Discover Waikumete Cemetery Special Influenza Walk Sun 6th May 2pm

A sea captain who survived the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in Vava’u, Tonga, that had killed 400 of the local population, arrived home to discover that his eldest daughter had also been taken by the very same illness. Join us as we share their story and those of other 'Flu victims.

Meeting at the corner of Kowhai Rd and Daffodil Dr, weather permitting.  Please dress for the weather and boggy terrain, bring a drink & sensible shoes. The cost for these walks is $5.00 per person. No booking necessary.


For enquiries please phone 625-1750

Hana Nepia - Influenza at Piha settlement

From the New Zealand Herald dated 11th of November 1918:

CONDITIONS AT PIHA.
TWO DEATHS ON FRIDAY.

The various settlements associated with the State sawmill at Piha have suffered severely from influenza. It is believed that the infection was introduced by an employee who visited the city at the beginning of last week and stayed one night at a house where there were two sick people. Mr. H. Knutzen, manager of the mill, stated yesterday that the 12 bushmen who developed the disease are all recovering. Only three of the millhands were slightly affected, and all are making good progress. The men employed on the transport form a small settlement three miles from the mill, and every adult member of this little community has been prostrated. Two deaths occurred on Friday—Mrs. Hannah Napier, wife of one of the employees, and Mr. John Mutu, an engine-driver. There are six serious cases of pneumonia. Mr. Knutzen added that he will notify the relatives of any cases in which serious conditions developed.

“Mrs Hannah Napier” referred to in the article is actually Hana Nepia who lies here. She is buried with Mohi Mutu aged 4 and an unknown female with the surname of Mutu. The unmarked plot behind Hana has 4 bodies with the surname Mutu.

There had been a report on 11th November that claimed 2 men, 3 women and five children were infected, then, 3 days later on the 14th November that there were only 3 slight cases. Our research could find nothing about any deaths occurring at this camp in the interim. But we do know that there was also at least one other flu victim from this settlement, Peter Burns, a millhand who died 2 days after Hana and is buried in row 7.

It wasn’t uncommon to try and conceal exactly how many deaths were occurring in Auckland, as local government was trying to prevent mass panic.

It will never truly be known exactly just how many New Zealanders did die in the epidemic. What is known is that Maori suffered heavily and their overall rate of death was about eight times that of Europeans. In one community in the Waikato about 50 out of 200 local Maori died.

Grave of Hana Nepia, with unmarked Mutu grave
directly behind
Photo by Kath Kingswood

The wording on Hana’s headstone, when translated, roughly says:

Hana H Nepia 
she died November 8th 1918 age 22                
she was a woman  with great love for her people,
go friend to the father God our refuge our strength is food (like sustenance)                                          
cherish our link close to the song 46. 

(Song 46 possibly relates to the hymn “Drop, drop, slow tears” composed by Orlando Gibbons)

Anglican Division E, Row 8
Plot 59: Hanna Nepia (29) 8/11/1918 – Influenza, Pneumonia
Female Mutu (?) 11/11/1918 – Influenza, Pneumonia
Mohi Mutu (4) 13/11/1918 – Influenza, Pneumonia


Sources:
PapersPast

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19181111.2.65

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19181111.2.45

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19181112.2.23

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19181113.2.8

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19181114.2.37

New Zealand History

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/culture/1918-influenza-pandemic/death-rates

Compiled by Geri Eccles - Discover Waikumete

Discover Waikumete Cemetery Special Influenza Walk Sun 8th April 2pm

The family plot of Adjutant Edith Chapman, 1918 Influenza victim, at Waikumete Cemetery

Come with us as we visit the family grave of Adjutant Edith Eliza Chapman, matron of People's Palace, Salvation Army. Her story is just one of many of the Influenza victims of 1918 to be shared on our walk.

Meeting at the Influenza Monument on Eucalyptus Ave, weather permitting.  Please dress for the weather and damp terrain, bring a drink & sensible shoes. The cost for these walks is $5.00 per person. No booking necessary.

For enquiries please phone 625-1750

Johanna McCarthy Binning - A Tragic End to a Hard Life

Johanna’s story is memorable for a number of reasons. Not only was she the first burial in the Roman Catholic area but she was also the first suicide burial for Waikumete.

Unusually for a suicide, Johanna was buried in consecrated ground with a memorial stone. Often a person who committed suicide was denied funeral rites because such a death was considered a mortal sin. The deceased may not have been permitted to be buried in a church cemetery, or if burial was permitted, this would have to take place in ground which was not consecrated and the plot would not be marked. In Johanna’s case, the priest who took her service knew Johanna and she was given full rites.

Photo by Kath Kingswood

It transpired that her adoptive father Thomas O’Sullivan paid for her headstone in 1893 and perhaps chose Johanna’s maiden name to be inscribed to reflect how Johanna had felt towards the husband who, in her mind, had deserted her.

Johanna as a child had lived through difficult times. She had lost her parents in the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s and was taken in by Thomas and Catherine O’Sullivan who took Johanna with them when they travelled by ship from County Kerry to London and from there to Auckland, where they settled on a small farm in Avondale.

Johanna worked on the farm for a time before moving to Thames, where she likely found work in the thriving mining township. It was here she met and married George Binning, a gum digger, on the 22nd of June 1872.

The couple adopted a part Maori girl and named her Nellie, and the small family moved up to Auckland where George found work as a slaughterman.

By the 1880s Johanna was struggling and her mental condition was deteriorating.

Nellie was a headstrong girl and had been in trouble with the Police because of petty thieving. George was at work all day, Johanna was not coping with Nellie and did not feel supported by her husband.

Johanna’s adoptive parents offered all the support and assistance they could but Johanna was evidently very depressed, she had told them that she wanted to kill herself.

