History – Gown returns home

A family in Australia, while cleaning out their late mother’s house recently, were surprised to find her wedding dress packed away undisturbed for many years. After having the gown professionally cleaned, they were in a quandary as to what should be done with it as they felt some reluctance to hide it away again. Considering their mother had grown up near Warkworth, the idea came to them that the dress should be returned and so it duly arrived at the Warkworth Museum and was accepted into the care of the textile department.

One might well ask of what relevance to Warkworth’s history is a wedding dress? The local connection revealed a story which traversed 100 years of a family’s fortunes including how two World Wars had shaped their destiny.

Thomas Hatfull left England before World War I, looking for work as a carpenter. He tried Australia and then followed his brother Harry to New Zealand. Violet was the girl he had been keeping company with in Peckham, near London, and he had plans for her to join him in New Zealand.

With the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914, he joined the NZ Army Field Engineers and was posted to Egypt, the Dardenelles, Turkey and France. In due course, he was awarded the Military Medal for bravery.

Like many WWI soldiers, Thomas was affected by gas and was sent to England on sick leave so was able to see Violet again. They were married quietly at Peckham in December 1918 and then spent a month at Torquay waiting for the troopship Remuera to return them to New Zealand.

Once Thomas was discharged from the army he found work very hard to find and the pay very poor. They lived with Harry and his family at Hunterville and while there, their daughter was born in December 1919. A nurse in the hospital called her Peggy Bright Eyes so although she was named Grace, she was always known as Peggy, who later became the owner of the wedding dress.

Fred Hatfull, another brother, had already taken up land on the Streamlands Soldiers’ Settlement at Kourawhero, near Warkworth. This was 1200 acres of swampy land set aside by the government for returned servicemen. Thomas, Violet and Peggy had moved north to Auckland by this time and decided to join Fred on the land. However, Thomas remained in Auckland as his wages were needed to support the family. Violet took Peggy on the train to Kaipara Flats and was then taken by horse and gig to the land that was to become their home. A small cottage ex-Wilson Cement Company had been moved from Warkworth for them.

Violet’s first visitors were the neighbouring wives bringing gifts of eggs and honey. A strong community spirit grew among the ex-servicemen and their families as the land was drained and coaxed into providing a living. A school was provided for the children and when it was no longer needed, the building became a venue for social gatherings. Peggy was joined in the family by brothers Gavin, Arthur and Leslie.

In 1940, the Hatfulls had a new house to replace the cottage which had been destroyed by fire. By then the world was again at war and Gavin followed the family tradition and became a soldier. Peggy had moved to Auckland and trained as a dressmaker so when she met her husband-to-be Colin Catlow she was well able to create a beautiful wedding gown in ivory crepe de chine. I wonder if Violet’s thoughts went back to her own wedding outfit, the dark austere costume and wide brimmed hat. It must have given her pleasure to see her daughter married with all the trimmings. The Hatfull farm is still occupied by descendants. Thomas died in May 1963, while Violet lived to be 102 and left a wonderful account of her life. Grace (Peggy ) Catlow  nee Hatfull  died in July 2013, in Australia aged 94.