Theft of heirloom reopens wounds

Reporter·NZ Herald·

29 May, 2015 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Phil and Sharyn Taunt's family Bible contains inscriptions to family members. photo / Supplied

Philip Frank Gales, who died in a car crash at 19. Photo / Supplied

An old olive wood Bible has been stolen from an Auckland family in a brazen daylight burglary - and they are now offering a reward in a desperate bid to have it returned.

Milford woman Mary Beth Gales has had sleepless nights since the Easter theft of the heirloom, that commemorates two generations of men whose tragic deaths are a painful part of her family's history.

Philip Frank Weller Gales who was killed in WWII. Photo / Supplied

Scanning websites and Trade Me has not turned up any clues, and she now hopes the public may be able to step in and reunite her with the sentimental book.

"Since [the Bible was taken] some nights I haven't slept," she said. "It probably has been dumped but I would really like to think that even if I got it back in a terrible condition I would have it restored."

The Bible, engraved with a cross and the pages edged with gold, was purchased in Jerusalem in 1960 by her UK-based great-uncle Frank Gales in memory of his son killed in WWII.

Aged 22 when he died, Philip Frank Weller Gales' body was never found after the Royal Air Force plane he was flying was shot down over Germany in 1942.

Inside the Bible, Frank Gales placed a photo of his son and wrote a touching inscription to Mrs Gales' father, asking him to pass it down to his own son, Philip Frank Gales, named after the fallen soldier.

However, Philip Frank Gales - Mrs Gales' brother - was tragically killed in a car accident in 1974 when he was just 19 years old.

An investigation found a mechanic's repairs to the car had caused the crash in Papakura, that also claimed the life of his 17-year-old girlfriend, Jill Sim.

Heavily pregnant at the time of her brother's death, Mrs Gales named her own son Philip when he was born just two weeks later and it was from his Westmere home that the precious Bible was stolen during a daylight burglary at Easter. Thieves bashed down the door of Philip Taunt's home with a hammer and ignored a blaring monitored alarm to make off with $10,000 worth of his belongings - including the family treasure.

"No one would think a Bible would be taken in a burglary," said Mrs Gales. The book was incredibly meaningful to her, as she had seen the emotional toll the men's deaths had taken on her family - her other brother committed suicide soon after the car accident.

"[Philip Snr's] mother never got over it, they reckon she died of a broken heart and my mother knew what that was like because she lost two sons. It's very hurtful, there's a delicate scar that takes so long to heal and every now and again the top gets knocked off and I feel like the top has been knocked off it at the moment."