A desperate Johanna took Nellie to the Auckland Police Station where she asked that the police take charge of her child, she told the duty constable that her husband had left her and that she could not control her child. Johanna added that if the police did not take the girl she would do away with herself.

As it was so late, Johanna was told to come back the next morning and the police would do what they could. Johanna left the Police Station and took Nellie her friend Rose Ertl’s house where she knew they would both be welcome to stay the night.

Johanna left the house late that night and made her way to the waterfront near Customs St West in Auckland City. She took off her wedding ring, wrapped it in paper and put it with her shawl, boots and hat in a neat pile covered with 2 large stones. She then took "one step forward a plunge into darkness and the cold dark heaving sea enveloped Johanna"(an excerpt from the poem Oblivion written by Roy Kellett).

A passerby, Joseph King, spotted the body a few hours later, floating face up near a ferry steamer.
The corpse was retrieved and placed in the city morgue where it was soon identified by Rose Ertl and Nellie. It was Rose who had noticed her missing at around 9.45pm and, after hearing a body had been found in the harbour, had set off with Nellie to the mortuary.

A coroner's inquest into Johanna’s death showed that she had been delusional for a number of weeks, convinced that numerous people, including Police, were out to get her. Her biggest concerns revolved around Nellie, whom she believed had fallen foul of the law. There was also her belief that her husband, George had left her.

Nellie testified before the jurors at the inquest that mother had not been eating in the week of her death and had all but stopped drinking as well. She too had heard her mother discuss suicide, the last time just a few hours before the sad deed was done.

The coroner judged Johanna to have been "mentally afflicted" and a unanimous verdict was reached "Found drowned without marks of violence."

A graveside service took place on April the 18th 1886 at Waikumete Cemetery officiated by the kind and compassionate Father Walter McDonald, the family priest, who wrote in the cemetery records book next to Johanna’s name “So glad to see my old friend”.

George Binning, Johanna’s husband died, 10th of  July 1889 aged 39. He is buried in Anglican Division C, Row 4, Plot 40

Of Your Charity Pray for the Repose of the Soul of
JOHANNA McCARTHY
of Co Kerry. Ireland.
The beloved wife of
GEORGE BINNING.
who died April 12th 1886
aged 30 years.
May she rest in peace.

Roman Catholic Division A, Row 1
Plot 1: Johanna Binning (30) 1886


Sources:
Paul Gittins “Epitaph” article “Oblivion”.
A significant contribution to background and research for the Epitaph article was made by Mr Roy Kellett. Mr Kellett has tended Johanna’s grave for many years, although he has no family connection. He also wrote the very moving poem “Oblivion” which featured in Epitaph, and I have used an excerpt to describe Johanna’s last moments.

Tales from the Crypt, Western Leader article by Matthew Gray dated 10/7/2011

Compiled by Susan Reid, Discover Waikumete.

William Eli Johnston

Sir George Grey Special Collections,
Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19180221-37-6 

Land had been cleared and ploughed for the soldiers’ cemetery within Waikumete, however the burial areas were yet to be laid out when retired 2^nd Lieutenant William Eli Johnston was interred in the soldiers’ area now known as Service Persons Area A, Row 1, Plot 1 on the afternoon of 22^nd January 1918. His was the very first interment in Waikumete’s soldiers’ cemetery. [1] [2] [3] Although the cemetery has undergone changes over the century that it has been in existence, Johnston’s original grave marker remains on the grave site. The white marble Calvary cross carved with roses had fallen from its steps at some stage and now lays flat within the marble coping which encloses the grave, remaining a handsome tribute to the man who was William Eli Johnston and a special part of the history of the cemetery.

The Secret Mission That Never Took Flight

Ten American Servicemen who perished
on B -17E Flying Fortress 41-2667 June 9th 1942
were interred in Waikumete Cemetery between these flags.
Photo: Cathy Currie

During the second world war a secret lay buried beneath the clay in this ordinary corner of Waikumete Cemetery. It wasn't until December 1945 that details were finally revealed of the explosion which woke half of Auckland in the dead of night. [1]

Although there was a total censorship ban to withhold information from the Japanese, there was much talk among the community, stories were rife with many exaggerating the event, and there were also accounts that were very close to what had actually taken place. [1]

Waikumete Cemetery Open Day 2017

The Chapel of Faith in the Oaks. Photo: Cathy Currie

Waikumete Cemetery Glen Eden Sunday 12^th November 10.00am -– 4.00pm

No booking necessary.

This is the second Open Day that has been held at the cemetery following the success of the first held in February 2016, the event has moved to November to enable those attending to enjoy the wildflowers that begin to  bloom at this time of year. Come along to wander through them and discover the wonder of New Zealand’s largest cemetery.

A variety of interesting and informative talks are taking place at the historic Chapel of Faith in the oaks. There will be grave digging and natural burial demonstrations as well as guided walks about military burials, murder, Chinese disinterment’s and the last of the hangings. Chapels 1 and 2 will be open and host a variety of displays, and crematorium tours will be taking place throughout the day. There will also be the opportunity to locate a grave with assistance.

The opening ceremony begins at 10.00am in the main crematorium car park. And at 11.00am a cannon firing in the Quarter Masters quadrant is in commemoration of armistice day.

Dogs are welcome on a leash, please ensure they are under control at all times and that you clean up after them.

Visit the following link for the finalised programme:
http://ourauckland.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/media/15712/waikumete-cemetery-open-day-2017-programme_final_web.pdf
Programmes and maps are available at the cemetery on the day.

Transport and parking:

The cemetery will be closed to private vehicles on the day for the publics safety. Free parking will be available at  Glen Eden primary school and at the park n ride outside the Waikumete Rd entrance  as well as limited street parking.

A frequent and free shuttle bus service will operate a circuit within the cemetery to assist people to move around to various areas and activities.

