Judy: How WW1 affected three generations of a family

John's grandfather served for the NZ forces as a Vickers machine gunner in World War I. He was at Passchendaele where he was wounded and lost his sight and sense of smell due to the effects of mustard gas and shrapnel.

He was evacuated to an army hospital in Brockenhurst, South England, and later taken to St Dunstans, a training hospital in London, where he was retrained as a physiotherapist, a profession he was capable of while blind.

He fell in love with his nurse, 9 years his senior; they married and moved to Wellington where he set up a physiotherapy practice in Upper Willis Street and later Aro Valley. They adopted John's mother, who was the daughter of his wife's sister. 

He practised for almost 70 years and was highly regarded. He died in his late 90s only a year or two after ceasing to work. He marched each year on ANZAC day.

From his experience he became a devout Catholic. Unfortunately, having fought and been injured in a war about freedom, he wasn't free when directing his descendants in their religion! John left the Catholic Church and his grandfather never forgave him for this. 

However, John often talks with affection about his early childhood when he spent much time with his grandfather. He has many stories to tell ... including seeing crippled people walk freely after being treated by his grandfather.

~ Judy Frost-Evans