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train on 27 July 1915. As he was one of the first soldiers to be returned, he was accorded a hero’s welcome. Mrs Ellingham travelled down to Waipawa and accompanied him for the remainder of journey.
Hastings Standard: Jul 26, 1915
Private Frank Price, who was wounded in the Dardenelle, and who arrived in Wellington on the Willochra, will arrive in Hastings tomorrow evening by the express. The band will turn out and a good welcome awaits him.
Hastings Standard: Jul 27, 1915
Private Frank Price, who arrives in Hastings by the mail train this evening, is to be given a fitting public reception. The mayor and other prominent citizens will meet the train on arrival and a procession, headed by the Town Band will form and march to the Pacific Hotel, where speeches of welcome will be made. Mrs A. Ellingham, who has generously consented to care for the wounded soldier until he recovers from his wounds, will meet Private Price at Waipawa, and accompany him to Hastings. We trust the public will rally around and greet the returned soldier in a befitting manner.
Hastings Standard: Jul 28, 1915
WOUNDED SOLDIER’S RETURNED
HASTINGS’ WELCOME TO FRANK PRICE
Private Frank Price, who returned to Hastings last night, and who was severely wounded at the Dardanelles, must have felt very proud when he found that such a hearty home-coming awaited him on his arrival. The whole of the population of Hastings must have turned out, judging by the tremendous crowd present at the railway station to welcome him. The returned soldier, on stepping from the carriage, was greeted with an outburst of cheering, which was kept up until he reached the car that was in waiting for him. His Worship the Mayor then extended a welcome to Private Price, who, he said, with many other brave New Zealanders, had helped to uphold the dignity of the British Empire. He trusted the soldier they were welcoming that evening would soon be restored to convalescence, and who, in company with many other young men in this district, would shoulder arms and again return to the front.
Colonel Goring also addressed those present and in a few remarks, congratulated Private Price on his safe return to the land of his birth.
A procession was then formed, and, headed by the Town Band, marched through the principal thoroughfares to the Pacific Hotel, followed by a large concourse of people, who cheered all the way to the hotel. After receiving a hearty welcome by the Boy Scouts, the Mayoress pinned on the coat of the returned soldier the Hastings badge of welcome.
Mr. and Mrs. Ellingham, with their usual thoughtfulness, had prepared an excellent dinner over which the Mayor presided. Complimentary speeches were made by the Mayor, Messrs. E.H. Williams, Captain Oldham, Major Colqhourn, L.F. Pegler. Private H. Maxwell, was also present.
Private Price, in thanking them for the magnificent reception they had given him, referred especially to the great kindness of given to him by Mr. And Mrs. Ellingham. He thought, as many others did, that when they left New Zealand they were going on a pleasure trip, but he could assure them, after the experiences that they had gone through, that it was far from being fun. Even after so severe a ****, all those who had been wounded and who had been where the shells and bullets were falling were only too anxious to return to the scene of the battle. It was a glorious experience, and worth more than half a man’s lifetime.
Another round of cheers was given for Private Price and the gathering then dispersed.
Hastings Standard: Aug 18, 1915
“A Turkish dagger, a war trophy from the Dardanelles, brought back by Private Price, is on view in Mr A. Rosenberg’s window.”
In the news dispatch about his return it was mentioned that he was well-known in hockey and cricket circles.
On 14 December 1918, he went to the War a second time, departing on the hospital ship Maheno. The war in fact had ended by that date, on 11th November 1918 but he went as a Staff Sergeant for records duty in Egypt.
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