An inquest touching the death of the returned soldier, William Hunter, who was found hanging in a bathroom at the Temperance Hotel last Wednesday, was held at the Court-house yesterday morning before Mr H. Kilgour, actingcoroner, and a jury of four. The evidence disclosed that deceased was a married man with three children, aged about 30 years. He was a member of the Sixteenth Reinforcements and returned in August, 1919. Deceased suffered from shell shock, but on his return from the front he was very depressed and was treated by the doctor as a man suffering from heart disease. Then in May, 1920, he was committed to Seacliff Mental Hospital. His condition was due to a severe break-down of nerves caused by shell shock. That the deceased had escaped from Seacliff Mental Hospital on .November 14th of last year. Since deceased escaped from the hospital his friends and the police had lost all trace of him. He had evidently been in the backblocks somewhere. The jury returned a verdict that deceased committed suicide whilst of an unsound state of mind, caused by a fit of mental depression following shell shock. — “Argus.” -Hokitika Guardian, 18/1/1921.
William Hunter's Army record records hospitalisation for scabies and also for "debility" - which could mean a number of things. He was eventually diagnosed with a heart condition and discharged as unfit for service.
William's presence at Seacliff was not reported at the time, but it is strongly hinted at in a story headlined "Astonishing Allegations" in the NZ "Truth." It shows the Returned Soldiers' Association at its very finest - acting as a trade union, advocating for its soldier members, fighting against the authorities that it no longer needed to obey. The allegations were made at an RSA executive meeting.
Captain Jones said he had a list of several other returned men who were at Seacliff, but he would make no more charges at present, as he thought it wise to keep several facts up his sleeve until they had an Inquiry. They would ask the (Defence) Department certain questions, and if these were answered satisfactorily the thing would end. If the Department did not think proper to answer the questions to their satisfaction, then they would go on with the matter. They had no such institution in New Zealand as at Home for soldier patients. Of course here, they had had a half-way house known as Karitane, understood to be owned by Dr. Truby King, merely a camouflage he did not know. The majority of the soldier patient cases were the result of shell shock on service. Directly a soldier had been in the asylum a month, his pay stopped and he
WAS CONSIDERED DEAD. Men sent to Karitane were afterwards sent to Seacliff on some pretext or trivial matter. Karitane, he understood, was now closed. Why? By whom?
Captain Jones moved that the Defence Department, through the A.D.M.S. be asked for a report on the questions submitted: the number of ex-soldier patients at present in Seacliff Mental Hospital, the number admitted during the period 1914-1920, the number admitted without a magistrate's order, the number so admitted who died there, the total number of deaths of soldier patients there from 1914 to 1920.
Mr. J. H. McNish seconded.
Mr. W, Clark: I think whatever confidential information Captain Jones holds should be kept up his sleeve. It is a very serious matter these allegations concerning Seacliff, and they will open up one of the biggest issues that has ever come to light in New Zealand. For this reason I ask Captain Jones to be sure of his facts. If a man was discharged from the army, while in an asylum, that man was a civilian and should be subject to civilian law: he should, therefore, be discharged from the institution at the same time, and then re-committed properly and legally if necessary. Under civil law what redress has a man if he is committed?
Dr. Harrison: None, if he is committed by a magistrate and the two doctors agree.
Mr. Clark: I certainly think that we should support the proposals put in by Captain Jones, and at this stage accept his statements as correct. I am astounded at the allegations made here to-night, and we must be prepared to fight it out to the bitter end.
On Dr. Harrison's suggestion it was decided to ask the Department to state the procedure they adopted in getting mental soldier patients into Seacliff during 1914-1920. In the course of moving other proposals adopted, Captain Jones asked what attention was given to the wounds and physical disabilities of soldier patients at Seacliff? "I want to know," he said, "whether there was
A SECRET UNDERSTANDING between the Defence Department, or the Minister-in-Charge and Dr. Truby King, whereby soldier patients were admitted to Seacliff Mental Hospital? Why Karitane was closed? By whose authority it was closed? Who was the owner? What amount was paid for the lease of the place by the Department? What agreement was entered into by the Defence Department for the taking over of it? When Karitane was closed?
Dr. Harrison: You are at present asking for information.
Continuing, Captain Jones said: Also the number of soldier mental patients discharged from the expeditionary force owing to having been in the Seacliff Mental Hospital? The amount of pension paid to next-of-kin of soldier mental patients who have died? The amount being paid to soldier mental patients or their next-of-kin.
Mr. Clark: Captain Jones has worked the whole thing out from all points of the compass, and we cannot do anything until we get our replies.
The three final queries 'were referred to the District Council for inquiry. -NZ Truth, 9/10/1920.
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