7. Death of Claude Harold Annesley 18th April 1961

After locating Claude Annesley in New Zealand, the first searches to obtain his death certificate.

Details on the death certificate indicate his mother as Mary Amy Jennings, and that he was born in India.  It also indicated that he had been married to an Isobel, and married Aileen in Hamilton.

Next was to find where he was buried.  There were no apparent records of where the burial plots was, so contact was made with the funeral directors.  They had to search their archives, and reported that he was cremated and his ashes scattered.

DETAILS OF A CREMATION IN Purewa Cemetery, Auckland.Deceased: Last Address: Gender: Date of Cremation: Ashes: Funeral Director:     

Register Entry NO.: ANNESLEY, Claude Harold 4a Rawa Street, Waitoa Male 20/04/1961 Thursday Returned Sibuns Funeral Advisors 582 Remuera Road Remuera AUCKLAND Telephone: 520-3119 3965

Hello Kris
further to previous emails - ashes of the late Claude Harold Annesley were scattered in the Purewa Crematorium gardens in 1968.
    In these circumstances there won't be a grave / plaque.

   We trust this is the information you require.

   Kind regards
   Joan Baggott

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After extensive research and help from several New Zealand firms, I was able to obtain a copy of the will of Claude, and included in the documents from the New Zealand Archives, were several letters from Claude to his solicitors, and several court documents submitted by the solicitors in regard to locating the original will. 

The court concluded that Claude’s instructions as follows were legal, and then issued probate of the Will.  At his time of death Claude was living in a room and being cared for by Mrs Scandlyn.  The whole of his estate amounted to less than 900 pounds.

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Letters from Claude Annesley to his solicitors.  These letters were written after the death of his wife Aileen.

c/- G Scandlyn
4 Arawa Street
Waitoa
To Mr NTW Inder
Inder and Lynch
Papakura

Dear Mr Inder thank you for attending to the social security matter and the bank - I now have a local account at NSW Mooresville which I had not had time to arrange at that time.

I wish you to make the enclosed memoranda into an??Eligible will for me - I can sign it and get it witnessed here and will return it to your keeping - Mrs Scantly has full instructions what to do in case of my death - she will notify you and post a letter I will leave addressed to you.

I have given this matter much thought and have decided that my late wife’s other relations are beyond danger of priority and are all so long that the ??? would have to be gone through again. (Very hard to decipher)

So I have decided to divide it between the two families who looked after me after my wife’s death when I felt very much alone and miserable - Betty Scandlyn, who was my assistant for years when I was working, has made me promise to stay with them till the end, and I believe she is better than a daughter to me and I am a very lucky old man.

As you will see I have asked you to be my sole executor - I do hope you will accept the responsibility
Can a husband and wife together witness a will?  We have a nice pair of neighbours I could go to.

The only suggestion I have for you is not to sell more of my small investments than you have to.

Thanking you
Yours sincerely
Claude H Annesley.

Memoranda for my will

1. Body to be cremated even if a journey to Australia is necessary
2. All personal property and furniture in my room in the house of Mr and Mrs George Scandlyn at        my death  to go to Betty Kathleen Scandlyn (nee Hyde) wife of George Scandlyn of Waitoa
3. 500 pounds of Auckland Drainage Board debentures to Viola Clare Gallagher (nee Waters) wife      of Frederick John Gallagher 9 Jutlared Rd Mawerewa
4. 20 Bank of New South Wales Shares to Betty Kathleen Scandlyn
5. 50 pounds each to Fred J Gallagher; George Scandlyn; William Hammond Hynes (Betty’s brother) and    Jessie Hyde widow (Betty’s mother)
6. 25 pounds to Ann McDonnell widow and Vivian Lancaster (called Tass) same address in thanks for          their  kindness for me when living with them
7. The remainder of my estate to be equally divided between Viola Clare Gallagher and Betty Kathleen       Scnadlyn
8. I appoint Mr NTW Inder solicitor of the firm of Inder Lynch Broadway Papakura to be my sole executor and direct that he shall have 50 pounds out of my estate in addition to such fees as he is entitled to

If any of above pre-decease me the bequest returns to residuary estate.

Signed Claude H Annesley

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 Probate of his Will

What an interesting document!

Mr Inder the solicitor has made a number of interesting points in the Supreme Court Documents.

He has sworn that:

He had made full enquiries with a view to ascertaining what relatives if any the deceased left him surviving and as a result of such enquiries I am informed and believe that:

Claude was born in China and lived a large part of his life in Australia.                                                                                                                                               Agreed

Claude was married twice and both his wives pre-deceased him  Katie died in 1953                                                                                                                                Agreed,

Except that his first wife was still alive when he married in New Zealand making him guilty of bigamy.  But according to research he actually had two wives in New Zealand.

Claude had one child who was adopted by the other parent at an early age following the death of his first wife?                                                                         Totally  Incorrect 

Why would he not recognise two children, unless there is something else to this story which might explain why he left Katie and took Valerie.  He had two children.  Both were alive in 1961

Claude had no children from the second marriage                                                                                                                                                              Agreed

Claude’s parents predeceased him                                                                                                                                                                                      Agreed

Claude had no brothers or sisters                                                                                                                                                                             Agreed.


But why would he be bothered having a bank account in Mooresville in New South Wales?

I contacted the firm of Inder and Lynch, and Mr Inder died in the 1960’s.  All his old files were destroyed, but they were sorry to hear that their client obviously had family in Australia!

Little did Claude Harold Annesley know that it was his son's life long wish to find him.

Sadly dementia took over Dale's life, and he died not knowing anything more about  his father.

He did however during those dark days when his mind travelled across the decades, vivid memories of his early life.  He particularly harboured strong feelings about dingos.

As a young boy he was responsible for looking after the goats.  One night he forgot to shut the gate and the goats were eaten by the dingos.

He obviously was in a lot of trouble, as this memory was very clear in his mind, whenever he heard a dog barking in the distance.

But his death did not end the quest for Claude, in fact it was the beginning.  Thankfully though he would never learn the truth about his father. Finding the truth was an enormous challenge, but so very rewarding in the end.