Families of previously unidentified veterans who died at Lake Alice hospital sought for commemoration

After being asked to track down one serviceman's grave five years ago, Marton's Barry Rankin discovered the final resting places of more than 30 servicemen who died while at the former Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital.

The families of World War I and II veterans who died at the Lake Alice psychiatric hospital are being sought for a blessing of the veterans’ previously unmarked graves.

Marton RSA life member Barry Rankin, who identified the 34 graves, said it would be wonderful to hear from anyone connected to the men, who had lain anonymously for too long.

“They served their country and gave more than most, and it would be fitting for their families to know where they are,” Rankin said.

The hospital operated on the outskirts of Marton from 1950 to 1999.

Recently, a report presented to the Government by the Abuse in Care Royal Commission said the treatment of children at the hospital’s Child and Adolescent Unit amounted to torture.

Veterans who suffered shellshock from the wars were admitted to Lake Alice for treatment, sometimes without their relatives’ knowledge.

A number of them died while at the hospital, and were mostly buried in unmarked graves in Marton’s Mt View Cemetery.

The identities of those in the graves remained unknown until 2016, when a member of the public approached Rankin to ask if he could find the grave of her uncle, Leonard Hardcastle, a serviceman who had died at Lake Alice.

Rankin found a record of Hardcastle’s burial on the Rangitīkei District Council’s website.

“Archives New Zealand service records confirmed he died in Marton, and also his religion. With that bit of extra information I found the church record of his funeral details, which confirmed we had the right person,” he said.

The council provided a map of the cemetery’s graves, but Hardcastle’s had no headstone or plaque, so he had lain there unknown for decades.

The family was deeply thankful to Rankin, and he decided to investigate further.

He uncovered all of the names of patients who died while at Lake Alice and began working through the list, which led to him discovering the resting places of 33 more servicemen.

“The sad thing is, these men were lost to their families at the time. We now have a chance to reconnect them,” he said.

Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand is supporting Rankin’s efforts by determining service records of the deceased, and funding gravestones and plaques.

Veterans’ Affairs deputy head Marti Eller said she was pleased to support Rankin.

“Mr Rankin has put an enormous amount of hard work and care into locating the last resting places of these veterans. We hope there are family members out there who would like to honour them.”

The commemoration and blessing of the graves will be held at Mt View Cemetery on State Highway 1 near Marton at 1pm on Saturday, February 4.

The Marton RSA wants to hear from anyone who may have had a relative or knows of a serviceman who was admitted to Lake Alice, so they can be invited to the commemoration. Contact Alan Buckendahl: alan@martonprint.co.nz.

The 34 servicemen identified are John Keeling Addenbrooke, William James Dix Barnes, Leonard William Beach, Henry George Blanchard, Leslie William Burton, Norman Gibson Cameron, Robert Carmichael, Arthur William Charles, Harry Clark, John Corr, Cyril James Cottier, Charles Henry Faulkner, Peter Ferguson, William Ernest Frost, Leonard Hardcastle, Frank Edward Hartley, Douglas Alan Hogg, George Keenan, Cecil Charles Kisby, Edward Knipe, Arthur Laurence, William Lewis, John Patrick McColl, Oliver Richard Mildon, Eric Leslie Moore, Denis Moynihan, William Walter Newberry, Louis Clarke O’Halloran, George Purdy, Wilfrid Luxton Ready, William Snow, James Valentine Stewart, Clifford Edward Oliver Walker, and Archibald Watson.