History_of_War_43_2017

CHARLES HEAPHY
their introduction by European traders, many
warriors increasingly carried bladed weapons
such as axes or swords, the former usually
having been made to fell trees rather than for
use in combat. However, by the time Heaphy
would face Maori warriors in battle, many had
acquired flintlock muskets or even deadly
double-barrelled percussion shotguns.
From as early as 1845, there had been
a number of periods of hostility between
the British settlers in New Zealand and the
indigenous Maori. However, it was the British
invasion of Waikato that would prove to be the
most drawn out and significant event. It would
also be the campaign in which Heaphy earned
his Victoria Cross.
This conflict was principally fought over the
ownership of land, and in particular territory in
the Waikato region. Sir George Grey, who had
been appointed Governor of New Zealand for
the second time in 1861, had commanded
much respect from many Maori iwi. However,
he encountered resistance from the Kingitanga
Movement (also known as the King Movement)
in Waikato. The Kingitanga were opposed to
the building of a road towards their lands.
In response to roving Waikato warriors, who
caused the authorities much trouble, Grey
authorised an expedition against the Maoris by
issuing a virtual declaration of war, accusing
them of being a threat to peaceful Europeans
and disloyal to the queen.
Command of the British expedition fell to
General Sir Duncan Cameron, who led his
force across the Mangatawhiri River on 12
July 1863, which signalled the beginning
of the Waikato campaign. Five days later,
Cameron successfully stormed Koheroa and,
on 20 November, fought an action at Rangiriri.
Heaphy – who had been commissioned into
the Auckland Militia as a lieutenant in 1863
and had rapidly risen to the rank of captain –
witnessed the action develop and would later
draw a sketch of what he saw. The outer works
of the Maori position were quickly overrun by
Cameron’s troops, but following a high number
of casualties sustained after three attempts
to penetrate the main position, the general
ordered a halt to the attack. Nevertheless, the
Maoris surrendered their position the next day.
The Waikato Maoris now withdrew to other
fortified positions while Cameron pushed his
forces on, facing little opposition as he went.
However, the Maoris would make a number of
hit-and-run style attacks on small or isolated
groups of British troops. One such skirmish
took place on 11 February 1864, when an
attack was mounted on a detachment of the
40 th Regiment of Foot on the Mangapiko River.
The British soldiers were bathing in the river
when some 100 Maoris ambushed them.
Heaphy witnessed the ambush, and in his
capacity as commander of a detachment
from the 50 th Regiment of Foot, rushed to the
assistance of the men of the 40 th . Despite
being outnumbered, the captain was able to
drive off the attacking Maoris, who made off
into the bush. However, as the British pursued
their withdrawing enemy a soldier of the 40 th
Foot was wounded and fell into a hollow. Seeing
the wounded man go down, Heaphy and three
of his men rushed to his aid, but as they did so
they came under heavy fire. The captain soon
found himself wounded in three places, with a
further five musket balls cutting holes through
his clothing and cap. Of the three soldiers who
accompanied Heaphy, one was also wounded
while another was killed.
Despite his wounds, Heaphy, assisted by
the only remaining unhurt soldier, kept up a
continuous fire in a desperate attempt to fend
off the Maori warriors now surrounding them.
This the two men continued to do until finally
relieved by other British soldiers who had
fought their way through to the captain’s side.
Unfortunately for Heaphy, the two wounded
soldiers who he fought so hard to save both
subsequently died of their wounds. Total British
casualties for the day amounted to six killed
and seven wounded, while Maori losses stood
at 35 killed and 30 wounded.
Eventually the fighting died down, but
Heaphy refused to leave the field until the
skirmish was over. For his exertions, the
captain was promoted to major and mentioned
in dispatches, and also subsequently
recommended for the Victoria Cross. The actual
recommendation was made by Major-General
Thomas Galloway, who commanded all colonial
forces in Auckland. This recommendation
was further backed by Grey himself, but
because Heaphy was a militia officer the
recommendation was turned down. The reason
for this was due to the fact that only members
of the British Army or Royal Navy were eligible
for the medal at the time.
Nevertheless, Heaphy himself protested
the fact that members of the colonial militias
could not receive the award. With continued
support from Cameron and Grey, the now
retired major was finally able to persuade the
British government that colonial troops should
be made eligible for the Victoria Cross. Thus, in
early 1867, the rules were changed and Heaphy
was awarded his VC, the citation for which was
printed in the London Gazette on 8 February
of the same year. Heaphy was to become the
first colonial soldier to receive the award, being
presented with the medal in Auckland.
Military life for Heaphy had ended when the
Waikato campaign came to its conclusion in
April 1864, following the three-day Battle of
Orakau. The British expedition had defeated the
Kingitanga Movement and much of their land
was subsequently seized by the New Zealand
government. The former major now returned to
his civilian life and work.
In 1866, Heaphy would be given the position
of provincial surveyor and deputy waste lands
commissioner. The following year, however, he
would become a member of the New Zealand
house of representatives until 1869, when
he was appointed commissioner of native
reserves. Further appointments within the
New Zealand civil service would follow, but he
would ultimately be forced to retire due to ill
health – including the effects of his wounds – in
June 1881. Sadly, he would not get to enjoy his
retirement for long, as he would die in Brisbane,
Australia on 3 August the same year.
Heaphy is buried at the Toowong cemetery
in Brisbane, and his Victoria Cross is currently
held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum in
Auckland, New Zealand.
Heaphy’s sketch of the repulse of the Royal Navy
storming party at Rangiriri Pa, 20 November 1863
Period map of
Waikato from 1866
Images: Alamy
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