The event is organised through a partnership between Waitakere Ranges Local Board, Friends of Waikumete Cemetery, the Urupā Committee of the cemetery’s Māori burial ground, West Auckland RSAs, Discover Waikumete, Auckland Council cemeteries team and Ancestry.

For further information ph 09 3010101

Fire At Waikumete

These are a series of photographs (originally slides) of one of two fires in Waikumete Cemetery that occurred during November 1969 and January 1970.

Taken by my father Charles Bradshaw, a past president of the Henderson Photographic Society, they depict a blaze in an area above the western railway line near what was Westbrook station. The cause of the fire may have been school boys smoking on a hillside dominated by pine trees, Hakea, Teatree and Pomaderris Kumeraho. Tea tree is noted for its flammable nature. At the time this was one of a number of fires on the fringes at the cemetery. It probably occurred in the late spring.

This fire exposed the body of an adult male found dead in scrub between Waikumete and the railway line. He lay undetected maybe for up to three years.

Other photographs included are two taken near the Chapel of Faith in the Oaks, the sky threatening to unleash heavy shower at any moment. My mother, Gladys Bradshaw appears in both.

Two photographs of sunsets in Waikumete are to be seen. To the best of my knowledge they were in an area in the vicinity of Kelston Community Centre.

The final picture is of the view from our back fence showing Waikumete hillside in the distance. A bridge one would walk across to walk up to the railway line and Westbrook station is visible as is the horse names nugget Raymond Bendale, neighbour and Glen Eden Borough councillor owned.

Charles and Gladys Bradshaw also rest in the clay of Waikumete Cemetery. Charles passed away on the 26^th of April 1971 aged 59. Gladys was laid to rest with her husband in Protestant Berm A Row 12, Plot 75 on Christmas eve of 1974 she was aged 64 years.

Memories of Colin Bradshaw

Images by Charles Bradshaw

Harold Gardner - Deadly crossing

A 9 year old boy was killed crossing New North Road to Porters Avenue, Eden Terrace with friends about 3.30 p.m. 9 February 1916.

It appears that the small group had walked around a baker's cart which was parked near the kerb as they prepared to cross the road. All but Harold had noticed the approach of a car and waited until it had passed, but Harold ran out and the car struck him, running him over by its front wheels.

A Doctor was called whilst Harold was moved from the road to the back room of a local store, but Harold had suffered a fatal skull fracture and Dr. Peter Moir could only pronounce life extinct.

By a sad quirk of fate, the car was driven by Mr. C. Little, undertaker, of Hobson Street who was returning from Waikumete Cemetery with the Reverend Father Bleakley who had presided at the funeral of another young boy killed the previous weekend.

An inquest was held and Harold was described as a usually careful boy with good sight and hearing. Witnesses reported seeing two boys stop kerbside as a car approached, but the third boy ran out. They commented that perhaps he had not initially seen the car because he appeared to hesitate, and then continued running. The car, which witnesses determined not to have been travelling fast, had swerved to try and avoid the boy, but had been unable to miss him.

The coroner reached a verdict of accidental death and did not hold the driver responsible for the boy’s unfortunate death.

Non Conformist Division C, Row 1,
Plot 50: Harold Thomas Gardner (11) 1916
             Rosa Nancy Gardner (67) 1938 – Mrs

In Loving Memory of 

our dear mother

ROSA GARDNER

died Aug. 9th 1938 aged 67

also her son

HAROLD GARDNER

died Feb. 1916 aged 10

Compiled by Susan Reid, Discover Waikumete

Sources: Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers
               Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 34, 9 February 1916 article “Motor Fatality”
               Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 40, 16 February 1916 “Fatal Motor Accident”

The Seamer Grave

The Seamer family grave. Wesley Division C Row 21, Plots 80-84 
Waikumete Cemetery. Photo: Cathy Currie

The Seamer grave located in Wesley Division C Row 21 plots 81 – 84 of Waikumete Cemetery [1] sits at the top of a hill where its large tree trunk memorial once rose impressively above the surrounding graves.

In gravestone iconography the tree trunk is thought to be representative of the shortness of life on the physical plane. [2] There are other possible messages a tree trunk may portray, as throughout history the tree has had a variety of meanings to different peoples. With roots anchoring it in the earth and branches that reach toward heaven, the strong trunk of a tree connects the two and symbolises the journey of the soul from the physical to the heavenly realm. [3]

Jessica Minns - False Testimony

MISS JESSIE MINNS. 

-Whose extraordinary story 

In connection with the Grand Hotel Fire

 is the talk of Auckland just now.

'Sir George Grey Special Collections,
 Auckland Libraries,
 NZG-19010713-71-4 

Lenora, Eva, and Mina Johnston died from suffocation and burns in the fire at the Grand Hotel July 1901. The fire also claimed the life of Dora Wallace who jumped some thirty feet from the top storey to escape the fire.
Frederick Ayers was later found in the debris of the bedroom he occupied at the Hotel.

Jessica Minns, a scullery maid at the Grand Hotel was originally arrested and charged with the murders and brought to trial.

She caused a sensation when she admitted to giving false testimony, having fabricated a story “to shield three former employees, whom she saw on the night of the fire with the night porter "

Jessica had made up a story of three men burning down the Hotel and threatening 'to kill her if she gave a warning of their intention  … “ , apparently inspired by a fictional novel she had read. Jessica had even used names of characters in this book for the men involved.

The case against Jessica was ultimately dismissed, the actual cause of the blaze was not determined and those actually responsible were not found.

At the inquest, the jury considered that the Fire Brigade had acted promptly after receiving the alarm, but were of the opinion that more modern appliances with electric alarms should be provided without delay.

The jury also suggested that appropriate legislation was needed to govern safety, including and the provision fire escapes at boarding houses, theatres, and places of amusement etc. They accordingly recommended that the Minister of Justice be so advised.

