Letter: Seeking Whakatāne connection

Contributed

Alexander (Sandy) Milne

SOME months ago, the Beacon ran a letter and photograph from me about a World War One medal I had found at Ōhope.

Radio New Zealand ran the story on Tuesday and since then there has been a flurry of messages between Whakatāne and elsewhere in New Zealand.  

I have not yet found the family of the soldier, but Lisa Owen of RNZ told me the following, which may interest Beacon readers.

The medal belongs to the descendants of Frank Victor Hay, who was a coachbuilder from Gisborne.  

Frank joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces as a rifleman at the age of 19.  I understand that he was killed on the first day of the battle of Messenes in Belgium.  

He was 21 years old at the time and is buried in Belgium.  

The medal I possess, plus the Victory Medal, were sent to Frank’s family.  

I have no information about a Whakatāne connection.

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