Northland Age
  • Northland Age home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Rural
  • Opinion
  • Kaitaia weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northland Age

Northwood photo identified at last

By Peter Jackson
Northland Age·
5 Feb, 2020 08:38 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Historian Kaye Dragicevich believes this photo is of Archie Noble's funeral procession in April 1927. Picture / Kaye Dragicevich (Northwood Collection

Historian Kaye Dragicevich believes this photo is of Archie Noble's funeral procession in April 1927. Picture / Kaye Dragicevich (Northwood Collection

Far North historian and author Kaye Dragicevich generally has a very good idea of what she's looking at when she examines old photos, and one has nagged at her for some time as being incorrectly labelled.

The only information available indicated that it portrayed an Anzac Day parade in Kaitaia in the 1910s-20s, but she had always had her doubts. Now she believes even more firmly than ever that it shows Archie Noble's funeral procession making its way through Kaitaia's main street, bound for St Saviour's Anglican Church, where he was buried.

For one thing, she said, the procession was making its way south, away from the World War I memorial, which in those days was at the north end of Commerce St.

"I have long thought it was the funeral of Archie Noble, in April 1927," Mrs Dragicevich said.

"I have since shared it with retired Colonel Graeme Wilson, and he is in agreement it is a funeral, not an Anzac service. And the photo was taken much later than 1910, as this number of buildings and cars were just not in Kaitaia then.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The Northland Age reported, 'He (Archie Noble) was given a grand send off by the district and his soldier colleagues with full military honours, including a firing party.' In this photo an honour guard is leading the procession, carrying weapons in reversed arms position. A guard commander precedes a Model T truck with what appears to be a coffin on the back, and flowers, with three pall bearers alongside with hats in hand. Behind are marching two lines of returned soldiers, also hats in hand as a mark of respect.

"Your great uncle would be the only person I can recall who would have awarded such respect and such a procession for his funeral," she said in an email to Archie Noble's great-nephew, Kerry Noble, in Northumberland.

Archibald Coubrough Noble established a business, Nobles Drapery (which can just be seen at the right of the photo) in Kaitaia after World War I. He died on April 3, 1927, reportedly as the result of damage done to his heart by war wounds.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

His story came to light last month (A corner of a foreign field, January 21), as a result of an enquiry to the Northland Age by Kerry Noble, who had discovered a 'Wilfred' (World War I Victory Medal) with the inscription '13/572 Cpl A C Noble N.Z.E.F.' He had no idea, and still does not know, how his great uncle came to serve (at Gallipoli) with the Anzac forces.

He said last week that articles published by the Northland Age about his grandfather's brother had achieved results beyond his wildest hopes.

Meanwhile there was a distinct connection between Mrs Dragicevich and the Nobles, her mother, Lynda Thompson, the daughter of Arthur and Dora Foster, having worked at the drapery prior to marrying her first husband, Andy Bennie (Happy days at Nobles, letters January 30).

However, Archie's military service records end with a charge sheet showing that he was fined for being AWOL.

"We now know, of course, that was because he had taken seriously ill from his wound whilst on leave in the UK," Kerry said.

"He was admitted to an Anzac medical facility in Kent, presumably for the Western Front casualties, before being shipped back to New Zealand for discharge as unfit. Presence at that facility probably also explains why some reports say he served on the Western Front, which would have been impossible."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northland Age

Northland Age

School lunch programme saves $130m, student satisfaction rises, Govt says

10 Jul 02:00 AM
Northland Age

Changing times: Kiwibank's new model prompts mixed reactions

10 Jul 02:00 AM
Northland Age

Far North approves 10.95% rates rise, slightly lower than forecast

09 Jul 06:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northland Age

School lunch programme saves $130m, student satisfaction rises, Govt says

School lunch programme saves $130m, student satisfaction rises, Govt says

10 Jul 02:00 AM

Associate Education Minister David Seymour says complaints have fallen by 92%.

Changing times: Kiwibank's new model prompts mixed reactions

Changing times: Kiwibank's new model prompts mixed reactions

10 Jul 02:00 AM
Far North approves 10.95% rates rise, slightly lower than forecast

Far North approves 10.95% rates rise, slightly lower than forecast

09 Jul 06:00 PM
Far North news in brief: FNDC reviews rates policy, Toastie Takeover

Far North news in brief: FNDC reviews rates policy, Toastie Takeover

09 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northland Age e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to The Northland Age
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northland Age
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP