Families sought as Lake Alice Hospital veterans’ graves identified

After being asked to track down one serviceman's grave five years ago, Marton's Barry Rankin has now discovered the final resting places of more than 30 servicemen who died while at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital. Photo / Supplied

A ceremony will be held next month to bless a number of previously unmarked graves of World War I and II veterans who died while in the care of Lake Alice Hospital.

The 34 graves have been identified by Marton RSA life member Barry Rankin, and the organisation is keen to connect the deceased servicemen with any living relatives.

“It would be wonderful to hear from anyone who may be related to these men, who have lain anonymously for too many years. They served their country and gave more than most and it would be fitting for their families to know where they are,” Rankin says.

Lake Alice Hospital near Marton operated from 1950 until 1999. Some veterans who suffered from shell shock were admitted for treatment, sometimes without relatives knowing.

A number died while at Lake Alice and they were usually buried in Mount View Cemetery, many in unmarked graves.

In 2016, a member of the public approached Rankin to see if he could find the grave of her uncle, Leonard Hardcastle, a returned serviceman who had died while a Lake Alice patient.

Rankin found a record of Hardcastle’s burial on the Rangitīkei District Council’s cemeteries website but for this serviceman there was no headstone or plaque.

“Archives New Zealand service records confirmed he died in Marton and also his religion. With that bit of extra information I found the church record of his funeral details, which confirmed we had the right person,” Rankin says.

He decided to investigate further and discovered the names of all the patients who had died at Lake Alice and began working through that list looking for returned servicemen and their graves.

He had since discovered the final resting place of a further 33 servicemen.

“The sad thing is, these men were lost to their families at the time. We now have a chance to reconnect them.”

Veterans’ Affairs has helped with determining service records of the veterans, and funded gravestones and plaques.

“It’s important for the families of those veterans and for us,” Veterans’ Affairs deputy head Marti Eller says. “This work honours their service to our country.

“Mr Rankin has put an enormous amount of hard work and care into locating the last resting places of these veterans. We hope there are family members out there who would like to honour them.”

The Marton RSA, in association with the Rangitīkei District Council, will hold a commemoration and blessing of the graves at Mount View Cemetery, State Highway 1, at 1pm on February 4.

The Marton RSA would like to hear from anyone who may have had a relative or knows of a serviceman who was at Lake Alice so they can be invited.

Email Alan Buckendahl at alan@martonprint.co.nz.

Recently identified servicemen buried at Mount View Cemetery

1. John Keeling Addenbrooke

2. William James Dix Barnes

3. Leonard William Beach

4. Henry George Blanchard

5. Leslie William Burton

6. Norman Gibson Cameron

7. Robert Carmichael

8. Arthur William Charles

9. Harry Clark

10. John Corr

11. Cyril James Cottier

12. Charles Henry Faulkner

13. Peter Ferguson

14. William Ernest Frost

15. Leonard Hardcastle

16. Frank Edward Hartley

17. Douglas Alan Hogg

18. George Keenan

19. Cecil Charles Kisby

20. Edward Knipe

21. Arthur Laurence

22. William Lewis

23. John Patrick McColl

24. Oliver Richard Mildon

25. Eric Leslie Moore

26. Denis Moynihan

27. William Walter Newberry

28. Louis Clarke O’Halloran

29. George Purdy

30. Wilfrid Luxton Ready

31. William Snow

32. James Valentine Stewart

33. Clifford Edward Oliver Walker

34. Archibald Watson