William Hulme

Early years and family

William Browne Hulme was born at Halifax, Nova Scotia on 10 May 1788. He was educated at King's College, Windsor, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

His brother, John Lyon Hulme, was born at Manchester, Nova Scotia, on 23 September 1790. He went on to receive a commission in the Corps of Royal Engineers on 24 June 1809; serving in the Peninsular War in Portugal, particularly on the Lines of Torres Vedras, Spain and south-western France from 1810–1814, and the Netherlands campaign from 1815, commanding a division of the pontoon train. They followed the army through to Paris, France, after Waterloo, all under the Duke of Wellington. He also served in Malta and Ireland. John married Mary Hart at St David, Exeter, Devon, on 3 June 1829, and following her death in 1833, retired from service with rank of Brevet Major on 5 December 1835. His nephew, Charles Francis Hulme, Ensign, 40th Regiment of Foot, born at Norfolk Island, visited him at home in St Sidwells, Exeter, during the 1861 census.

Their father, also William Brown Hulme (1757–1841), having been transferred from the Drawing Room at the Tower of London was, at the time of their birth, an assistant engineer and draughtsman at Halifax, Nova Scotia. He went on to serve as Sheriff of Sydney County, Nova Scotia, from 12 June 1792; in the 7th Regiment of Foot from 11 October 1796; 6th Irish Brigade from 20 September 1799; 2nd Garrison Battalion with rank of lieutenant from 26 September 1805; and the Royal Staff Corps (RSC) from 1796, with rank of lieutenant from 3 October 1805 to the rank of captain from 31 May 1809. He'd also noted he was severely injured in Spain. The RSC, an army corps responsible for military engineering, were first in the field during the Peninsular War. In 1808, 45 RSC were with Major General Brent Spencer's corps on the south coast of Spain, and 50 more with Sir John Moore's corps. The RSC were based at Hythe, Kent, and following marriage to Alice Phillips (1786–1847) at Chelsfield Church, Kent, on 3 August 1811, his sons, William and John, gained two half-siblings—Edward, born at Hythe, Kent, on 18 May 1812, and Maria, born at Hythe, Kent, on 13 August 1813. He retired to half-pay shortly after, on 14 February 1814. Captain W. B. Hulme, late Assistant Quartermaster General, Jersey, died at Tamworth on 8 November 1841.

Half-brother, Edward Hulme, went on to be a surgeon. He left Britain for New Zealand in 1856.

Career

Upon leaving college, Hulme received a commission as ensign in the newly raised Nova Scotia Fencibles on 23 September 1803.

West Indies

The first and second battalions of the 1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot had been stationed in the West Indies since 1803. Hulme joined the regiment with the rank of lieutenant on 26 June 1805, but his service in North America soon came to an end on 17 December 1805. A substantially reduced second battalion returned to England in January 1806 to news of the revolt of two Sepoy battalions employed by the East India Company at Vellore and of other troubles. The battalion was immediately ordered to India, reinforced to 1000 men with volunteers from the third and fourth battalions stationed at Bexhill.

India

Hulme's service in the East Indies began on arrival at the Malay Peninsula on 11 September 1807. The Royal Scots battalion was held over at Prince of Wales Island until November, landed at Madras in December, moved out to Walajabad and Bangalore where they remained until 1808, then moved back to Fort St George, Madras. The battalion took to the field in 1809, then split for the year; the left wing to Hyderabad and the right wing to Machilipatnam, reuniting at Machilipatnam in 1811 in expectation of joining Sir Samuel Auchmuty's expedition against Dutch Java but were diverted to Tiruchirappalli instead, in July.

The regiment was restyled as the 1st Regiment of Foot (Royal Scots) on 11 February 1812. In July, four companies suppressed a mutiny of company troops at Kollam, and returned to Tiruchirappalli. They marched to Bangalore, where in April 1813 Lieutenant Colonel Neill M‘Kellar's right wing joined the force in Maratha country and remained in the field for a year. In April 1814, the left wing of 2nd Battalion marched for Ballari and the right briefly formed part of force in southern Maratha country. The two wings met up in Bellari in May, then moved on to Hyderabad and Achalpur where they were employed against Pindari marauders into 1817.

Pindari freebooting had reached a point where, in about August 1817, under the governorship of Francis Rawdon-Hastings, the largest armies in India to date were assembled to isolate and disband Pindari society wherever it could be found, as well as deal to hostile intentions of a rising Maratha Confederacy—the Grand Army commanded by Rawdon-Hastings and the Army of the Deccan commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Hislop. The Army of the Deccan was a distinct force consisting of seven divisions, not including irregular infantry or horse of Nizam, Pune or Nagpur, amounting to 54,465 rank and file, of which of the flank companies of the Royal Scots, some 171 rank & file, formed part of the First Division under Hislop.

Stationed at Jalna, Captain Hulme's two Royal Scots flank companies, with two regiments of native cavalry and four guns, marched out north-northeast on 11 October 1817, to join 1st division headquarters at Harda on 22 October. Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Fraser's Royal Scots companies marched out east-northeast on 15 October for Mehkar but were redirected to assist the British force under attack at Nagpur. Joining the 2nd division at Amravati on 7 November, they moved on to take part in the Battle of Sitabuldi, Nagpur. Meanwhile, Hulme and his flank companies, moving northwest, crossed the Narmada River in flat-bottomed boats with the 1st division on 30 November, arrived at Piplya on 8 December and marched on to encamp near Ujjain, some 28 miles (45 km) from Mahidpur. The 1st and 3rd divisions of the army encamped there on 12 December.

Home and abroad

Returned to England, Hulme married Jane Wills (1798–1872), daughter of John Wills, Proctor, Doctors' Commons, London, at St Mary's Church, Newington, Middlesex, on 22 April 1820. He returned briefly to India from 14 September 1820 to 16 May 1821, his battalion then stationed in Tiruchirappalli since January 1820. Their first child, Jane Mary Hulme, was born at Newington on 9 June 1822. In July that year, Major Hulme exchanged places with Captain Matthew Ford, to be Captain of the 7th Regiment, Royal Fusiliers.

Several years later, from 29 January 1824, Brevet Major Hulme was transferred from the 7th Regiment, Royal Fusiliers, to be Captain of the new 96th Regiment of Foot then being reformed at Salford Barracks, Manchester, in continuation of preceding regiments of the same designation and battle honours—Peninsular, Egypt and the Sphinx. They were immediately sent from Liverpool in June–August 1824 to garrison Hulme's hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Hulme was stationed with the 96th Regiment at Halifax from September 1824, and in Bermuda from September 1825, where a son, William, was born in October 1825. Another son, John Wills, though, was born on 4 April 1827; baptised at St David, Exeter, Devonshire, 12 May 1827. They returned to Halifax in September 1828, until 31 December 1829. A daughter, Maria Russell, was born there in 1832. He was promoted to rank of regimental major on 9 March 1834. The 96th Regiment returned home to England in September 1835.

Landed at Gosport, Hampshire, in 1836, the regiment marched to Gravesend in October, then sailed to station at Leith, Edinburgh Castle and Greenlaw in Scotland. They moved to Glasgow in November, then to Enniskillen and Dublin in Ireland a year later. Back to England, they were stationed at Liverpool and Lancaster. Hulme was promoted to rank of brevet lieutenant colonel on 10 January 1837. By 1839 the 96th were stationed at Liverpool, Wigan and Haydock with headquarters at Bolton le Moors, Salford Barracks in December 1839 and later Chatham, Kent. Since 21 June, detachments of the Regiment were made ready for travel to New South Wales, assigned to escorting convicts. The 1st Detachment departed from Sheerness on 4 August. The 2nd Detachment under Hulme proceeded from Bolton on 29 August 1839, for embarkation on board the barque Canton, departing Portsmouth on 22 September.

Australia

After a 112 day voyage, Hulme, family, 2nd Detachment of the 96th and prisoners arrived at Hobart, Van Diemen's Land, on the 12 January 1840.

Though assigned to Launceston, in March he accompanied Captain Alexander Maconochie to Norfolk Island to relieve the 50th Regiment and command the troops there. Another son, Charles Francis, was born at Norfolk Island on 9 March 1842. The Hulmes and the detachment of the 96th departed Norfolk Island by the Duke of Richmond on 28 February, arriving at Launceston, Van Diemen's Land, on 11 March 1844. With Hulme now appointed command of troops in New Zealand, they left Launceston for that country on 23 March 1844.

