Thames (NZ): WWI Letters to Jane of Thames

 The message of the day - Never stop hunting, Never stop looking for new family history!

Why? When we were on the hunt for World War letters a few years back, I never once considered that there would be anything from my paternal side. Then out of the blue, two family photos were retrieved which has started a whole new journey.

Postcard A above & Postcard B below

Postcard A: Back of card: "To Janie, Cliff, Cora & Bob. With best love & kisses from Tommy."

Postcard B: Back of card: "6m active service. Mrs C Barker, Kauaeranga, Thames, Auckland.
Dear Janie …. Good bye to all & Good luck, With fondest love Tommy."

This card was postmarked 9 October 1915, the day Thomas Pascoe left New Zealand. Rifleman Pascoe would not be back on New Zealand soil until 15 July 1919.

Part of Rifleman Pascoe's service record.

Source: New Zealand Archives.

Who was Tommy?

Thomas Pascoe was the son of Benjamin Eddy and Honour Pascoe. Ben and Honour were from St Just in Penwith (Cornwall), they emigrated to New Zealand and married in Timaru in 1881. Thomas was one of eleven children, born 27 April 1892 in Napier - he married Mavis McConnell in 1924 and they had five children. Thomas Pascoe passed away 19 May 1971 at Auckland.

     In the regimental band photo, Thomas Pascoe is at the right hand end of the 2nd row from the top (there is a small mark to his right). In postcard B, Thomas is standing on the right at the back of photo of three.

Who was Mrs C Barker?

These postcards were written to Jane Barker (nee Pascoe), who was Thomas Pascoe's older sister. Jane lived up the Kauaeranga Valley with her husband Cliff Barker - my grandparents. Tommy Pascoe was my father's uncle.

Regimental Band Photo

Thanks to a facebook page Unknown Warriors of the NZEF, the next bit of the puzzle was answered. The facebook group also had a copy of 'Postcard A' and on the back was written: "Rifle Brigade Band. Camped at Rangiotu." It appears to be the last photo taken before the men departed for the battlefield in Europe - August 1915. 

     The Pascoe family, including Benjamin Eddy Pascoe had a strong connection to brass bands, both in Timaru and Waihi - winning numerous regional and national titles. It was no surprise then to see Thomas Pascoe as a member of the Regimental Band.

The Next Surprise!

While it was wonderful to have found these postcards and be able to know more about my father's uncle, the next find was even more amazing.

     While checking out the Auckland War Memorial Cenotaph entry for our Thomas Pascoe, further treasures were revealed. Attached to Pascoe's memorial are multiple cards sent Jane Barker of Thames from her brother.

CARD ONE:

Belgium, Xmas Eve 1917

My Dear Sister

Received your welcome letter a few days back very pleased to learn everyone is doing so well.  Well Janie it is hoped you are spending a better Xmas there.  I for one could hardly tell the difference in any other time here.  It is very cold here all the ponds are frozen & most of the boys are amusing themselves skating, some effort I tell you.  Hoping this finds you & all in the best of health as it leaves me at present with love & kisses to all. From Your brother Tom xxxxx

CARD TWO:

 

19/5/?16     In the Field

My Dear Sister

In answer to your most welcome letter which I received two days ago & was very pleased to hear from you. I was very sorry to hear all of you had bad colds & hope you are all well again.  We are having lovely weather here at present it hardly gets dark at night. I have not seen Jim Goldsworthy since I have been over here I think he must be over in England on leave.  I have not had news from Honour yet & have written to her a lot of times with best & fondest love I remain your loving brother Tommy xxxxx

CARD THREE

 

25/7/17

My Dear Sister,

Just a few lines to let you know I am still keeping my end up & going strong.  I have not heard from you for a mail or two now but as there is another mail in I suppose your letters will come in a heap.  There is not very much news at present in this part of the globe so please excuse this time. Best love to all from your loving brother Tom xxxx

I suppose I will get some now as the other young fellow ?has  ?hopped in.

OTHER CARDS

There are several other cards that were sent to Jane Barker of Thames by her brother, the donor was Brent English - at this stage I am not sure of any connection to the family / how he came to have my grandmother's cards.

WAR SERVICE for Thomas Pascoe

There are five cases on Thomas' Conduct Sheet in his war file, all related to misconduct and punishments.  From mining in Waihi to the Western Front, Thomas found it hard to adjust. At intervals he suffered from severe Depression. His feelings of helplessness evident in the brief words written to his sister Jane. Her letters gave him something to look forward to and then there was no mail, life was hard!

     What was the role of the regimental band, what would it have been like for Thomas Pascoe and his fellow bandsmen? The photograph below and explanation from The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, may help us to get a little understanding of what it was like to walk in their boots!

