Gallipoli passes gained after all

Duncan Boswell will attend the centenary event. Photo / Otago Daily Times

Wanaka man Duncan Boswell has won his battle to get to Gallipoli.

He and son Rhys, from Christchurch, will be part of the New Zealand contingent attending the centenary of the World War I Anzac campaign in Turkey.

In April, the Wanaka son of Gallipoli war veteran Frederick Boswell missed out on getting a pass to the event.

He claimed he and dozens of other children of veterans were being "grossly mistreated" by the Government and he described the process of giving out passes as "absolutely disgraceful".

Mr Boswell was resigned to missing out but last Tuesday, Remembrance Day, he received the news he had been allocated two passes.

He told the Otago Daily Times on Saturday he had been left "quite sour" by the affair and his first thought was to turn the passes down.

"But it was a bit petty, and because Rhys wanted to go and he is the grandson of my dad I thought the two of us will go.

"And we'll probably have a damn good time and enjoy ourselves."

Veterans' Affairs Minister Craig Foss announced on Friday that 313 double passes in the second "tranche" of the Gallipoli ballot had been "reallocated" to people on the waiting list.

Mr Foss said some passes in the first tranche were declined for health or financial reasons, while some people chose to accept only one attendance pass.

Mr Boswell has maintained the children of the veterans had been promised special treatment, and in May he took his case to the Ombudsman.

He is still awaiting a response to his Official Information Act request to the Government for details of how the ministry allocated the passes.

Mr Boswell's father was wounded twice in World War I and had shell or bullet fragments in his body until he died in 1954, when Mr Boswell was 9.

His uncle Charles also served in World War I and his uncle Colin was killed in World War 2.