New Zealand

Relieving Major Thomas Bunbury and the 80th Regiment in New Zealand, Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Hulme arrived in Auckland on 14 April 1844, from Launceston, Van Dieman's Land, on the Marian Watson, along with Lieutenant Edward Barclay, Assistant Surgeon Stewart, and 59 soldiers of the 96th Regiment. Major Robertson, Ensign John Campbell and 55 soldiers and family's had arrived by the Water Lilly on the same day. His military career is perhaps better known for his part in the Flagstaff War, 1845–1846, the first Anglo-Māori war.

Governor Robert FitzRoy gazetted a proclamation of martial law within 60 miles of Russell as well as notice of 26 April, stating that: "During the continuance of war, no natives may approach the Ships, the Soldiers, or encampment at the Bay of Islands,—wherever placed; without having a Missionary, or a Protector, with a white Flag, with them, lest the Soldiers should mistake friends for enemies, and fire upon them in error."

HMS North Star had sailed for the Bay of Islands on 23 April. The barque Slains Castle with the 58th Regiment under Major Cyrprian Bridge, brigantine Velocity and schooner Aurora with the 96th Regiment under Lieut. Colonel Hulme and about 50 volunteers under command of Cornthwaite Hector, sailed out of Auckland for the Bay of Islands on 27 April, anchoring off Kororāreka on the 28 April. After consultation with Sir James Everard Home, HMS North Star at anchor, about re-establishing authority there, the Grenadier company of the 58th Regiment were landed, a proclamation was read, the Union Jack was hoisted under a 21 gun salute from HMS North Star, the yards were manned and three cheers from the troops on shore were answers by the sailors and troops on board the ships.

Hulme later reported to FitzRoy that in obedience with FitRoy's instructions, he "prepared to attack the rebel chiefs, and to destroy their property". On the morning of 29 April. HMS North Star, Velocity, Slains Castle and Aurora moved off for Waikare Inlet but light winds slowed their five mile voyage to a midnight anchorage off Otuihu, the exposed pā of a supposed rebel chief, Pomare. Hulme reported:

At daylight, I was much surprised to see a white flag flying in Pomare's pah; but as the proclamation only authorized loyal natives to shew it, I could not recognise it as an emblem of peace from a supposed rebel.—The troops commenced disembarking, and when landed, I sent two Interpreters with a message into the pah, to desire Pomare to come to me directly; his answer was,—"The Colonel must come to me." He sent the same answer to a second message. One of the interpreters now offered to remain a hostage in the pah—this I would not hear of. I then sent my final message to Pomare, that if he did not come to me in five minutes, I would attack his pah, this threat induced Pomare to come.

Later life

In 1846 he purchased a house in Parnell, Auckland, which became and is still known as Hulme Court. While not open to the public, this is on the New Zealand Historic Places register and is one of the oldest documented houses in Auckland still standing.

Australia

Based in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land, with his troops, since arrival of the ship Java on 19 December 1846, Hulme advanced from Brevet Lieutenant Colonel to Lieutenant Colonel without purchase in 1848. He then retired from soldiering in 1849 and moved back to New Zealand.

New Zealand

In July 1849, Governor George Grey, appointed Hulme to member of the General Legislative Council. That year, Hulme introduced the idea of a motion and ordinance in favour of enabling Maori land in the northern district of New Zealand to be used for cattle grazing by squatting. "Nothing, he thought, would tend so much to the general good and welfare of New Zealand as the opening up of its lands to the occupation of European settlers and squatters." In response: "The Governor said that the resolution as it now stood could not be entertained by the Council—but he thought that they might readily adopt a different one, which might answer the ends aimed at, and be less objectionable. As it stood he could not advise its adoption, for this reason that it involved a question that was one of universal interest for the whole of New Zealand, South as well as North; and although the General Legislative Council of the whole islands had power vested in it to adopt resolutions on this subject, yet as this Council did not represent the whole islands, it could not entertain a subject affecting the entire country."

Hulme was appointed by Governor George Grey as the first Postmaster for the Province of Auckland from 1 January 1854 but received less support in the idea of an appointment to Postmaster-General for New Zealand.

William Hulme died on Tuesday, 21 August 1855, in his 68th year and was buried with military honours in Symonds Street Cemetery on Friday, 24 August. The New-Zealander wrote:

The late Lieut. Col. Hulme was a fine specimen of a thorough English soldier; intrepid and cool on all occasions. In 1849 he sold out of the service, and returned to Auckland, where to the hour of his death, he was all along held in the highest estimation as an upright and honourable colonist.

His former residence in Parnell, now known as Hulme Court, is identified as a Historic Place Category 1 by Heritage New Zealand.