Medals and awards

UNVEILING A MEMORIAL.

CEREMONY AT INVERLEIGH.

A memorable chapter in the annals of the pretty little orchard township of Inverleigh was made yesterday, when the whole of the local residents, young and old, besides a large number of visitors from far and near, assembled to do honour to the memory of the young townsman, Sergeant-Major HOUGHTON, who forfeited his life on the African veldt in fighting for the Empire. There must have been fully 1000 people present, in addition to about 200 riflemen, and the ceremony of unveiling the monument erected on the bank of the Leigh River, close to the bridge at the entrance to the town, was one that will he remembered for years by all who witnessed it. The ceremony was not only unique in the history of the district, but it was particularly striking through being the first public memorial erected to a fallen soldier throughout the district, and on this ground alone the people of Inverleigh, who subscribed the funds for the monument, have attained a distinction. The initiators of the movement may well feel satisfied at their efforts being crowned with such success, in the whole of the arrangements being conducted without a hitch. A field-firing parade amongst the members of the various district rifle clubs, conducted by Colonel Templeton, O.C. Rifle Clubs, assisted by Captains Bennett (Geelong), Miles (Bannockburn), and Maxwell (Inverleigh), was held in the valley of Native Creek. Here the riflemen were put through a number of evolutions and fired volleys at dummy objects in the distance. The spot was admirably suited for the manoeuvres, the crowd on the hill side above the valley being enabled to witness the riflemen advancing, halting and throwing themselves flat upon the ground, and pouring lead into the opposite hillside. On the conclusion of the firing a procession, consisting of riflemen on foot and others mounted, was formed on the brow of the hill on the road leading to the town, and led by the Geelong Rifle Club band, which was preceded by four soldiers, each of whom carried an offering of flowers to lay on the memorial stone of their dead comrade in arms. The riflemen were formed in a square two deep round the obelisk, and the mother, brothers and sisters of the deceased soldier, stood in a group close by. The crowd was kept outside the fence, and thronged the roadway and bridge. The solemn ceremony of the unveiling was entrusted to Colonel Templeton, and the Rev. Mr Maxwell opened the proceedings with prayer. When the draping had been taken from the stone, Colonel Templeton stood by the drum shrouded by the Union Jack, and addressed the people. He said: – Ladies and Gentlemen, — To our forefathers, who worked and fought, who braved the dangers of the mighty deep, and suffered and died for liberty, not only for their own children but for all the children of men, we owe it that we are a free people, and are part and parcel of the greatest Empire the world has ever seen. In Great Britain there were Cathedrals on which could be read the deeds of heroes, and monuments to remind children of how the principles of freedom had been won for them. They had not the privilege of the mother land in this respect, in seeing continually before them evidences of the deeds that won the Empire. Three years ago no one dreamed that any of their people would be in the forefront of battle. Only two men were sent away from this district, and one of them had been taken. In God's Providence they had to mourn in sorrow. There were some things which were worth a great deal more than life, and one of these was the act of Sergeant-Major HOUGHTON in laying down his life to defend the Empire. Others who went and came back again had done their duty. Their brother had cheerfully met danger. At the very time he gave up his life he was as merry as at any time during life. While tendering sympathy and condolences to the mother and family, he thought they should be proud to have had such a son and brother. In future generations the children of the district would come to look at the monument and talk with pride of the comrade in whose honour it was erected. In concluding, he complimented the riflemen for turning out so well, and thought that the spirit which went abroad for the defence of the Empire, which animated the soul of their brother, Sergeant-Major HOUGHTON, would animate the souls of all who lived there. As the remarks fell slowly from the lips of Colonel Templeton, a number of the ladies were moved to tears, and a rifleman was so overcome that he fainted. The band played the Dead March with solemn effect, and the ceremony was ended. Several floral tributes and wreaths, one of which was from the Bannockburn rifle club, besides others from private friends, were laid at the base of the obelisk. The inscription on the stone read as follows: – "Erected by the inhabitants in memory of Sergeant-Major Albert Houghton, Victorian 5th Contingent. Killed in action at Utrecht, South Africa, 10th October, 1901" – "He did his duty as a soldier and a man".

WINCHELSEA.