He suffered much
and murmured not
physicians were in vain
till God above
in his great love
relieved him of his pain
It is rare but not outside my experience to see an epitaph so descriptive of the suffering of its subject. Donald McRae was a healthy shepherd when he left the family farm in New Zealand for the war in January, 1918. When he returned in mid 1919 he was a very sick man.
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| Donald Grant McRae. All photos except that of his gravestone are from the South Canterbury Museum. |
The description of his condition on his Military Record is a short one but one that suggests a world of pain. "Spinal caries" is what Donald died of. The disease is now known as tuberculosis spondylitis and occurs when the tb bacteria invades the spine. A number of conditions can result from this, including paralysis from the pressure of abscesses that can put pressure on the spinal chord and, if in the neck, obstruct the oesophagus and trachea. It is not clear exactly where Donald's condition was located.
His relatives, according to the South Canterbury Museum, attributed his condition to having been gassed, but his record seems to show that the war ended before he could be sent to the front. The closeness of other soldiers in the damp conditions of trooopships, barracks and trench dugouts were ideal conditions for spreading infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.
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| Donald McRae's funeral. |
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| Waimate Cemetery. |
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