James
Montford “Monty” Christian was a Radio Signaller with the New Zealand Army. His family history records that Monty was
stationed throughout the Pacific during World War II. It is during his time on Norfolk Island, in
the Pier Store, that Monty is impressed with a supernatural experience.
This
Christian family can trace their ancestry to John Christian, born in 1776,
married to Marjery (nee Gell) of the Isle of Man. They haven’t identified an immediate
connection to ‘our’ Christian family, however it is most likely there is a
cousin connection there somewhere.
Monty’s nephew John and his wife Sharyn Christian from Paraparaumu on
the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand paid us a visit at the museum and showed us the
papers documenting his family’s history.
In amongst this information is Monty’s Norfolk story.
He
says, “I would be stationed in the Coffin Shed on night shift watching for the
approach of the enemy – the Japanese warships”.
The
Coffin Shed he refers to is The Pier Store, located at the end of Kingston Pier. The Pier Store was built in 1825 as a
Commissariat Store (Government Store) it has had a variety of names and purpose
over the years.
The building has been
continuously used since 1825. After the
Pitcairn Islanders settled here it became a customs store on the ground floor
and part of the upper floor was used as a coffin room. Later it was used as a store for lighterage
equipment, old crank mill machinery and pallets of beer until it became part of
the Norfolk Island Museum in 1988.
This
is the poem that Monty wrote whilst on night shift in the Coffin Shed, December
1941.
While
on duty I’m quietly sitting
Ghostly
forms around me are flitting
Up
and down and all around the coffin room
And
then sometimes when I’m nodding
I
can hear their footsteps plodding
Ghostly
faces peering at me from the gloom
All
around me forms are lying
Some
are groaning some are sighing
And
some are crashing around me on the floor
Oh
I long for my fears to banish
As
they come and then they vanish
Treading
lightly to the gloom beyond the door
Oh
feel I want assistance
As
I see them in the distance
Dancing
lightly on the shadows by the fire
And
their ghostly eyes are gloating
As
their forms come gently floating
Rising
upwards to the roof and even higher
And
the time was quickly slipping
I
could hear their footsteps tripping
All
around the room with ne’er a pause
And
my hand was on the trigger
As
I saw a ghostly figure
Saying
loud in accents clear I’m Rufus Dawes
And
my heart neigh stopped beating
At
this unexpected meeting
When
around the chimney corner I saw
Scores
of convicts now departed
So
very soon I started
Gently
tripping very quickly through the door
So
I’ll wait till day is dawning
An
in the early morning
I
be leaving all these ghastly forms to you
And
the guard that’s here tomorrow
Will
all find to their sorrow
That
the things that I’ve been telling them are true
Obviously
Monty was familiar with the classic convict novel ‘For the Term of His Natural
Life’ written by Marcus Clarke. The
character Rufus Dawes was the pseudonym name taken on by Richard Devine, to
protect his mother’s infidelity secret.
 |
| James 'Monty' Christian and Sharyn Christian |
John and Sharyn Christian are pictured on the
Pier Store veranda. Thanks for sharing
this poem with us. I think you’ll find a
number of us on Norfolk today can relate to Monty’s ghoulish fear in the Pier
Store.
Janelle
Blucher
