A Poppy Place for a fallen soldier

A Havelock North man who died in his prime from war wounds and who is rumoured to have had a mystery woman in his life, is the latest to have a poppy added to the street sign of the roadway named for him.

Nigel St, named for Havelock North man Nigel Alexander McLean, is the seventh in the District so far to be identified as a Poppy Place, included in the national register and celebrated.

The project aims to identify, research and mark places that have been named in memory of those who have served New Zealand overseas in a military capacity, and to collect the stories behind those places.

This Friday’s ceremony will remember McLean, whose family has very strong links to Hawke’s Bay.

He was born in 1884, the youngest of Allan and Hannah McLean’s nine children. He grew up in Duart House, which his parents built. At that time, the now listed historic homestead was on a large farming estate.

In 1901, at age 17, McLean enlisted in the New Zealand Army and went on to serve in the South African (Boer) War.

His discharge papers recorded that he was of “very good character”.

Between wars he trained as an engineer and helped his brother set up a garage in Havelock North before taking on an engineering role with the Union Oil Company of California and then signing up again in 1915. He was promoted to sergeant in the Wellington Mounted Rifle Brigade in June of that year.

A letter from Nigel’s cousin Major Selwyn Chambers (later killed at Gallipoli) notes that: “Nigel did splendid work and came out all right and has got promotion for it.”

McLean was wounded at Anzac Cove in August 1915. By October he was dangerously ill and was admitted to hospital in Gibraltar, where he died of his wounds on October 20, while in his early thirties.

The young man has taken some of his mysteries to the grave. While he had never married, despite being an eligible skilled man from a well-to-do family, there is rumoured to have been a mystery woman in his life.

A Miss Stark was listed as a next of kin on one of his army documents – but the family has no idea of who she was.

The commemoration, starting at 1pm this Friday (July 24) will be held at the intersection of Nigel and Chambers Street in Havelock North, the latter named for the well-known local Chambers family, which McLean’s mother Hannah hailed from. Nigel St also intersects with Duart Rd, named for the family’s homestead.

Descendants of the family will be at the ceremony, as will Hastings deputy mayor Cynthia Bowers, Veterans’ Affairs Craig Foss and members of the local RSA.

For more information see: www.poppyplaces.nz.

To advise of streets that should be considered for inclusion in the programme email poppyplaces@hdc.govt.nz.

4 October 2017

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