Kimball Bent
Encyclopedia
Kimball Bent also known as "Kimble Bent", was a soldier and adventurer.
At some stage Kimball Bent made his way to Liverpool, England and on 18 October 1859 enlisted in the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot
in the British Army
. He served in India
and his unit was posted to New Zealand
in 1861. His record was dubious, and he was repeatedly disciplined for various military infractions including disobedience and drunkenness. This discipline included a prison sentence in Wellington
, and receiving lashes in front of his company. Bent accordingly decided to desert in June 1865 while serving in Taranaki.
Bent was found by a local Māori chief of the Ngāti Ruanui
iwi
in South Taranaki and eventually became accepted as a part of the local tribe. He fell in with Titokowaru
's followers in 1867 and fought with them against the colonists in what has become known as Titokowaru's War
until their eventual defeat in 1869. Bent then went into hiding in the backblocks of Taranaki.
In 1903 he was rediscovered, and a book was written about his life by James Cowan
. Entitled The adventures of Kimble Bent: a story of wild life in the New Zealand bush, it was something of sensation at the time.
More recently, his tale has been fictionalised by New Zealand author Maurice Shadbolt
in his 1990 historical novel Monday's Warriors
.
At some stage Kimball Bent made his way to Liverpool, England and on 18 October 1859 enlisted in the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot
57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot
The 57th Regiment of Foot was a regiment of line infantry in the British Army.-History:The regiment started out as the 59th Regiment of Foot raised in Gloucester in 1755....
in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. He served in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and his unit was posted to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1861. His record was dubious, and he was repeatedly disciplined for various military infractions including disobedience and drunkenness. This discipline included a prison sentence in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, and receiving lashes in front of his company. Bent accordingly decided to desert in June 1865 while serving in Taranaki.
Bent was found by a local Māori chief of the Ngāti Ruanui
Ngati Ruanui
Ngāti Ruanui is a Māori iwi traditionally based in the Taranaki region of New Zealand. In the 2006 census, 7,035 people claimed affiliation to the iwi. However, most members now live outside the traditional areas of the iwi.-Early history:...
iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
in South Taranaki and eventually became accepted as a part of the local tribe. He fell in with Titokowaru
Titokowaru
Riwha Titokowaru became a Māori leader in the Taranaki region and one of the most successful opponents of British colonisation anywhere....
's followers in 1867 and fought with them against the colonists in what has become known as Titokowaru's War
Titokowaru's War
-Cause and background of the war:The immediate cause of the war was the confiscation of vast areas of Māori land in Taranaki by the Government under the powers of the punitive New Zealand Settlements Act 1863...
until their eventual defeat in 1869. Bent then went into hiding in the backblocks of Taranaki.
In 1903 he was rediscovered, and a book was written about his life by James Cowan
James Cowan (New Zealand writer)
James Cowan was a New Zealand non-fiction writer, noted for his books on colonial history and Maori ethnography...
. Entitled The adventures of Kimble Bent: a story of wild life in the New Zealand bush, it was something of sensation at the time.
More recently, his tale has been fictionalised by New Zealand author Maurice Shadbolt
Maurice Shadbolt
Maurice Francis Richard Shadbolt CBE was a New Zealand writer and playwright. He was born in Auckland, and educated at Te Kuiti High School, Avondale College and Auckland University College...
in his 1990 historical novel Monday's Warriors
Monday's Warriors
Monday's Warriors is a 1990 historical novel by New Zealand author Maurice Shadbolt. Part two of his New Zealand Wars trilogy.Set in mid-nineteenth century New Zealand, the story is a semi-fictionalized account of Titokowaru's War, told from the perspective of Kimball Bent...
.
Further reading
- Belich, JamesJames Belich (historian)James Christopher Belich, ONZM is a New Zealand revisionist historian, known for his work on the New Zealand Wars.Of Croatian descent, he was born in Wellington in 1956, the son of Sir James Belich, who later became Mayor of Wellington. He attended Onslow College.He gained an M.A...
(1989). I Shall Not Die: Titokowaru's War, New Zealand 1868–1869. Wellington: Allen & Unwin New Zealand Limited. - Oliver, W.H. "Bent, Kimble, 1837–1916: Soldier, deserter, Pakeha-Maori, character". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 3 December 2005.
- Biography in 1966 New Zealand Encyclopaedia
- Shadbolt, MauriceMaurice ShadboltMaurice Francis Richard Shadbolt CBE was a New Zealand writer and playwright. He was born in Auckland, and educated at Te Kuiti High School, Avondale College and Auckland University College...
(1990). Monday's WarriorsMonday's WarriorsMonday's Warriors is a 1990 historical novel by New Zealand author Maurice Shadbolt. Part two of his New Zealand Wars trilogy.Set in mid-nineteenth century New Zealand, the story is a semi-fictionalized account of Titokowaru's War, told from the perspective of Kimball Bent...
. United Kingdom: Bloomberg Publishing, Ltd. - Cowan, JamesJames Cowan (New Zealand writer)James Cowan was a New Zealand non-fiction writer, noted for his books on colonial history and Maori ethnography...
(1911) "The Adventures of Kimble Bent: A Story of Wild Life in the New Zealand Bush". full text online.