The jury also recommended that the Auckland City Council be strongly censured for not enforcing fire escape bylaws.

Jessica Minns disappeared from public view until she again came to the Court’s attention some years later charged with vagrancy.
She was charged as a disorderly person lacking sufficient means of support and was apparently not amenable to the discipline of the various charitable organisations in which she had been previously placed.

She was remanded for a week whilst the Police sought a home placement for her.

Jessica died 21 June 1926

Compiled by Susan Reid - Discover Waikumete

Sources:
Image: Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, NZG-19010713-71-4

Papers Past:

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 151, 27 June 1901, Page 8      https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19010627.2.68

 Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 164, 24 July 1901, Page 5    https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19010724.2.48

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Isuue 15821, 19 January 1915, Page 5      https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19150119.2.29

Nonconformist Division C, Row 18 Plot 46 – unmarked

Chapel Lunette Panel

Lunette Panel by Richard Oliver Gross
Photo Credit Cathy Currie

The lunette panel above the door of Waikumete Crematoriums chapel 1, is one of three sculptures that £650.00 was set aside to pay for in the 1949 work specifications during the planning process of the building of the new crematorium for the city of Auckland. [1] It was sculpted by renowned local artist Richard Oliver Gross [2] and appears to depict the Greek goddess Ananke or Necessity spinning the universe. She draws threads from the heavens on to the spindle at her knee. In the myth of Er she spins with sirens singing in harmony through the strands of time and fate as souls journey though them from death, and with their destinies spun, to be reborn. [3]

Lillies carved on the panel growing at Ananke’s feet are inspired by Job 14:2 “ He cometh forth like a flower: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.” [2] [4] And trumpeting angels seem to herald the cycle of life.

The Mossy Cross

The grave of Alfred Holloway Waikumete Cemetery.
Photo by Cathy Currie

A sturdy wooden cross stands in the first row of Waikumete Cemetery’s Anglican Division C on plot 24, its weathered, mossy appearance and its anonymity have intrigued many who have noticed it.
Records reveal that the cross marks the grave of Albert Holloway who passed away in Auckland Hospital on April 27^th 1894 as a result of diabetic gangrene after undergoing a month of treatment in ward 1, he was aged 56. [1]

Louis John Steele - Artist

Steele was born in Surrey, England on the 30th January 1842, the son of a surgeon. He was educated in Surrey and an art school in Paris but in his early 20’s went to Florence to further his studies in painting.

Louis John Steele - self portrait
Credit: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki -
copyright use granted.

By the time Steele came in search of health to Auckland, about 1886, he was moderately well known, having exhibited not only at the Royal Academy but also at the Salon in Paris and the Exposition internationale de Lille.

In Auckland he set up a studio in the Victoria Arcade in Shortland Street and opened a class for life studies and antiques. He took great interest in the Maori and recorded their activities in several fine paintings. These paintings were sometime very large and painted jointly with another artist, for instance his former pupil C.F. Goldie collaborated in “The arrival of the Maori in New Zealand” painted in 1898. He was an active member of the French Club in Auckland and always dressed in slightly Bohemian fashion, as he might have done in Paris, wearing elaborate hats, velvet suits and even a fob watch.

Although Steele was alone when he came to New Zealand, he had married Marie Louise Alexandrine Piatti and they had two sons: Ernest and Louis. Miniatures of the two boys were exhibited at the Royal Academy.

As his health declined in his later years he moved to the Costley home for the aged poor, which became the Auckland Infirmary, then eventually Greenlane Hospital.

When there was an auction of the contents of his studio in 1917, it was claimed to be the most valuable art collection ever offered in the dominion. The proceeds of the sale may have gone to repay debts, as after his death on the 12th of December 1918 his estate was valued at under £170.

Louis Steele made an important contribution to the art life of Auckland. He excelled as a teacher and had steeped himself in New Zealand life. As a history and portrait painter he left many notable works and as an engraver he introduced skills not previously seen in New Zealand.

Anglican Division E, Row 9, Plot 23


Compiled by Geri Eccles - Discover Waikumete

Sources:
John Stacpoole. 'Steele, Louis John', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1993. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2s42/steele-louis-john
https://www.aucklandartgallery.com/explore-art-and-ideas/artwork/2322/self-portrait

The Phenomenal Mr Birley

It is very special that the Birley grave is not only surrounded by unique wrought iron fencing, but also the headstone marking the grave itself is embellished with dainty lead fuchsias, in recognition to the incredible creativity and skill of engineer and blacksmith, Peter Birley who crafted exceptional iron pieces like no one else in New Zealand during his time.

The Birley family headstone, located in Wesleyan Divison A, Plots 11 - 13.
Showing the decorative border of fushia's archng along the top.
Photo by Cathy Currie.

Teenage Murderer Hanged - Tahi Kaka

17 year old Tahi Kaka watched on as carpenters built a scaffold for his forthcoming execution. The

work was clearly visible from the teenager’s tiny cell at Mt Eden prison and the sight was too much for visiting clergy who complained to the prison management, without much success. The young man with the boyish appearance had been charged with the murder of John Freeman at Puhipuhi, Northland.

In the evidence he gave at his trial he described how he accompanied Freeman in pursuit of gum and noticed something bulging in Freeman’s hip pocket. When Freeman said he had £2O Kaka though he was joking and said “Give me the money or I’ll kill you.” Freeman, who had a spear in his hand and a spade at his side, said “Come on, kill me”. He dropped the spade and taking the spear in both hands threw it at Kaka. Then he threw the spade, striking Kaka on the shoulder. Freeman tried to grab Kaka but the young man ducked and Freeman fell on top of him, with both then falling to the ground. Kaka said he saw Freeman trying to get an axe out of his bag and so hit him three blows over the head with a stick. Kaka then ran away and when Freeman did not follow, returned to the still body. Although Freeman was just barely alive Kaka thought he was dead and cried over the body. Thinking he would be hanged for killing Freeman and, remembering the man said he had money, took the money out of Freeman’s pocket and fled.

