Thomas McDonnell ( – 8 November 1899) was a 19th-century
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
public servant, military leader and writer.
Biography
Childhood and early life
McDonnell was born to
Thomas McDonnell Sr., an early British merchant and speculator who served a brief term as
Additional British Resident, and his wife Anna McDonnell (née Patterson). He was born between 1831 and 1833
and raised first in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, then
Horeke
Horeke ( mi, Hōreke) is a settlement in the upper reaches of the Hokianga Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. Kohukohu is just across the harbour. The Horeke basalts are located near the town, and can be viewed on an easy stroll through the Wair ...
,
Northland. There he learned to speak
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
and how to use the traditional
taiaha
A taiaha () is a traditional weapon of the Māori of New Zealand; a close-quarters staff weapon made from either wood or whalebone, and used for short, sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts with efficient footwork on the part of the wielder.
Taiaha a ...
weapon. He tried his luck on the
Victorian goldfields
The Goldfields region of Victoria is a region commonly used but typically defined in both historical geography and tourism geography (in particular heritage tourism). The region is also known as the Victorian Golden Triangle.
Description
I ...
from 1853 to 1855, then returned to New Zealand where he obtained a post in the Native Land Purchase Department under
Alfred Domett
Alfred Domett (20 May 18112 November 1887) was the fourth premier of New Zealand, a close friend of the poet Robert Browning and author of the epic poem ''Ranolf and Amohia, a South Sea Day Dream''. Born in England, he emigrated to New Zealand ...
in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
. After being paid eight months late, McDonnell resigned from that job and went
sheepfarming in the
Hawkes Bay
Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...
with his brother William, only to be defrauded by a third party. He returned to Auckland in 1862 and was appointed interpreter to the resident magistrate at
Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
, panning for gold on the side.
New Zealand Wars
Through Alfred Domett, McDonnell obtained a commission in the Colonial Defence Force as a sub-inspector in 1863.
During this time McDonnell served in the
Invasion of the Waikato
The Invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...
, seeing action at the battles of Rangiaowhia and Hairini. He was promoted to captain in 1864.
Tītokowaru's War
Following the end of the conflict in the Waikato, McDonnell took command of the colonial forces at Patea in 1866. McDonnell led a short and ruthless campaign against a number of Taranaki Māori villages, torching and destroying as he and his men went.
Retirement from military
On 9 April 1870, McDonnell married Henrietta Elise Lomax, in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
. Together they had four children. He acquired £690 in government grants and £1,400 worth of freehold property at
Wanganui
Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...
, and set up as a Native Land Court interpreter and land agent at Wanganui in 1884. He received the
New Zealand Cross on 31 March 1886, and published fragmented memoirs, as well as a fanciful Māori history of the wars.
Death
McDonnell died on 8 November 1899.
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonnell, Thomas
1830s births
1899 deaths
New Zealand military personnel
British colonial army officers
Military leaders of the New Zealand Wars
New Zealand farmers
Interpreters
Recipients of the New Zealand Cross (1869)
19th-century translators