LE ROY, Emilius Pierre

As a young man, Emilius Le Roy trained to become a fully qualified sailmaker. It is thought he joined the Royal Navy in 1845 and immigrated to New Zealand in 1850. In 1852 he took command of the schooner Iliomama which traded between Sydney and Auckland. Later that year Le Roy began a successful sail making business based in Auckland. In 1857 Le Roy joined the Auckland City Rifles (a volunteer militia to help defend Auckland). By 1863 he was serving as an Ensign in No. 6 Company and was promoted to Lieutenant in August that year.

Le Roy saw some service in the Waikato War of 1863-1864, along with other militia and volunteer forces supporting the regular infantry and naval brigades. Le Roy had reached the rank of Lieutenant when, in 1868, the City Rifles were disbanded. He transferred to the newly formed Naval Artillery Volunteers, working his way up from Private to Captain by 1871. He was a passionate supporter of temperance and started a society aboard the warship HMS Brisk when it was serving in New Zealand waters. During the Russian scare of the 1880s he commanded the six corps of the Auckland Naval Division. By 1889 he was the senior commandant for the volunteer naval forces in New Zealand.