This is the sad story of five year old George Ivory. George was the son of Stephen Ivory and Mary Ann Norah Callan who had married in 1905. She was 21 and he was 28. Their son George was born the same year. At 6pm on the 6th October 1910, Little Georgie had left his […]
Category: Accident
SS Penguin
On the evening of 12 February 1909, the SS Penguin left Picton for Wellington in fine weather.Conditions quickly deteriorated as the Penguin reached Cook Strait. After changing course again to ride out the storm, the ship struck rocks and began to sink in heavy seas.The evacuation did not go well as the lifeboats quickly capsized. […]
Remembering the Buckley siblings
Lena Marion Buckley (known as Marion) and her brother Stanley were born in Greenwich, Kent, England. They left London on the Athenic on 4 March 1910 along with their mother Mary and sisters Nelly and Florence. Their father Harry, a stonemason, travelled to New Zealand separately. On 21 February 1914 (107 years ago) Marion Buckley […]
JOHN DAVID MCLEAN
“Graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever” (Job 19:24) Our third photo from the Berry & Co collection features the grave of John David McLean (1850-1904). John David McLean was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia and arrived in New Zealand sometime before 1882. He married in Hawera in 1882 but […]
CRUSHED TO DEATH IN A GOODS ELEVATOR
The Hanratty monument in the first Catholic section has a poignant memorial above the inscription. Two angels are supporting a woman whose eyes are raised and hands are clasped in prayer. Perhaps the angels represent the two young daughters of James and Mary Hanratty – Kathleen who was only 6 months old when she died […]
GEORGE HENRY ATHEA – ACCIDENTALLY KILLED
Deep in Public2 section is this fine headstone to 28 year old George Henry Athea who “met with a fatal accident whilst in the execution of his duty”. He had been married to Kate for for two years and they had a young daughter, Olive. The tram had only been running to Kilbirnie for two […]
James Doxy Burtinshaw
Accidentally killed February 1904. Erected by his shipmates. This charming headstone caught our eye. Who can walk past “accidentally killed” and not wonder? According to newspaper reports, James (aged 19) was an assistant pantryman on the SS Rotoiti. While crossing the Corinthic with a bag of linen to return to his own ship, he fell […]
Wreck of the S. S. Penguin
WRECK OF THE U.S.S. PENGUIN, NEAR WELLINGTON HEADS, N.Z., ON THE NIGHT OF FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12: INCIDENTS; AND PORTRAITS OF SOME OF THOSE SAVED AND DROWNED. (The Australian, 27 Feb 1909) Captions from top left:Mrs Hope, Stewardess, drowned; Mr Urquhart, Chief Engineer, drowned; Mr Rentoul, third, drowned; Mr Alexander, chief steward, drowned; Mrs Hannan, only […]
Last Post
“LAST POST” AT FRIDAY’S FUNERAL.—BugIer blowing the “Last Post,” the Legion of Frontiersmen standing at attention, outside the Crematorium at Karori Cemetery on Friday afternoon at the funeral of Messrs. F. Gresser and G. B. S. King, killed at Tawa Flat on Tuesday in an aero plane crash. Inset, floral tributes in the form of […]
Fatal Railway Accident in Wellington
Frank Wilde was killed in 1914 when the horse drawn express cart he was driving was run into by a locomotive travelling to or from the Te Aro Station, Wakefield Street. ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES KILLED AT THE CROSSING. FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT IN WELLINGTON. A single man named Frank Wilde was killed by a railway accident […]