Letter, Raymond Frederick Stowe

Maker
Stowe, Raymond Frederick

Object detail

Brief Description
A three-page letter written by Raymond Frederick Stowe, recalling his experiences at the time of the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake.

Raymond and his brother and two sisters had been placed in the children's home in Priestley Road, Napier, following their mother's death in April 1927. The girls attended Napier Central School and the boys attended Hastings Street School. He writes that his headmaster's and teacher's names were Mr Bissel and Miss Corbet. Following the earthquake he and his brother walked home along Marine Parade, where they saw many damaged buildings, including Dr Moore's Hospital and the Masonic Hotel. Their homes had been damaged and they spent two nights sleeping outside before being taken to one of the camps in Napier.

They were then put on a train to Auckland and taken to a health camp on Motihue [sic] Island. The author writes that there must have been at least forty children and that their names were published in the Auckland Weekly. They were looked after by the Auckland Sunshine Club and stayed in Auckland for about twelve months, until their homes were rebuilt.

Raymond also includes the names, addresses and ages of his brother and sisters at the time of writing the letter. He has encircled the page numbers at the top of each page.
Production period
Production technique
Media/Materials description
Handwritten in black ink on lined paper.
Measurements
Height x Width: 202 x 126mm
Subject period
Subject date
Pre 03 Feb 1931
03 Feb 1931
Post Feb 1931
Other number(s)
73446

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