I've been wanting to check out this memorial ever since we moved to Greymouth so last week I finally got a chance. It's located on the side of the road on a slight hill on the way out to Runanga (a suburb here) and I was expecting it to be something to do with the 1st and 2nd world wars but it looks like I learned something new.
When I read the words a bit closer I was surprised to see it was dedicated to a robbery that happened in this spot on 9th November 1917. The plaque reads:
"A car carrying the state mine payroll of 3,600 pounds (that's about $7000 nzd in today's world) was held up and robbed by Frederick William Eggers alias William Eggers McMahon. The 2 officers William Hall and John Coulthard were shot and killed but the 3rd officer Isaac James was wounded so he escaped. Eggers was caught, tried and convicted in Christchurch. Executed at Lyttleton Goal on March 5th 1918 he was the last person hanged in the South Island."
Linking up with Skywatch Friday and Tom's Signs.
6 comments:
I've probably been past this dozens of times when I lived on the coast and not taken any notice. Now I know what it's about. You tend to think you'll look another time but it doesn't necessarily happen. Thanks, Diana.
So strange that a robbery is worth commemorating?
A monument for a robbery? Strange.
A monument to keep the story alive. Worth the climb to find a bit of little known history
...a sad piece of history.
I just love old forgotten memorials. This is a great one.
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