Hi Gill,

It was wonderful to hear from you again.

I have quite a lot of information about Mary and Grace's mother Helen Penman who died of TB and she had a number of family in Alloa in Scotland.

Also I have found out a little about your Martin or "Bob" who was born in Bromyard, Hereford, England

Both my cousin Christine and I really loved our gran and we were close to her.
She was however one of those people who was very strong willed and had few shades of grey. We have both discussed your email and think that the reason the photo of her and May [ or as we knew her Maida] was just addressed to your ggrandad was because she had a fall out of some sort with Mary.

Gran [ Grace Annie Marshall ]married Walter Christie Stevenson who was also from Stirling in England. They had eloped and married on April 2 1910 in London. Walter was serving in the army there . As I told you he died on 31 October 1914 in Ypres, Belgium. He was a Corporal of the Horse in the 2nd Life Guards [ warrant officer] . His family ran a hotel called the Golden Lion in Stirling. Gran was left with 3 children; Maida , Helen and my father John ,who was just a baby. My father had been born in Glasgow on 3 April 1914.

After the death of her father Thomas Marshall Gran made the decision to bring her young family out to New Zealand to join her best friend Nellie Riddell. They left from Southampton on 26 September 1924 on the "Tainui" bound for New Zealand

My Aunt Helen, Christine's mother ,told me that Gran ,who as you have commented was strikingly beautiful, was offered many proposals but her children and father and the memory of Walter was everything {In fact we still have the most beautiful love letter that Walter wrote to her ,2 days before he died].

Overall New Zealand did prove in this saga to be their "land of milk and honey" but as the next stage still involves people who are alive and well can you please email me at
julia.parfitt@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
for the next update

All the best,

Julia