"A brass band plays at the New Zealand Rifle Brigade camp near Ypres, Belgium, on 19 September 1917. In the early years of the First World War bandsmen also acted as stretcher bearers. High stretcher-bearer casualties and the difficulty of replacing musicians meant that bandsmen were later withdrawn from the front line. Military authorities considered that the morale-boosting effect of music was the bandsmen's greatest contribution to the war effort."

Brass Band, New Zealand Rifle Brigade Camp, Belgium 19 September 1917.

YOUR CHALLENGE

Maybe you have treasured letters and cards from World War One? Have you shared them with fellow researchers? How about going to the Auckland War Memorial Cenotaph site, find your relative and share information and photographs. 

 

Left: Honour and Benjamin Pascoe. Right The Pascoe family, Thomas is far right (seated).

Ben Pascoe with his daughters. 

After his wife died, Ben came to Thames and lived with his daughter Jane Barker. 

Jane is in the back row, far left.

Thames (NZ): Grave challenges at Shortland

 Looking for relatives at Shortland Cemetery and can't locate them?

Well, I am not surprised, as things are not always what or where they should be.  On a semi-regular basis we find headstones on wrong plots, incorrect details and much more. Here are a few examples of  possible errors found while researching Thamesites interred in the lower extension (along Danby Street) at Thames' Shortland Cemetery.

Case One - the wandering headstone.
     Thames Coromandel District Council records have Robert Lloyd interred in Plot 4430. The plot was covered in agapanthus - a plant that is one of the biggest 'pests' given the growth and damage done to grave structures. Also in the plot was another person, not uncommon in the cemetery.  The area was cleared and the only grave marker was for Mavis E Wenzlick.

  

Plot 4430 at Shortland Cemetery. Left uncleared, and right after cross marker located.

Further along the row on the opposite side was a large stone memorial, unable to be read due to lichen growth. A quick clean with water and soft brush revealed the headstone belonging to Robert Lloyd. The reason for the headstone being located on Plot 4450 instead of 4430 are unknown.
     Did family place it on an empty space at the entry to the cemetery? No records to-date solve the mystery. It is a reminder to relatives to look in surrounding areas. When we find these errors the local council are notified and a note added to the findagrave entry.

Robert Lloyd's headstone on Plot 4450.

See plot map below in Case Three, for location of Plots 4430 and 4450.

Case Two - the duplicate headstone.

    The case of Robert Lloyd's headstone doesn't end with being on the wrong plot. Robert is one of several at Shortland Cemetery who have more than one headstone / Monumental Inscription. On plot 4419, Robert has an inscription on his wife Clara's headstone.

     This situation is a nightmare for doing findagrave entries as you can end up with 'one person' having more than one memorial. At Shortland cemetery many of the double inscriptions relate to war deaths - in these cases the second memorial is in an overseas war cemetery. For example, Private William Henry Inglis has a headstone in the Cassino War Cemetery in Italy - he also has an inscription on his parent's plot at Shortland. "In loving memory of pte W.H Inglis died of wounds Cassino 17-3-1944 aged 22years."

Case Three - The missing memorial & Vegetation Challenges.

   As was the case in the Lloyd / Wenzlick plot 4430, out of control vegetation, land slides, and fallen trees have destroyed headstones at Shortland Cemetery. Not forgetting the fires that have erased traces of many wooden memorials in the upper area.

  

 

  Plots 4438 and 4439, are located at the very top north-western corner of Shortland. (see map above) The plots could not be seen due to the overgrowth of agapanthus. (photo below left)  Thanks to cemetery volunteer Graeme, the plots were cleared. (photo below right)

 

The Pekin plot in years past had a memorial with the inscription: "Cyril Pekin 1922 - 1932 Loved son of Edward & Rebecca Pekin." Like an archaeology dig, the area was explored and ground probed, but there are no signs of a memorial stone or cross. Alas another one lost.

    The adjacent Lamb grave, while the base concrete has broken, the walls and headstone remain in relatively good condition. Interred in Plot 4439 are James Robert Lamb (1866-1944) and Robert Lamb (1878-1932).

Case Four - Wrong person!

There are instances where family researchers implore that their relatives are interred in Shortland, but they can not be found in the records. Why? A difficult question, to solve the problem we tend to rely on the original cemetery records, to eliminate possibility of transcriber error.

    For instance, the online council records have James Houghton, aged 60, born Thames in plot 2139.