Kaka was found guilty by the jury, after an hour's deliberation, but was recommended to mercy on account of his youth. He was sentenced to death by the judge.

Tahi Kaka's grave - Cross marker
supplied by Discover Waikumete &
Photo by Geri Eccles

According to the newspapers at the time, from the time of his sentence Tahi Kaka seemed resigned to his fate. He ate and slept well, putting on a stone in weight.  The resigned manner in which he took his sentence is attributed by the Rev. Hawking to his belief. He had made peace with his Maker and would be forgiven in the next world.

As he was taken from his cell to the scaffold on the 21st of June 1911 Rev. Hawkins read the first three sentences of the burial service in Maori. As Kaka ascended the thirteen steps to the scaffold his boyishness was painfully apparent but he took his stand on the drop without assistance or the slightest tremor. The Rev. Hawkins then recited the Lord's Prayer, which Kaka repeated in a steady voice. When asked by the sheriff if he had anything to say, he replied firmly: "I hope I am the last man to be hanged, anyhow." As the bolt was being drawn Kaka’s lips uttered a single word, “Aue” (Oh dear).

Death was instantaneous.


Public Burial A, Row 3, Plot 82


Sources: Papers Past

WAIRARAPA AGE, VOLUME XXXII, ISSUE 10252, 31 MAY 1911
SENTENCED TO DEATH WITH RECOMMENDATION TO MERCY.
THE MAORI KAKA https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAG19110531.2.21.21

MANAWATU HERALD, VOLUME XXXIII, ISSUE 999, 1 JUNE 1911

THE AUCKLAND MURDER.

KAKA FOUND GUILTY https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MH19110601.2.13

EVENING POST, VOLUME LXXXII, ISSUE 145, 21 JUNE 1911

TAHI KAKA EXECUTED

DEATH INSTANTANEOUS. CONDEMNED MAN'S LAST UTTERANCES. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19110621.2.61

Compiled by Geri Eccles

Sunshine - In Memory of Robert Adams

Headstone of Robert Adams
Wesleyan Division A, Row 6, Plot 10.
Photo: Cathy Currie

The talented young musician Robert Adams succumbed to Typhoid which ravaged Auckland during the summer of 1888, plunging communities into fear with the uncertainty of not knowing whom would next be afflicted, and praying it would not strike down a loved one.

The outbreak hit the Ponsonby area hardest, where Bob resided in Ponsonby Road, and was involved in running the music shop ‘Adams Brothers’. [1] [2] [3] Although the cause of the dramatic increase in numbers of citizens suffering with the fever was not officially established by the health inspector despite complaints regarding practices of the local tramways and abattoir businesses, it was a widely accepted view that the spread of the disease was due to the Auckland stinks – poor drainage and hygiene practices that caused an abhorrent smell which was intensified by the summer heat and contaminated the water supply. [4] [5] [6]

It was reported in the New Zealand Herald that during March the Auckland Hospital was accommodating over 50 percent more typhoid cases than they had done previously that year and the numbers were expected to continue to rise until Auckland’s sanitation was improved. [7]

A dark night – The drowning of Captain John Carrick Hewson

The night was dark on the 3^rd of February 1896 when a splash was heard on the Wairoa River, and then a hat and arms were seen to rise above the water. Mr Langley a passenger of the SS Waitoa plunged into the deep and held the victim up above the water until a dinghy was lowered to retrieve the pair. The rescued man was taken to Mr Barters house for revival, and although he appeared to be breathing, did not regain consciousness and passed away more than  ¾  of an hour later.

The Anguish of Alcohol and the Asylum - The Bible family

The Bible family grave
Photo: Cathy Currie

The words ‘Erected by his sorrowing mother’ inscribed on the leaning headstone of John William Bible, haunted me until I began to probe into the death of this man, who passed in what one would expect to be the prime years of his life. He rests with his family in a grave surrounded by kauri fencing that has stood the ravages of time in a heritage area of the cemetery.

Early newspapers indicate that William had built up a reputation in both the Hawkes Bay and Auckland for being a drunkard. It was obvious the man had suffered an alcohol addiction for many years. The seriousness of his illness was reported through his repeated court appearances from 1888 onwards. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Newspaper reporters made light of Williams illness when his concerned mother took out a prohibition order in November 1890 to prevent people from suppling her son with spirits [8] [9]. The more I read of charges brought against him and the penalties imposed including fines [10] and incarceration with periods of hard labour, [11] [12] [13] medical treatment,[14] injury suffered while intoxicated,[15] his begging [16] and effects after drinking including Delerium Tremens; the more I realised the significant impact his illness must have had on his loved ones, and wondered what part it may have played in his death.
                                                     

Daily Telegraph, Issue 6741, 25 April 1893

Vera Baker - Illegal operation

Vera Baker a young unmarried woman of 23 years of age had been employed as a domestic servant in Mt Eden, her Mother and Father had passed away.

Vera had fallen pregnant and with little means, and with no possibility of having the child and surviving on her own, she would have been desperate. She faced the loss of employment when her pregnancy became evident, and with this her lodgings. She also faced the very real stigma associated with unmarried women who found themselves in the family way.

Vera told her lover Percy Norman Henry in the hope that he could help her. Henry told her that he was in no position to marry her, that he was unable to support Vera and a child, but he did suggest Vera have an abortion.

Henry knew of an elderly nurse, a Mrs Hannah Dalton, who may assist them, and on 23 October he accompanied Vera to Mrs Dalton's house to discuss matters .It was arranged that Vera was to go back to Mrs  Dalton’s the next day for an abortion.

