In a locked glass cabinet, in the Military Hall on the top floor of the Auckland Museum, are displayed the medals and emblems which commemorate the exploits of`a courageous man; The Victoria Cross … the highest decoration awarded for valour while on active service” – and The New Zealand War Medal.
The citation reads: “Edward McKenna, Colour Sergeant (later Ensign) 65th Regiment. For gallant conduct at the engagement near Camerontown, New Zealand, on September 7 1863, after both his officers had been shot in charging through the position of an enemy heavily outnumbering him, and drawing off his small force (37 men).
Through the broken and rugged country, with the loss of one man killed and another missing. the detachment found a commander whose coolness, intrepidity and judgement justified the confidence placed in him by the soldiers so suddenly brought under his command.
When Edward McKenna enlisted as Private N0. 2194 in the 65th (2nd Yorkshire North Riding) Regiment, “The Royal Tigers”, on the 12th of January 1845, he could have had no notion that he was to become immortalized in a land as far away from Ireland as it is practically possible to go – New Zealand.
During the 1860s many men of the 65th were re-routed from duties guarding convicts bound for Australia, and posted to this pristine developing country the size of Britain, to help maintain law and order. At that point in history New Zealand was little more than a collection of raw, often hostile settlements where artful, fortune-hunting adventurers from many corners of the earth, contested with the indigenous Maori people for power and influence.
A century and a half later New Zealand is a modern, western, multi-cultural democracy separated from much of the rest of the world by its geographic location, yet aggressively competing in the global arena. Situated in the sub-tropical latitudes of the southern Pacific Ocean, nearly 2000 kilometers east of Australia, New Zealand, (the first country in the world to greet each new day), is famous for its clean air, its green land, its snow-capped peaks, and the friendliness and dependability of its 3.5 million people.
Despite the differences of opinion amongst the country’s early builders, and not immune from some of the afflictions of today’s modern world, much of the nation’s original individuality and 19th century innocence remains intact. In the northern city of Auckland live nearly 1 million people who enjoy a relaxed and open air lifestyle, with sports – especially sailing – high on their list of activities.
Thirty-two McKennas are listed in the 1991 phone book for this city. South of Auckland is the large rural town of Pukekohe with a high hill to the south dominating the landscape. On the southern side of this hill the people living in the tranquil farming district of Camerontown have little recall of the turbulence of the times in 1863 when Edward McKenna won the Victoria Cross.
On September 1 1865, Edward McKenna retired from the army and latterly became the station master at Wanganui (New Zealand), celebrating his golden wedding in 1903. He died in 1908, with his honour and renown etched into New World history.