Soldiers remembered in HB ceremony
A Foxton man who died in Malaysia and was buried there in the 1960s while on active duty and another whose body was returned home soon after his death are remembered in Hawke’s Bay.
CHB College unveiled a memorial plaque in honour of Private Jack Williams, whose body was repatriated this month and buried in Hawke’s Bay, and the other former college pupil, gunner Stuart Ellwood, who was killed in action in Vietnam.
Around 100 people, including members of both families, attended the service for the fallen soldiers, who had played in the same rugby team at the college.
Stuart Ellwood left CHB College and served as a forward radio controller with artillery unit, 161 Battery. He was killed in action aged 20, on February 6, 1968. His body was returned home that year and he is buried in Foxton, where he grew up.
His brother Jim still lives in Waipukurau, and sister Ngaire Newland travelled to attend the service.
“It was brilliant,” said Ngaire about the service honouring her big brother, who was three years older.
“When he died it hit our family very badly. I was only very young, in my teens, but it was pretty shocking,” said Ngaire, who felt for the family of Private Williams.
“It’s a little different for us — we got Stuart home as soon as he died. I don’t know what that would have been like for the Williams family, so I am really rapt for them.”
Originally from Foxton, Ellwood moved with his family to Waipukurau . After leaving CHB College he was working at a cement works when he volunteered for Vietnam, serving as a forward radio controller with New Zealand’s artillery unit, 161 Battery.
His brother Jim, who lives in Waipukurau, said last year his younger brother was buried with the ashes of their mother and father in the same grave at Foxton Cemetery. Jim, who was training as a conscript at Waiouru when his brother was killed, remembered being transported in a military jeep to the funeral nearly 50 years ago.
“I don’t know who paid to bring him home. The funeral was held in the family church in Foxton and they took him up the main street of town and out to the cemetery on the back of a gun carriage.”
His brother’s job was to be out the front of patrols to radio the enemy’s position so the artillery could fire on them.
He was serving with the Australian Taskforce when he was killed in action about one week into the Tet Offensive.
Jim said his brother had just returned to the Kiwis’ base at Nui Dat after 10 days in the bush on patrol, before he volunteered to go out again.
“They told him he only had time for a shower and a change of kit and then he went out again. They got ambushed while they were out — the bloke that was immediately behind him came and saw me years ago and told me all about it.
“He got the ‘thumbs down’ from Stuart and went for cover. So Stuart was out in the open in the middle of the track when all hell broke loose, and Stuart just immediately returned fire.”
“He was on his feet and returning fire when he got hit — he took one through the chest.
Jim was proud his brother had shown such courage in his “very dangerous job” as a radio controller.
“They had to be right up close to call back the coordinates and the enemy knew that. They were hunted. It wasn’t the first time he had come under fire.”
Jim said he visited Stuart’s grave often whenever he was in Foxton, where a sister was also buried.
He said his brother was well liked and he had fond memories of their teenage years in Waipukurau.
“We were only
19 months apart. Everyone says brothers are good mates, but we really were. Living around here, we were constantly with rifles in our hands out rabbit shooting, doing a bit of ‘plinking’ [target shooting], deerstalking and what have you. We had motorbikes. We used to play 500 on a Saturday night with a couple of beers at home. We’d go out to local dances . . . yeah, we were good mates.”