What Remains

Abstract

What Remains Denise O'Hagan (bio) In remembrance of my grandfather, who served with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force as part of the ANZAC forces in the First World War. Do I really believe I'll find him here, among the precisely catalogued, digitised details of government archives? I realise I'm holding my breath as I read these outward markers of a man, the charting of his physical attributes and movements, his personal coordinates on the greater map of war at a particular point in time. Unit N.Z.M.R. Rank Trooper Surname O'Hagan Christian name Isaac, Bartholomew What are your parents' names? Father: Isaac O'Hagan Maiden surname of mother: Mary O'Sullivan Where were your parents born? Ireland No 36123 Occupation Farm-hand Religion R.C. Yet, it's his signature to which I'm drawn. This is no hurried scrawl; he's used a startlingly elegant—by our modern standards—cursive calligraphy; every eloquent loop and flourish, every soaring ascender and diving descender breathes pride and care, and the full stop at the end is the neatest ballast. QUESTIONS TO BE PUT TO THE RECRUIT. What is the date of your birth? 18th Jan 1896 If your parents are of alien origin, when and where were they naturalized?—Are you willing to serve in the New Zealand expeditionary force in or beyond the Dominion of New Zealand for the duration of this war with Germany? Yes. So he had to prove his worthiness to fight for New Zealand as part of the United Kingdom forces, though his own parents had had to flee their country as a result of the policies of that same British government. History is peppered with such ironies. Oath to be taken by Recruit on attestation. I, Isaac Bartholomew O'Hagan, do sincerely promise and swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to our Sovereign Lord the King … and that I will loyally observe and obey all orders of the Generals and Officers set over me … so help me, God. [End Page 119] The degree of his faithfulness to the King notwithstanding, he signed his name again, though this time, I notice, his middle name's squeezed in, a wobbly afterthought—or perhaps he was obliged to write it in full. Total service 2 years, 338 days Date commenced duty 2.1.17 Date discharged 5.12.19 Theatres of operation Egyptian E.F. 1917–18-19 Regiment or Corps 25th N.Z.M.R. Still I want more—but these are government records, not diaries. Yet I can't help scouring them for something. And then, with the stirring of a memory of a long-ago remark about an accident on the farm, I come across it. Apparent age: 20 years Height 5 ft 7 inches Weight: 9 st 7 lbs Complexion: Medium Colour of eyes: Blue Colour of hair: Brown Distinctive marks, and marks indicating congenital peculiarities or previous disease: Lost tip middle finger left I wonder whether soldiers' ages were described as being "apparent" because birth or baptismal certificates were not always available. In fact, he was just two weeks shy of his twentieth birthday. The next reports read like an exotic list of place-names, at least to begin with. Embarked per "Moeraki," Wellington, 19.4.17. Re-embarked per "Port Sydney," 9.8.17. Posted to Moascar, 30.7.17; El Arish, 2.10.17; Abbazia (di Montecassino), 5.10.17. Admitted, inflamed knee joint, Heliopolis 16.10.17; Port Said, 20.10.17. Admitted, malaria, Gaza 10.7.18 Catching malaria in Gaza spelled the end of war for him—that much I knew—yet it's sobering to read of the ever more regular sick-leave certificates for admission to hospital and rest camp, culminating in an official pronouncement. URGENT. CERTIFICATE OF DISCHARGE. 19.4.19 Isaac Bartholomew O'Hagan is discharged in consequence of being no longer physically fit for War Service on account of malaria contracted on active service. Postscript. Every scrap of information we find out about someone else also leaves us with the silent weight of what we will never know. My grandfather returned...