Page 9 Advertisements Column 4,

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16669, 

13 October 1917. paperspast

Vera telephoned Henry on the evening of  the 24th of October and asked him to come over to Mrs Dalton’s that night as everything was all right. Henry saw Vera and paid Mrs Dalton £10 for the operation and £1.10s for extras.  He visited the house to see Vera on several subsequent occasions.

There were problems with infection following the abortion and Mrs Dalton made an appointment on the 1st of November 1917 for Vera to be examined by Dr. Florence Keller at the Doctors house. Dr Keller having examined Vera, told her that she had better go home and go to bed.

Vera visited Mrs Dalton on the 2nd and 3rd of November and Dr Keller was again asked to examine her. Dr Keller found Vera in a very grave condition and suffering from acute peritonitis. She told Mrs Dalton that the girl would have to go to the hospital right away, but Mrs Dalton asked why the necessary operation  could not be performed there. Vera allegedly  said, "I don't want to leave the nurse; I want to stay here.”

Dr. E. V. Drier was quickly called in to perform an urgent abdominal operation but Vera died on the 5th of November 1917 whilst at the home of Mrs Dalton.

Post mortem examination would find the cause of death to be acute septic peritonitis.

Abortion methods were varied and items 

were re purposed to perform the task so as not to 

arouse suspicion during a police search. 

Enema syringes were commonly used by 

abortionists to inject fluid into the uterus 

to induce miscarriage.

L0036376 Credit: Wellcome Library, London 

Brass, ivory, ebony and pewter enema syringe 

Photograph 17th - 19th century 

Collection: Wellcome Images

Library reference no.: Museum No A626202,

A626932, A640607, A606384 

Creative Commons Attribution only 

licence CC BY 4.0 

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The Doctors were to testify in Court that very serious internal
injuries had been caused by the introduction of a foreign instrument which had been the probable cause of the acute peritonitis.
Dr. Ezra N. Drier went on to testify that the condition of peritonitis discovered at the operation indicated the probability of infection within five or seven days previously.

There was sufficient evidence to warrant Hannah Matilda Dalton being charged with having unlawfully used an instrument to procure an abortion on Vera Baker, and Percy Norman Henry was charged with aiding abetting Dalton in the commission of this offence. They were jointly charged with murder.

Lengthy trial notes have been condensed and summarised for this article .

Dalton was charged with manslaughter in respect to the girl, Vera Baker, but the jury disagreed, and an additional indictment had been laid charging her with performing an illegal operation. However, when this charge was heard, the jury failed to agree. The same evidence was tendered again at the retrial on Wednesday. This time the jury agreed on a verdict of not guilty 20 February 1918.

Percy Norman Henry was charged at the Supreme Court with having on or about October 24 1917 counselled and procured a young woman named Vera Baker to submit to the unlawful use of an instrument for the purpose of procuring an abortion. He was also indicted with being a party to manslaughter in connection with the death of Vera Baker, but this count was withdrawn on the application of the Crown Prosecutor. After a retirement for 20 minutes the jury returned a verdict of not guilty, and the accused was discharged 22 February 1918.

Anglican Division D, Row 9,
Plot 68: Vera Martha Baker (23) 1917 – unmarked

Sources:
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/
Auckland Star vol XLIX issue 45 21/2/1918
Evening Post 10/11/1917
Evening Post  30/11/1917
Evening Post  20/02/1918
Evening Post  21/02/1918
NZ Truth, Issue 648, 17 /11/1917
NZ Truth, Issue 663, 2 /03/1918

Megan Cook, 'Abortion - Who and how', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand,  http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/abortion/page-2

Museum of Contraception and Abortion http://en.muvs.org/abbruch/instrumente/klistierspritze-id1020/

Image: Page 9 Advertisements Column 4, New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16669, 13 October 1917. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19171013.2.59.4

Image: L0036376 Credit: Wellcome Library, London
Collection: Wellcome Images Library reference no.: Museum No A626202, A626932, A640607, A606384

Presented by Susan Reid, Discover Waikumete

Ronald Morris - Orphanage fire

St Joseph's Industrial School and Orphanage,
Takapuna, Auckland.
Morrison, John M, fl 1883-1951 :
Photographs of Takapuna and Milford.
Ref: 1/2-C-021066-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22761810
View of St Joseph's Industrial School and Orphange for boys, Takapuna, Auckland. Photographed by an unknown photographer in 1924.

Date of photograph and sources of information relating to date and the history of this building supplied by John Webster, January 2009.

The two storied wing was built as St Mary's School which opened in 1849. This was built of localy quarried bluestone. St Mary's school closed in the late 19th century, and reopened in 1894 as St Joseph's Industrial School and Orphanage for boys under the care of the Sisters of Mercy. In 1923 a fire gutted the building leaving the walls standing. It was rebuilt and a three storied wing was added, both the old and the new buildings were faced with a plaster finish. It reopened in 1924 which was when this photograph was taken. What are possibly builders huts can be seen at the near left hand corner of the new wing. The building still stands today (2009). (Information from John Webster of Takapuna, and from Auckland-Waikato Historical Journal September 1989 page 4-5, and September 1992 page 40.)

The charred remains of Ronald Morris, aged 9, were found during a search of the debris,
following a fire at St Joseph's Orphanage, Takapuna in the early hours of Sunday the 4th of March 1923.

The body was lying face downwards on the wire mattress in what remained of the boy’s dormitory, and was not far from where the fire originated. Ronald had been a fit and able bodied boy, and it was presumed that he was overcome by the flames before he could respond to the alarm.

When the alarm was given, the Sisters and older boys had roused the younger boys and  carried out the babies. The Sisters had then arranged for the boys to be taken to local homes, where people had kindly offered to take the children.