Cemetery Plot - Full Details: Shortland (Thames)

Unique ID 3PUBL-PLOT-2139

Cemetery Name Shortland (Thames)

Cemetery ID 3

Area Code PUBL

Sub Area Code PLOT

Plot Number 2139

General Status Unavailable

Plot Status Used

Plot Type Normal

Capacity 0

Surname HOUGHTON

Forenames James

Full Name HOUGHTON, James

Gender Male

Age 60

Age Unit Years

Date Of Birth

Date Of Death

Date Of Burial 21/07/1928

Approved Y

Year Approved 2,015

Who was James Houghton? Why was he interred with Mary Josephine Houghton and her daughter Melbro. The original Sexton's cemetery records were checked and the details correct. (copy below)

The investigation became more complicated when it was found that the newspaper reports had the name of the person interred 21 July 1932 as: Charles Thomas Houghton. The good news being that at last it all made sense, this was Mary Josephine's husband. 

    While we still do not have the answer as where the mistake took place, it would appear that James Houghton is in fact Charles Thomas Houghton. At least that's the answer today...I await with interest notification from Anglican Archives as to who is recorded in the St George's Church burial register. We may have followed the wrong lead!

CHALLENGE
     The next time you find something amiss with the cemetery records, rather than pass them over, stop and try and solve the mystery.

Thames (NZ): Take a Second Look in Colour at Grey Street

 Without doubt, this view east along Grey Street, Shortland Town on the Thames Goldfield is a classic! The photo gives us a glimpse of life on the goldfield. What do you see? Here are a few things...

• A woman dressed in a full skirt, cape and hat.
• The roads are clearly marked, the surface rough with some stone base.
• The Hape Creek crosses the intersect of Grey and Mackay Streets (centre of photo).
• Deep drains line the sides of the street.
• The Karaka / Una Hill is bare of vegetation, and pitted with adits and tracks.
• Grey Street extends up the hill to Mount Pleasant (present day Jacob's Ladder).
• The building on the left is the first Shortland Post Office.
• There is a goat at the door of the Post Office, there were a lot of goats on the Thames Goldfield!!!

c1868 Grey Street (above) and present day below

Source: Grey Street, Shortland, showing first Post Office. Ref: 1/2-096130-G. 

Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23203364

A Second Look in Colour

Remember that the colour is not exact; but step back in time and take another look at Grey Street as 'our' Thamesites knew it.

On a closer look, the road between the Mackay and Bowen (aka Rolleston) Streets is busy with people. Maybe these men are clearing the road of rocks? Fixing pot holes? Digging drains or just walking back to their homes. Just imagine crossing Hape Creek after rain? There were predominantly only foot bridges going over the creek - as shown in the photo above. Pay attention to the details on the woman's dress - the hard life on the goldfield wasn't going to defeat these pioneers. Standards were maintained, a visit to the main business district required 'Sunday Best' clothing. 

Take the Challenge

Look at your favourite photographs of The Thames. What stories can you conjure up about the people on the streets.  

Let's see...maybe this is my Great-Great Grandmother who has been to the Post Office to send a letter to her grandmother back in Scotland or mother-in-law in Ireland. Perhaps her mother is coming for a visit from Auckland, the ship is due to pull in at the Shortland Landing on the next high tide. Or maybe she waits expectantly to see if her husband Clement will find some gold to put food on the table!   Oh no! Clement has been spotted - he is at the Court House speaking to James Mackay, (taking out yet another Miner's Right).  This time Clement is positive that he has found the next greatest claim!  The rest is History!

Thames (NZ): Then & Now Pollen Street - north of Sealey Street Intersect

Introduction

A 'new' photograph in my collection is featured in this post, but lets first look at Pollen Street (north of Sealey Street over the decades. The images in the first collage ranges from 1906 - 1937 - 2017. (From 1930s Thames: The Goldfield Revisited)

• 1906: A military parade proceeds along Pollen Street, heading south to the Shortland Cemetery. The signage of Hetherington's shop (where Farmers is today), can be seen a third in from the left.
• 1937: Many of the old buildings remain, interspersed with new premises such as Galloway's Store (where Noel Leeming is today). Wide gutter drains line the street, and in the 20s a concrete strip had been laid down Pollen Steet. The Depression still raged, while the threat of war was just around the corner - cars were few and far between, at The Thames in the 1930s.

POLLEN STREET - another view 1950s-60s

Thamesites regularly have one complaint about the main street. Lack of parking! Well, take a look at this photo from the late 1950s early 1960s - the street is lined with cars. Some things never change!!! Guess what, parking on the western side was challenge back in those days, just as it is today. The driver fourth from left has not managed to park within the white line - something many readers will sympathise with.

