The Crimean war veteran

The Crimean war was complicated - part territory, part religious war between the Russian Tzar and Napoleon.
It was one of the first conflicts that used modern warfare - like explosive shells, and modern communication like telegraph.
It was also one of the first to be written about extensively with the information available for all to read.
It was a turning point for the Russian Empire - beginning what would be doubts about its strength and influence until many years later it slid into revolution.
We have many veterans buried around New Zealand - and there are even some from the Crimean War - fought between 1853 and 1856.
One was George Reid. He was born to John and Sarah in Dover, Kent, England.
He went to sea young, serving on a man of war ship as a powder boy in the Crimean War. Powder boys, or powder monkeys, ferried gunpowder from the powder magazine in the ship's hold to the artillery pieces, either in bulk or as cartridges, to minimise the risk of fires and explosions.
In 1869 he left service and came to New Zealand where he ended up living in Meeanee and Taradale, where he met and married his wife Brigid Doyle.
In the early days he was caretaker of the Napier Park racecourse. After this he worked in the employ of the Hawke’s Bay County Council for over 30 years.
During this period he spent much of his time on county work in the backblocks. Living away from home so much with a good deal of hardship he was nevertheless in part responsible for some of the development which took place in the back country roads.
A private man, he took a keen interest in different branches of sport, he was highly respected by the many people with whom he came in contact.
He died on May 12, 1934 at his home in Meeanee aged 92 and is buried in Taradale Cemetery.​