Victim Recovery Masonic Hotel
Original digital file
NashJA1944_Earthquake_044.jpg
Non-commercial use
This work is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand (CC BY-NC 3.0 NZ).
Commercial Use
Please contact us for information about using this material commercially.Can you help?
The Hawke's Bay Knowledge Bank relies on donations to make this material available. Please consider making a donation towards preserving our local history.
Visit our donations page for more information.
Description
Sailors and civilians searching the rubble
This image is of special significance to the Evans/Ward family – David Evans worked at the Masonic Hotel and did not return home after the earthquake. About three days later his sister-in-law, Gert Begley, went with his son, Noel Evans, to see if they could find him. Sailors stepped in to help and located his body under the rubble. He left behind his wife, May, and three children – Noel, Ken Evans and Lorna (Ward).
From Maree Pedersen 2021 – “There was a Chemist shop next to the hotel and in those days they all had bunsen burners which could have started the fire, ….they found several people under the veranda roof (corrugated iron ) that kind of protected them from the worst of the fire. I was also told that they probably hesitated at the doorway as the band rotunda would have been collapsing towards them – it was quite a large thing. Anyway that’s what I recall being told.”
Subjects
Business / Organisation
Masonic HotelLocation
Marine Parade, NapierFormat of the original
Photographic printDate published
February 1931Accession number
500754Supporters and sponsors
We sincerely thank the following businesses and organisations for their support.
Do you know something about this record?
Please note we cannot verify the accuracy of any information posted by the community.