Te Awamutu Museum staff go to extreme lengths to find family of deceased soldier

A repatriation service 158 years in the making took place on Friday – beginning at the Te Awamutu Museum and culminating at the cemetery in Ōtāhuhu Holy Trinity Memorial Park.

Ensuring that this important service can take place has kept Te Awamutu Museum Collections Manager Megan Denz busy for the past 18 months.

Megan was assigned to find the relatives of Major Walter Vernon Herford, known as Vernon, who died at the age of 35 at Ōtāhuhu on June 29, 1864 from a gunshot wound to the head received at the Battle of Ōtāhuhu. Ōrākau on April 1, 1864.

It is known that Vernon was treated at Te Awamutu and then returned home to be treated by his wife Annie.

She reported to her family in the UK that Vernon was in pain and the recovery was not going well.

Although the records are unclear, it appears that Vernon was operated on by Dr Henry in Auckland and the bullet and some skull fragments were removed.

Vernon was buried in the Holy Trinity Memorial Park Cemetery in Ōtāhuhu.

Fast forward 150 years to 2018 and a Kiwi who has traveled halfway around the world appears in the Te Awamutu Museum with a small box containing the bullet and skull pieces.

The box included notes from Dr. Henry that clearly identified Vernon.

The object was deposited in the museum for safekeeping, but was never incorporated into the collection.

Megan says modern museum practice is not to keep human remains in the collection.

Specifically, there is a strong movement, particularly in New Zealand and Australia, for human remains, including artifacts that may have come into contact with human remains, to be repatriated.

In New Zealand, this process is led by the Ngakahu National Repatriation Partnership – a Te Paerangi group of government and Te Papa National Services – The Museum of New Zealand.

It is known that Dr Henry was educated at Trinity College Dublin and worked in New Zealand until 1879 when he returned home.

He returned to New Zealand to work in 1882 and died in Wellington in 1894.

What happened to Vernon’s remains in the small case between 1879 and 2018 is unknown – but it is clear Dr Henry or an associate took the case to Ireland.

The Kiwi traveler saw them among a collection of human remains, on a fireplace, in a London airbnb.

He pointed out to the owner that they were from New Zealand and she handed them to him and said she never wanted to see them again and please take them home.

Her only explanation was that her husband was an undertaker from Dublin and had obtained the collection of remains.

He had since died and she wanted nothing to do with them.

Megan says it took a huge effort to trace the relationship and then arrange the repatriation, but it was worth it.

When she arrived at the museum 18 months ago, previous staff had hit a brick wall trying to find family.

Megan started again, using Ancestry and Family Search and appealing for anyone who might have been part of Vernon’s family.

She says she was at pretty much the same brick wall when she finally got an answer and that through that contact she was able to find family in the UK, US and Nova Scotia. Zeeland.

The person who owned the family tree in question had died and the son, now 19, responded to an email from the 3-year-old and said he had a connection that could help him.

Annabel Neall made a long drive north with her husband Vince on Friday to attend the service.

She is Vernon’s closest living relative in New Zealand. Vernon was Annabel’s great-great-grandfather’s half-brother’s son.

“We didn’t know until the distant cousin in England who is a direct descendant contacted us and asked if we could take care of it,” says Annabelle.

“Vernon was well known in the family and was mentioned in Thomas Gudgeon’s book Reminisces of the Land Wars in New Zealand as a hero of the Battle of Ōrākau,” says Annabel.

Megan says once she found the family, the story flowed.

“All of Vernon’s family members are avid historians or genealogists and they had a lot of information,” she says.

“But no one was aware of the briefcase containing the bullet and the skull fragments.

“They have letters, newspaper articles and other writings about Vernon’s life after he left the UK for South Australia, where he was apparently a good lawyer, but not such a good man of law. business.”

Vernon then moved to Sydney before enlisting for military service in the New Zealand Land Wars, likely with the promise of property and a fresh start.

He served in the 3rd Waikato Militia during the war as a captain and was later made a major for his involvement and leadership in the battle.

Megan says she took advice from Ngakahu who gave advice on best practices for the storage, return and care management of remains, as advised by the National Repatriation.

She was also grateful to Ngakahu for funding Friday’s events.

Ngakahu Kaiarahi Jamie Metzger said she admired the museum’s unwavering dedication to the repatriation process, which ensured the best possible outcome for Vernon and his family.

“The repatriation was an important expression of New Zealand museums’ continued commitment to proactively returning human remains to their descendants,” she said.

Megan is also grateful for the help of staff from the New Zealand Police Museum, who took part in a similar exercise in 2011.

“They gave me a framework to follow that turned out to be invaluable,” she says.

After reuniting with the family and determining their wishes, Megan says she basically had to arrange a funeral.

“It’s not a normal day-to-day process for the museum. It’s something quite extraordinary that we will probably never be involved in again,” she says.

Friday’s events began in Te Awamutu with a karakia and welcome to the museum by Waipā District Council’s iwi Relations Advisor, Shane Te Ruki, on behalf of the museum’s staff and board, at the family and friends of Vernon.

The matter was raised and the group traveled to Ōtāhuhu Holy Trinity Memorial Park Cemetery in Auckland where Vernon is buried.

Shane led the group to the cemetery for a memorial service led by the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, the Very Reverend Ross Bray.

Bishop Ross said that in his many years in the church, this was the first time he had led a repatriation service.

He gave prayers to Vernon and his family.

Anabel spoke on behalf of the family.

She said it was a privilege and an honor to be present and she thanked Vernon’s direct descendants from the UK for asking her to speak.

“We are very grateful to the museum and to Megan because she has been so respectful.

“I found holding the case to be a very moving experience.

“From the start of today’s story, I felt that the remains must return to the body. Their days of travel must end.”

The case was placed in a shallow grave in front of Vernon’s headstone to conclude the service, accompanied by incarceration.

As tradition dictates, it was followed by fellowship, food and drink.

The whole process was professionally filmed as a recording for the museum and to share with family around the world.

Professional images were also made of Dr. Henry’s case and notes.

Megan says she saved every shred of material relating to Walter Vernon Herford’s process, as the story is likely to be turned into a full-fledged exhibit in the future.

For now, the parties are grateful that Vernon is restored and can rest in peace – complete.