At the first roll call, authorities at the Orphanage were initially quite confident that the lives of all the boys had been saved. However, when the Sisters checked on Monday and Tuesday at each of the “foster” homes, Ronald could not be located. Exhaustive inquiries were made, and it was discovered that another little boy, Frank Brett, aged 10, was also found to be missing.

Both boys were reported missing on Tuesday night the 6th of March, and an appeal was made for anyone knowing the whereabouts of either boy to communicate with Father Holbrook, Roman Catholic Presbytery, Grey Lynn.  Happily, Frank was found safe and well at the home in Mt Eden where he had been temporarily billeted but sadly, on Wednesday the 7th of March the Police found Ronald’s remains.

An inquest was held, and the coroner found that Ronald had accidentally burned to death in the fire that destroyed the orphanage. From witness accounts, no one was considered to be, nor held responsible for the boy’s death, and there “was no reason why he should not have come away with the others.”

The origin of the fire could not be determined and was held to be “purely accidental”.

There followed an urgent need to rebuild the Orphanage and a committee was formed to collect subscriptions. Sadly, whilst many contributed, a warning had to be issued to the public after “bogus collectors” tried to cash in on the enterprise.

Roman Catholic Division C, Row 2
Plot 18: Ronald Morris (9) 1923 – Schoolboy – unmarked

Sources:
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/
ORPHANAGE FIRE Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 57, 8 March 1923
TAKAPUNA ORPHANAGE FIRE. Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 56, 7 March 1923
Image: Ref 1/2-C-021066-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22761810

Compiled by Susan Reid, Discover Waikumete

Frank McGann - Road death

Showing the Captain Cook Hotel on northern side of Khyber Pass,
with Hancock and Company, Maltsers (also known as the Captain Cook Brewery)
 to the right. Sir George Grey Special Collections, 
Auckland Libraries, 4-RIC52

Frank McGann, an elderly gentleman of 75 years of age, was crossing the road by the Captain Cook Hotel on Khyber Pass Road in the City, when he inadvertently stepped into the path of a taxi cab. The driver noticed him when he was little more than a car length away, and immediately swerved the car to the right to try and avoid hitting the man. Regretfully the splashboard caught Mr McGann on the leg and he was knocked down and “carried by the front of the car for about 28ft…”

The taxi driver, Mr Charles Hunt, stopped the car and tried to render assistance whilst shouting for help. Mr McGann was found to be still breathing, but unconscious.

The police arrived at the scene, and soon after Dr. Williams of Remuera Road, but Mr McGann had died before his arrival and the Doctor could only pronounce life to be extinct.

The victim of the accident had last been seen going down Khyber Pass Road, and was thought to be returning home with a few groceries when he was hit. Mr McGann was a widower, and understood to be a little hard of hearing. He had lived in Mountain Road near the old quarry, and had been well known in the area as was one of the few surviving stonebreakers.

An inquest was held, and the Court heard from the taxi driver, Mr Hunt, and a number of witnesses, including passengers in the taxi at the time of the accident.

Mr Hunt, who had the reputation of being a careful driver, said he had been travelling at a slow “eight to ten miles an hour” at the time of the accident. Mr Hunt said that he “was keeping a good look out” and his taxi lights were said to cast a bright beam straight ahead, although the sides of the road in total darkness. Mr Hunt had first seen Mr McGann when he appeared directly in front of the car, about a yard away and he “did everything possible to avoid colliding with the old man”.

A number of witnesses attested to the accident spot being “very dark and badly lighted”. The road was being repaired near the accident spot and a pile of metal lay in the middle of the roadway with only “lighted hurricane lamps ….to act as warning signals”.

The Court also heard that this was “the identical spot where the man Ballan was knocked down by a motor car and killed by a passing tramcar just a few weeks ago”

The death of Mr McGann was found to be accidental, the deceased had crossed the road on an angle, with his face averted to the oncoming car and the driver had done all he could to avert the accident. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that Frank McGann met his death by being struck by a motor-car in Khyber Pass. They considered that all possible care had been taken to avoid the accident, and therefore they exonerated the driver of the car from all blame.

A rider was added that more lights should be placed in the vicinity.

Roman Catholic Division C, Row 2,
Plot 42a: Francis (Frank) McGann (75) 1913 – unmarked

Sources:
Papers Past https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/
KNOCKED DOWN BY MOTOR. New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15241, 3 March 1913
KILLED IN KHYBER PASS. New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15249, 12 March 1913
KILLED BY A TAXI. Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 53, 3 March 1913
Image: Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-RIC52

Presented by Susan Reid, Discover Waikumete

Owen Lynch - Death at the Hospital

New Zealand Herald, 29/6/1912
“DEATH AT THE HOSPITAL.
WHILE UNDERGOING OPERATION

King St Pukekohe March 1913 showing W. Roulston's building on left,

 Post Office and Bank of NZ on right. 

Beattie, William, 1864-1931, photographer 

PH-NEG-B191 Auckland War Memorial Museum

The senior resident medical officer of the hospital has reported to

the Coroner a resident of Pukekohe, Owen Lynch, aged 63 years, died at the institution yesterday while undergoing an operation for a throat complaint. Deceased walked into the hospital on Thursday evening with a letter from the doctor at Pukekohe, giving particulars of his complaint. Lynch, had been employed an a stable hand by Mr. W. Roulston, storekeeper, of Pukekohe. An inquest will be held by the Coroners at 9.30 o'clock this morning.”

Auckland Star, 29/6/1912

“DEATH AFTER OPERATION.

INQUEST AT HOSPITAL.

