845–1864. Wellington: R.E. Owen.
  18. ^ "Local Intelligence". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. 4, no. 170. 7 June 1845. p. 54.
  19. ^ "Hulme Court". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  20. ^ "The Southern Cross". The Southern Cross. Vol. 11, no. 705. 31 March 1854. p. 2.
Retrieved from ""