Bullet punctured soldier’s diary
Flicking through diary entries his great uncle kept while fighting in World War I was a surreal experience for Richard Palmer – especially when one contained a bullet hole.
Palmer believes it was the bullet that killed his great uncle, Roy Haycock, in the Battle of Passchendaele.
Palmer has written a book, Going into Support Tonight, which he based off the two diaries his great uncle kept while at war.
The Foxton resident started writing the book 10 years ago and self-published it in 2015.
He wanted the book out before the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele, which is on Thursday.
Originally, he wrote the book as a story just for his family, but he felt the Battle of Passchendaele was something not many New Zealanders thought about.
‘‘This was the blackest day in New Zealand history in terms of lives lost in one day – 843 soldiers.
‘‘I think this would have touched more families in that one day than anything else and that’s the important part. It’s the people at home that were affected by it.
‘‘More stories like Roy’s need to be shared to remember the sacrifice these soldiers made.’’
He said the diary entries his great uncle kept were not too emotional, but were interesting.
‘‘He is a very pragmatic person, so he never got too overly emotional about what was going on.’’
Palmer believed the bullet that killed his great uncle went through the diary and into his chest.
‘‘He would have had it in his breast pocket.’’
They never got his body back and how the diaries got back was a family mystery.
‘‘He was listed as missing, presumed killed, so his body was never recovered.
‘‘It was probably a mate who picked it out.
‘‘Nothing else of his personal gear came back.’’
Palmer is getting involved in Passchendaele memorial services, including one in Wellington today, when he will read the Ode.
This would carry extra poignancy, as October 10 was the last entry in his great uncle’s diary before he died.