1955 Businesses

     In the 1955 Wises Street Directory for Thames, the businesses located on the right (east side of the street) are as follows:

From Mary Street intersect. Lee, Chuck Yue (Fruiterer); Danby's Shoe Store; Taffe, W; Bond & Bond Ltd; Arbury Ltd; Self Help Co-op; McAllum (Jeweller); Presswood & Presswood (Optician); Hallensteins Bros; A J Brokenshire Bookseller; Judd Ltd; Muir, D J (Chemist); Bulmer (Jeweller); Hetherington's; Harris' Restaurant; Marriotts Store; Maxwell & Sons (Butcher); Galloway's; Modern Stores Ltd; Misses Donnelly (Dressmakers); Charlie Fay (Fruiterer); McPhail & Ganley Shoes; Gwynne's Garden House; Bongard's Chemist; Restaurant; La Fabrique Fabrics; C Hill (Jewellers); and D McL Wallace Ltd. Sealey Street intersect.

 

ABOVE LEFT: Signage includes 'Slaney's Radio Service; Knitting Service; Opticians. Further down the block can be seen the Regent Theatre sign before the Mary Street intersect. There is a barber shop (stripes on street post), tractors for sale (query part of Judd's that are located on the other side of the road) and the Bank of New South Wales and Post Office.

ABOVE RIGHT: McKenzies are centre left in Galloway's old building; and McPhail & Ganley Shoe Store is far right.

MCKENZIES

     The McKenzies department store was stocked a wide range of goods. Who can forget the chocolate & lolly 'pick and mix'? Or the coin operated spaceship / car that kept youngsters occupied while 'mothers' shopped inside. Later the store was taken over by DEKA. 

Further "Then & Now' Photographs CLICK HERE

Thames (NZ): Battle of Britain Commemorations at Thames 13 September 2020

Sunday 13 September 2020

8.30am Sir Keith Park Memorial Airfield, Ngāti Maru Highway, Thames.

(The programme for the day as per the Sir Keith Park Memorial Airfield Inc Facebook Page:)

Inauguration Service at the Sir Keith Park Memorial at the Airfield

• Speaking at the service was Wing Commander Andy Bryant, RAF, the UK Defence Attaché for the Ministry of Defence at the British High Commission.
• Dedication and blessing performed by unknown Reverend.

---------------------------------------------

Early Sunday morning, Thamesites and visitors from further afield gathered at the airfield for the dedication of Sir Keith Park's replica Hurricane. The Kerepehi Brass Band provided the music, and playlist included the National Anthem and the Last Post

 

 

This plaque, made by A & G Price will be added to the display when the statue arrives.

The area around the replica plane will also be landscaped.

11am Thames War Memorial Civic Centre, Mary Street

• Speakers included RNZAF Air Commodore Walshe, Hon Scott Simpson and Russell Skeet (who read the message from Defence Minister Ron Mark.
• Wreaths were laid at the statue of Sir Keith Park outside the Thames Civic Centre
• A flypast by the Bristol Fighter F.2B in Sir Keith’s WW1 battle colours from NZ Warbirds

MP Scott Simpson.

Several wreaths were laid to commemorate the Battle of Britain 80 years ago. 

Left: Wing Commander Andy Bryant, RAF; Right: RNZAF Air Commodore Walshe.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN

For more information on the Battle of Britain 1940, an excellent resource is Papers Past. There are the daily reports from England, along with reports and analysis over the following years. Example below.

 

OTAGO DAILY TIMES, ISSUE 26270, 30 SEPTEMBER 1946

Conclusion:

The Phrase heard several times today in relation to Sir Keith Park's involvement in the Battle of Britain:

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few

Winston Churchill

Keith Park standing by his Hurricane OK 1

Source: https://alchetron.com/Keith-Park

Thames (NZ): Sir Keith Park's Replica Hurricane arrives at Thames Airfield

Sir Keith Park at Thames

When the 1914-1918 World War Commemorations started back in 2014, the name of Thames born Sir Keith Park was remembered by many. Then in 2019 a generous donation led to a life size statue of Park being erected outside the Thames War Memorial Civic Hall.

There are many worthy historical projects needed at the Thames, this would for many be way down the list of priorities. But, hats off to the group who made this happen, they have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for yet another statue and a replica plane that will be on display at the Thames Airfield, the Sir Keith Park Memorial Airfield. The first phase is complete and the replica plane is to be officially unveiled on Sunday 13 September, followed by the marking of the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain - with a ceremony at the Civic Hall in Mary Street at 11am. (Details of the day)

Sir Keith Park's Hurricane

Below are photographs of the plane. It looks small as you drive along the Ngati Maru Highway, but once you get nearer, the size and the imagery are very impressive. Interesting to find out though, just as we will have two statues of Sir Keith within a few kilometres of each other, there is also another replica plane a short distance away in Auckland. At MOTAT, there is "a replica of Park's Mk 1 Hawker Hurricane 'OK 1' - the aircraft he used to visit airfields under his command during the Battle of Britain."

 

Several information boards give details on Park and the Battle of Britain.

Further Reading:

Details on Sir Keith Park - Blog Post 7 February 2019