Obituary: Duncan Hart was a hero to his family, his friends, his comrades and his community

Duncan Hart just after returning to Marton from Italy where he attended the 70th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of Monte Cassino. Photo / File

To a 6-year-old Barry Rankin, Duncan Hart was a hero.

Hart had returned to Marton after serving with the New Zealand Army, fighting in the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy during World War II.

The aim of the mission was to capture Monte Cassino abbey from the Germans. It was part of the defensive line to prevent further Allied penetration into Italy.

Rankin said that as far as he was concerned at the time, Hart had won the war.

"He was the only person I knew that had actually been away. He was number one in my book at that stage, well, only behind my father.

"It wasn't until later that I realised a lot of other people had done it as well."

Hart was considered a family friend of the Rankins as he had attended Marton Junction School with Barry's older brother Ken.

Rankin was at the Marton Returned and Services Association (RSA) annual meeting (AGM) on Thursday, March 28 which Hart was expected to attend.

However, he never arrived. Duncan Hart died peacefully in his home on Wednesday, March 27 aged 96.

Rankin said he was shattered when he found out.

"Generally everybody in Marton knew Duncan, maybe not intimately, but they knew of him. It hit home pretty hard. The funeral will be one of the biggest that's been here.

"We were friends. He was very personable, easy to talk to and he knew a lot about a lot of different things. He was very pleasant company."

Rankin left Marton with his parents when he was 10 and they spent some time in Whanganui before he got married and went to work in Fiji.

However, about 60 years later Rankin returned to Marton where he became reacquainted with his friend Hart, who was at least 15 years older than him.

Hart asked Rankin if he would be the treasurer of the Marton RSA and there was no way he could refuse his hero, doing the role right up until that last AGM.

Hart's list of accolades is long. He was awarded a Queen's Service Medal in 2017 for his services to the community.

He was awarded life membership, the Gold Star and Special Honours from the NZRSA in 1977 and was a founding member of Marton Lions in 1963, becoming a life member in 1988.

In 2014, Hart travelled to Italy with approximately 40 other veterans to attend the Battle of Monte Cassino's 70th anniversary commemorations.

Upon coming home, he told the Chronicle that plenty of stories were told, they were packed with food and he met Prince Harry, who he said was easy going.

While there, Hart visited the graves of his tank driver and John Keystone, who he'd played rugby with and is the only Marton man buried at Cassino.

Rangitīkei mayor Andy Watson also knew Hart from age 6 and attended school with his daughter Virginia.

Watson said he was out of town when Hart died and had up to 20 people contacting him to inform him about it, such was Hart's standing in Marton.

"He was an absolute icon. When somebody aged 96 dies, often funerals are reasonably small things because literally, their era has moved on," Watson said.

"You won't find that's the case in Marton. Duncan Hart's funeral will be a huge affair for this district, because he is so highly regarded.

"He's probably the closest thing we've had to royalty to be honest."

A celebration of Hart's life will be held in the Marton Memorial Hall on Wellington Rd in Marton on Friday, April 12th at 2pm.