Leonard Gracie (Uncle Len)

Len was born in Aratapu on 8 September 1908. He was the second son of Arthur and Minnie Gracie, although the first born child Eric had died in infancy. When he was just seven years old, his maternal grandfather Terence Crooks died in Auckland and this is perhaps why his grandmother Elizabeth wanted him to go down and live with her in Glenfield, or Mayfield as the district was then called. Regardless of the reason, it seems strange request, but Len was duly sent south. Grandma Crooks however took little pleasure in having him there when he moved in with her. She was partial to a few gins apparently, spending much of her time in her rocking chair and being generally mean. Len’s older cousin Cassie was also living with Grandma Crooks in the capacity of housekeeper, and she didn't like him, so all in all, his childhood was a pretty unhappy one. If fact, he was never a very happy sort, and no doubt his formative years were a major factor in this.


It was some years before the rest of the family moved to Glenfield. Len’s sister Eva, who had been born not long before he left, came down first; about six months ahead of the others, and the two of them became close.

Len attended Northcote College and worked variously as a labourer, continuing to live in the family home in Glenfield where he shared a room with brother Stan. It was during the depression and he supplemented the family income by trapping possums and selling the skins. The bodies were cooked up in the copper for chook food.

He was conscripted into the army, entered Papakura camp on 5July 1941and after completing basic training emarked for Egypt on 13 September 1941. overseas in September 1941, where he served with the Infantry Brigade in Egypt. Len and Spid actually sailed at the same time, and on the same day that Mum had all her teeth out. They were both involved in the famous battle of Al Alamein, although they served in different areas. Len was badly wounded and reported missing, before being found in a field hospital and eventually repatriated. When he finally arrived back in Auckland, his father met the train at Auckland station, and Len was transferred directly to the military annexe at Auckland Hospital. Mum would visit and said that he just lay there, staring at the ceiling and barely talking. He would only make clicking noises with his tongue. Given what he had been through and seen, he was no doubt severely traumatised - PTSD, and he was worried that he might be sent back to the war. After a spell in Auckland, he shifted to Queen Mary Hospital in Rotorua to complete his convalescence.

No. 66698 24 Battalion


Back in Auckland, Len returned to work with the Disabled Servicemen’s League. He had a gammy leg as a result of his wounds, and wore a brace on it. He continued to live with the family in Glenfield until moving to Hamilton, where he lived for a period in a caravan at Uncle Stan & Aunty Jess’s place in Heaphy Terrace before buying a house in Hamilton. The electoral roll of 1957 shows Len as a Surgical Bootmaker living in Houchens Road, Rukuhia. He worked at Waikato Hospital.

Heather Lee (nee Gracie) remembers Uncle Len taking her to the library each week while he was living in Heaphy Terrace and getting an ice cream on the way home. His favourite author was PG Wodehouse, and he read little else. He apparently made her a pair of boots that were quite horrible and she dreaded wearing them. Each evening he would come inside to make his cocoa before retiring for the night. While living at Heaphy Terrace, Len grew a lot of vegetables. Unfortunately Stan would give them away to his mates and this would upset Len.

Later on. when he lived in Rukuhia, he was popular with the local kids and his favourite was Maryanne DeMalmanche who lived next door. Maryanne's mother Pam was very good to him.

 
Uncle Len would usually come up to Papatoetoe on Xmas Day. He drove a black Ford 10 Prefect. He would stay with us and while in Auckland would go over to the North Shore to meet up with his old school mate Bodge Brodie. We visited him in Hamilton on at least one occasion that I can recall.


At Mum & Dad's wedding

My own special memories of Uncle Len include:
- Waiting at the end of the drive on Xmas morning for his car to appear, coming up the road.
- Giving Warwick and I the threepences from his Xmas pudding.
- Showing me the correct way to hold a rifle (It was a toy rifle…)
- Making me a deadly knife out of a power hacksaw blade when I was probably around nine years old.
- He owned a pack of playing cards with naked ladies on them.
 
Uncle Len had a heart attack in 1965 and was admitted to Waikato Hospital where Mum and Dad went to visit him. He was due to go home when he had another heart attack on 13 November; this time fatal. He was only 57. Uncle Len is buried in Newstead Cemetery in Hamilton. Uncle Stan died the following year and their graves are actually top to tail, which is actually kind of cool. Makes me wonder if he’s still giving Uncle Stan a hard time over those veges!