France House Facts

France House opened 1924
Philips family in charge 11 years
Turner family in charge 2 years (Mrs Turner was a landscape [painter. She was run over] by the train at Eskdale [crossing and killed])
Mr & Mrs Shaw retired Oct 1956
Mr & Mrs E A Morgan
Mr & Mrs R B Baxter
Mr & Mrs J Meighan
Mr & Mrs D C Rhodes

First flood 1924
Original 2 storied house destroyed Napier earthquake 3 Feb 1931
New one storey building opened Jan 1933
Second flood 1938

First boys at France House 1924 from Napier were 19 in number.
34 boys in residence at time of the 1931 earthquake.
Approx 20 boys went to Motouhi [Motuihe] Island out of Auckland.
14 stayed behind to help clear up. These rejoined the others on the Island later on.