An inquest was held this morning at the Coroner's Court, before Mr. T. Gresham and a jury of six, to inquire into the cause of the death of Owen Lynch, a married man, 63 years of age. Dr. C. E. Maguire, senior resident physician at the Auckland Hospital, deposed that Owen Lynch was admitted on the 27th instant from Pukekohe on a letter from Dr. Bronte. The deceased had been employed in Mr. Roulston's stables. The man was suffering from acute laryngitis and complained of a sore throat. Swallowing was very difficult, and his speech was getting gradually worse. His breathing was somewhat distressed, and his temperature was 100, pulse 110. The man said he had suffered from asthma for about 20 years. He stated he had suffered from a sore throat for three days. The man came to the hospital unaccompanied, and presented Dr. Bronte's letter. On the 28th of June he was transferred to the ward for throat affections. The man was in a very bad condition when admitted. He could swallow neither fluids nor solids while in the hospital. It was discovered the patient was suffering from, a large abscess in the larynx. This was opened from the inside, but ten minutes afterwards the man suffered from heart failure and died. It was considered the abscess required opening to relieve the pressure. Five medical men were present at the operation, which was satisfactory, and there was no hemorrhage. The man said he felt better after the abscess had been opened, and seemed to be getting on all right for the next ten minutes. Then he suddenly collapsed. Tracheotomy was promptly performed, and inhalations of oxygen were given. Artificial respiration was also used for some time, but without success.

Auckland hospital c1915 Showing the main wards of Auckland Hospital,
Grafton, with patients walking in the grounds  and lying in beds on the verandahs.
Sir George Grey Special Collections,  Auckland Libraries, 35-R74

By the Coroner: The patient had been examined as to the state of his heart, but nothing could be learned as to his condition owing to his heavy breathing. Had an anaesthetic been administered, they would have been working in the dark. He would have died had not the abscess been operated upon. The operation was absolutely imperative. Every reasonable precaution was taken. A postmortem held this morning showed that the incision was right in the centre of the abscess. There was evidence of asthma. There was a slight increase in the pericardial fluid in the heart. The heart was weakened by some dilatation which in the patient's debilitated condition might have caused death. He would not say the condition of the man's heart rendered him liable to sudden death at any time but the combination might have caused death. The condition of the lungs threw extra work on his heart. It would seem as if the man had at some time worked in a mine. There were no indications of alcoholism. He considered the cause of death was abscess of the larynx fibrosis of the lungs, causing heart dilatation, resulting in sudden heart failure.

Dr. Allan B. McCutcheon gave corroborative evidence, and added that the man's pulse was stopped before his respiration, which proved that death was due to heart failure and not from obstruction of his breathing.

The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony, that Owen Lynch came to his death in a natural way by disease.”

Roman Catholic Division C, Row 2,

Plot 41a: Owen Lynch (63) 1912 – Labourer – unmarked

              Margaret Lynch (86) 1927

Sources:
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/
New Zealand Herald, 29/6/1912 “Death at the hospital. While undergoing operation
Auckland Star, 29/6/1912 “Death after operation. Inquest at hospital.
Image: PH-NEG-B191 http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/collection/object/am_library-photography-41664

Image: Auckland hospital Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 35-R74

Patrick Scarrott - Killed by tramcar

Royal George  Hotel and tram way 1920 - 1929
Looking south from junction of Khyber Pass Road along Broadway, 
Newmarket, showing (from left) the Royal George Hotel,
 Newmarket Furniture Mart (formerly the Adelphi Theatre and Broadway Theatre),
 Broadway Pies, W Hughes, hairdresser. Creator Richardson, James D
Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-2116

“FATAL TRAM ACCIDENT.
MAN DIES IN HOSPITAL.
KNOCKED DOWN IN NEWMARKET".
"Fatal results have attended an accident in New-market on Saturday evening, when an elderly man, Mr. Patrick Albert Scarrott, was knocked down by a tramcar. He died in the  Auckland Hospital shortly after six o'clock yesterday morning. Deceased, about whom few particulars are known, had been staying on and off at the Salvation Army Home. He is supposed to have two brothers in Auckland. An inquest was opened yesterdav before Mr. J. E. Wilson, S.M. Dr. G. J. Frengley said deceased was admitted to hospital, and he gradually became more and more comatose. A post-mortem examination lead to the conclusion that death was due to a fracture of the skull, laceration of the brain, and  cerebral haemorrhage.”
New Zealand Herald, 15/5/1923

“KILLED BY A TRAMCAR.
THE NEWMARKET ACCIDENT.
MOTORMAN NOT TO BLAME".
"The adjourned inquest concerning the death of Mr. Patrick Albert Scarrott, an elderly man, who died af the Auckland Hospital on Monday morning as the  result of injuries received, through being struck by a tramcar in Newmarket on Saturday evening, was concluded by Mr. J. E. Wilson, S.M., yesterday. Mr. Mackay appeared for the City Council and Sergeant Rock represented the police.

The evidence showed that deceased was seen standing on the outward tram track opposite the Royal George Hotel just before an inward-bound Remuera tram approached. When the tram was a few feet away deceased staggered forward, was struck by the right-hand side of the front of the car and fell heavily to the ground. The tram, which was proceeding very slowly, was pulled up almost instantly. Deceased was clear of the line. He was apparently under the influence of liquor.

The motorman on the train said that he applied the emergency brake, and the car which was slowing down for a stop was pulled up immediately. Witness had noticed the man stagger a few yards before the car reached him and thought he was going to wait until the car had passed.

The verdict was to the effect that death was due to fracture of the skull, laceration of the brain, cerebral hemorrhage resulting from deceased stepping in front of a moving tram, and being knocked on to the street. The motorman was in no way to blame.”
New Zealand Herald, 17/5/1923

Roman Catholic Division C, Row 2,
Plot 52x: Patrick Albert Scarrott (59) 1923 – unmarked

Sources:
paparespast https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/
KILLED BY A TRAMCAR. New Zealand Herald, 17/5/1923
MAN DIES IN HOSPITAL New Zealand Herald, 15/5/1923
Image: Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-2116