Conway family gathers at Whanganui's Aramoho Cemetery for ceremony for baby stillborn in 1923

The family gathers at the unmarked burial plot at Aramoho Cemetery.

A baby stillborn in 1923 was finally named in a special Anzac Day ceremony in Whanganui.

The baby, the first child of May and William Conway, was stillborn on January 19, 1923. May and William had four other children: Douglas who died of cancer aged 2, the late Tony, and surviving siblings Claire Haines, now 91, and Garry Conway, 85.

Garry's son, Joe Conway, says the first his father and aunt knew about the stillborn child was when a family tree was being compiled in preparation for Claire's 90th birthday in 2018.

That led to investigation into where the baby was buried and this Anzac Day about 30 family members and friends gathered at the unmarked burial site at Aramoho Cemetery.

In a ceremony led by Michael Unverricht, the family named the baby "Pat" and Claire and Garry unveiled a memorial plaque on the wall in the stillborn section of the cemetery.

"William was in World War II so we decided to have the ceremony on Anzac Day," Joe said.
"We don't know if the baby was a boy or a girl so we're calling it 'Pat'."

"Pat" was the name Garry and his late wife, Rosaleen, called their babies until they were born and they found out their gender.

Claire, who travelled from Timaru for the ceremony, said the rest of the family grew up with no idea that they had another sibling.

"It was different in those days - people didn't talk about it," she said.

After the ceremony for Pat, the family gathered at May's grave in another part of the cemetery for a prayer and to share some memories. May died in August 1988, aged 92.

William is buried in Cambridge. He and May separated, with May staying in Whanganui and William moving to Rotorua then Cambridge.

Claire Haines places some flowers on the grave of her mother, May Conway.

Joe Conway speaks to the guests at the ceremony.

The family at the stillborn memorial wall after Pat's plaque was unveiled.

The service sheet for the ceremony for baby Pat.