Descendants of the great New Zealand pilot Jean Batten have installed a plaque at her Spanish gravesite - and say her remains should be left where they lie.
Batten, who shattered long-distance solo flying records in the 1930s, died a lonely death on November 22, 1982, on the Mediterranean island of Majorca. She became infected by a dogbite, but refused medical help. For two months her body lay unclaimed in a mortuary in Palma before she was buried in a communal paupers' grave, joining the remains of dozens of penniless Spaniards.
In the decades since her ignominious end, campaigns have surfaced to repatriate her traces, driven partly by her final wishes. The latest is a blogsite called 'Bring Jean home.' Her great-nephew Ron Batten believes she should stay undisturbed in the Palma municipal cemetery.
Three months ago, Batten made a pilgrimage to Palma. He cleared his plan with other descendants and installed a tile at the grave beside a bronze memorial put up by the New Zealand government in 1989.