Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

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 / Whanganui Chronicle

WWI veteran finally remembered after half a century

Zaryd Wilson
By Zaryd Wilson
Editor - Whanganui Chronicle ·Whanganui Chronicle·
9 Nov, 2017 10:19 PM2 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

Marton RSA's Barry Rankin helped tracked down the grave of Leonard Hardcastle at Mt View Cemetery earlier this year. Photo/ Stuart Munro

Marton RSA's Barry Rankin helped tracked down the grave of Leonard Hardcastle at Mt View Cemetery earlier this year. Photo/ Stuart Munro

Leonard Hardcastle's name now marks his grave.

But the battle to identify other unmarked plots around him will go on.

Mr Hardcastle, who served in World War I, is buried in Mt View Cemetery near Marton in a grave that was unmarked for more than half a century.

But Veterans' Affairs have helped fund the bronze plaque which was put on his grave last month.

Mr Hardcastle's niece Carol McGregor was involved in getting the plaque put on the grave, and said there were others she wanted to help put names to.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Hardcastle returned from war with post-traumatic stress and Mrs McGregor remembers him living with her and her mother in the late 1940s before he eventually ended up in Lake Alice in Rangitikei where he died in 1960.

Marton RSA's Barry Rankin, who tracked down the Mr Hardcastle's grave using old council records and maps, said earlier this year there were others buried in unmarked graves with little or no information about them.

Lake Alice was a maximum security psychiatric facility which closed in 1999.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Photo/Bevan Conley
Photo/Bevan Conley

There were accusations of mistreatment of patients in the facility and in 2006 the

New Zealand Herald

reported the Government had apologised to 183 former patients and paid them $10.7 million compensation.

Mrs McGregor said she was pleased her uncle now had a grave with a name and was grateful for the work Mr Rankin had done in tracking down her uncle and Veterans' Affairs for the funding.

"But there's others there and I just want to find the history."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

10 Jul 03:15 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

Strong winds bring weather warning and watches

10 Jul 03:00 AM
Whanganui Chronicle

'Values-led' construction company takes top prize at Māori Business Awards

10 Jul 01:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

Chaos as Ruapehu council rejects officials' advice on water

10 Jul 03:15 AM

The officials' recommendation was estimated to save the community $40 million.

Strong winds bring weather warning and watches

Strong winds bring weather warning and watches

10 Jul 03:00 AM
'Values-led' construction company takes top prize at Māori Business Awards

'Values-led' construction company takes top prize at Māori Business Awards

10 Jul 01:00 AM
Whanganui missing child safe and well

Whanganui missing child safe and well

10 Jul 12:05 AM
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
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP