Many families produced remembrance cards to commemorate their loved ones who never returned or who died as a result of war service. One such family, the Webb’s, lately from Petone, produced the card below. The poem on the left hand side is original, composed by the family.
Born in Petone on 17 October 1890 and farming at Stratford when he enlisted, Private Webb served on the Western Front from December 1916 until he was hospitalised at No. 7 General Hospital St.Omer, France, with pleurisy on 3 August 3 1917.
Transferred to 2nd NZ General Hospital at Walton-on-Thames, England, he eventually embarked for New Zealand as ‘unfit for service’ on NZ Hospital Ship “Marama”. Private Webb unfortunately died at sea of typhoid septicemia and was buried at sea the next day.
New Zealand Peace Celebration Badges
Peace Badges were made especially for the celebrations. Families of the fallen, particularly mothers and spouses, often wore these to commemorate those who died.
2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the 1919 Petone Peace Celebrations in Lower Hutt.
For how you can commemorate this anniversary in July 2019 see the Petone Settlers Museum on Facebook or join us at our talk on WWI Peace Celebrations in the Hutt Valley on Sunday 28 July 2019, 1pm.