ANZAC Altar of Peace and Remembrance

ANZAC DAY 2024

Tomorrow is ANZAC DAY and Irah has prepared a beautiful Altar of Peace and Remembrance, including precious pieces from an altar we have at home, remembering Peter’s paternal Grandfather John Bertram Grey, and all those who served their countries in wars around the world.

When I asked Irah to create the altar, I had in mind Peter’s Grandfather, and I want to share a little about this man who fought in the First World War. My source of information is a wonderful school project created by Peter’s niece Aleisha Grey.

John was born in Scruton Bedale, England on April 24th, 1889, 135 years ago today. He joined the British Navy as a Sea Boy at the tender age of 15. In 1912 he and his brother William decided to move to New Zealand.

In August 1914, upon the outbreak of war, John enlisted at Yaldhurst, and joined the Canterbury Mounted Rifles. He was the first man in Canterbury to enlist and was awarded a medal for it. John, along with the rest of the ANZAC corps departed New Zealand on the troop ship ‘Tahiti’ bound for Egypt. From there, by order of the British, the ANZAC corps sailed to Gallipoli, a port in Turkey. They landed 25th April 1915.

Later in life, John described memories of Gallipoli – a terrible, muddy area, of death everywhere. Interestingly, he always spoke fondly of the Turkish troops themselves, referring to them as ‘Johnny Turk.’ He described them as ‘tall, upright men.’ He and many other soldiers resented the British for sending them there to be murdered, more than the Turkish troops that were doing the killing.

John was shot in the leg at Gallipoli and taken to a hospital in Egypt. After recovering from his injury John moved from the Canterbury Mounted Rifles to the Canterbury Machine Gun Corps, and was sent to fight the German’s, who he again felt no animosity towards, at the Western Front. In fact, he had fond memories of when the Allied Forces and the Germans called a truce because their lines were fairly close together, and they wished to bury the dead and ‘clean the place up a bit’. John spoke of how they and the Germans had swapped cigarettes and talked. None of them wanted to fight, but they had no choice.

During the Battle of the Somme, in France, after being gassed by the Germans he was granted three weeks sick leave in England, where he met and fell in love with Dora Ashford, who became his wife shortly before he returned to the front line in early 1918.

In late 1918, John’s wife Dora received a telegram telling of his death from injuries while fighting in France. Only days later Dora received a second telegram, citing a mistake had been made and that he had actually been found critically wounded on the battlefield. He had been gassed, and was riddled with shrapnel, but a hip flask worn in his breast pocket deflected shrapnel heading towards his heart, saving his life. Although he survived, he never returned to fight as the Armistice came just two months later.

His injuries took their toll on John’s life, as the gas had swelled his heart, and at different times over the years he had pieces of shrapnel removed from his arms and legs. He eventually died of his wounds in 1949. His wife Dora lived for another 20 years, passing in 1969.

I know that many of you will have similar stories, and I hope that you too have a wonderful record of it, perhaps prepared by your own ‘Aleisha’. I know I will look at our little Altar of Remembrance with different eyes now.

Irah’s altar includes…

• A statue called ‘Mateship’ that I came across in the early days of Inspire Me. I found it very moving, and while they are Australian soldiers, I think it’s very apt…
• The hip flask that saved John’s life. You can see and feel the damage it sustained while protecting his heart from the shrapnel that ended his active service.
• John’s dog tags.
• His Machine Gun Corps badge, which was worn on the collar.
• John’s Lucky Charm, a rock picked up at Gallipoli, still on its original leather strap.
• ANZAC poppies in a variety of forms that Peter has gathered over the years.

I find it very moving to handle these precious pieces of history that date back over 100 years.

Irah’s altar also includes a variety of crystals, which I will now add to our home altar, including…

• Moonstone for peace and harmony
• Rose Quartz for compassion, emotional healing, and self-love
• Amethyst for its soothing energy and easing of grief
• Poppy Jasper (a type of brecciated jasper) for courage, wisdom, grounding, and protection

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