Fighting at St John's Wood, Wanganui, 1847

A painting of St John's Wood, Wanganui, 19 July 1847. On the left are two parallel ridges from behind which opposing groups of Maori and Pakeha are firing on each other.

Te Mamaku and some 700 warriors had laid siege to Wanganui following the April 1847 execution of four upper-river Maori for their part in the Gilfillan killings. The siege was broken following the action at St John's Wood to the north of the settlement on 20 July 1847. Two British soldiers were killed and 11 wounded. Maori suffered a similar number of casualties.