Greymouth RSA

01/10/2026

🇺🇸 FROM THE BATTLEFIELDS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR TO REEFTON

Here is something you don't expect to find in a small New Zealand cemetery.
Buried at Reefton is Captain Alexander John Kennedy, born in 1841 and died on 7 January 1903. His bronze plaque records his service as:

CAPT F&S — 19 GA INFANTRY
CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY

“F&S” means Field and Staff, indicating that Kennedy was associated with the headquarters of the 19th Georgia Infantry.
The 19th Georgia was formed in 1861 and sent to Virginia. It subsequently saw extensive combat during the American Civil War. Its battle history included the Seven Days Battles, Cedar Mountain, Second Manassas, Harpers Ferry, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.

At Antietam in September 1862, the regiment suffered particularly heavily. It attacked across open ground and lost 13 killed and 76 wounded. At Fredericksburg that December, the regiment suffered nearly another 200 casualties.

The 19th was later transferred south, serving around Charleston before fighting at the Battle of Olustee in Florida in February 1864, where it suffered another 94 casualties. It returned to Virginia, fought at Drewry's Bluff and Cold Harbor, and served in the Petersburg defences. In 1865 it fought in the Carolinas before surrendering with General Joseph Johnston's forces.

What we haven't yet established from the records we've found is exactly when Kennedy served with the regiment or which of these actions he personally participated in. His grave nevertheless records an extraordinary connection between Reefton and the American Civil War.

And then comes the mystery.

How did a former Confederate officer end up in Reefton, New Zealand?
Given Reefton's history, it's tempting to wonder whether gold brought him to the West Coast. Men travelled from around the world to the district during the mining era. But until we find Kennedy in mining, immigration or newspaper records, that remains a possibility rather than a confirmed fact.

Imagine the journey, though — Georgia, the American Civil War, and eventually Reefton, where he died in 1903 and remains buried today.

We'd love to find out more.
If anyone knows anything about Alexander John Kennedy, particularly when he arrived in New Zealand, what he did in Reefton, or whether he was connected with the goldfields, please get in touch.

Sometimes a single grave opens up a remarkable piece of international history.

Captain Alexander John Kennedy
19th Georgia Infantry
Confederate States Army
1841–1903

29/09/2026

29/09/2026

🔎 🇳🇿 WE’RE LOOKING FOR THE FAMILY OF SERGEANT ROBERT HENRY HALLIGAN, DCM, MM

The New Zealand Remembrance Army is trying to locate descendants or family of 6/3335 Sergeant Robert Henry Halligan, a highly decorated First World War soldier who is buried at Hokitika Cemetery.

Why?

Because there is a significant omission from his headstone.

His Military Medal — MM — is missing.

Halligan was awarded both the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) and the Military Medal (MM) for his service during the First World War.

Yet his headstone does not record the MM.

We have approached Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand about having this corrected, but they will not replace the headstone until family have been located.

So we need your help.

If you are related to Robert Halligan, know one of his descendants, or have information that could help us locate his family, please contact the New Zealand Remembrance Army.

And his is a story worth remembering.

Halligan served with the Canterbury Infantry Regiment on the Western Front.

During one action, he was operating a Lewis gun when the weapon jammed.

With German soldiers in front of him, Halligan and three other men went forward armed with bombs.

They attacked the enemy position, killing four German soldiers, driving off the remainder and recovering valuable enemy documents.

Halligan survived the war having earned two significant decorations for gallantry and distinguished service — the DCM and MM.

His DCM was later presented to him by King George V.

After returning to New Zealand, Halligan married Maude Foster in 1919, and the couple had four children.

He worked as an attendant at the mental hospital at Hokitika and was involved with the Returned Soldiers’ Association at Ross.

Sadly, in December 1922, Robert Halligan died aged just 35.

More than a century later, he lies at Hokitika Cemetery — but his headstone does not tell his complete story.

The MM is missing.

For a man who earned that decoration under the extraordinary conditions of the Western Front, we think that omission matters.

We would like to see his service properly recognised.

But first, we need to find his family.

Please share this post, particularly with anyone with Halligan or Foster family connections on the West Coast.

Someone out there may be the person we are looking for.

🇳🇿 Sergeant Robert Henry Halligan, DCM, MM

We will remember him — and we want his headstone to remember him properly too.

29/09/2026

29/09/2026

29/09/2026

This Thursday here at the RSA from 6pm.

29/09/2026

Tomorrow's roast .. Pork, with roasties, steamed veg and Apple Sauce 😋

24/09/2026

24/09/2026

📖🇳🇿 OUR SECOND BOOK — AND WE WANT YOUR HELP

We are now finalising our second New Zealand Remembrance Army book, which we hope to release in 2027.

This is after the great success of our first book that got rave reviews. Who would have thought that!

The book will tell 300 remarkable New Zealand stories of service and sacrifice, taking readers on a journey around the country — from Te Tai Tokerau to the bottom of the South Island.

Over the past eight years, our team has researched and written more than 2,000 stories about New Zealand service personnel. Many have appeared on this page, while others have emerged through our cemetery work, research and conversations with families around New Zealand.

Now comes the difficult part: choosing the 300 stories for the book.

And it would be remiss of us not to ask the people who have supported and followed these stories.

Our Facebook community has now grown to more than 44,000 followers, and this month alone our content has reached around 3.5 million people.

So we want to hear from you.

Which story have we published that you still remember?

Was there one that surprised you, moved you, made you laugh, or introduced you to a New Zealander whose story you had never heard before?

And perhaps more importantly, is there a great New Zealand service story that you think we should research and include?

Army, Navy, Air Force, Merchant Navy, nurses, resistance fighters, intelligence personnel, home front, peacekeeping or more recent operations — we're interested in the extraordinary stories that deserve to be remembered.

Put your suggestions in the comments. Names, photographs and even a few details are enough to get us started.

Some of the stories suggested right here may ultimately become part of the 300 stories published in 2027.

Over to you, New Zealand — who should be in the book? 🇳🇿