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[Ric Gillespie]

Macpherson died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1943.

I remember reading that but I don't recall the source.

In my experience of talking with the remnants of the expat community in Suva back in 2003, I surmised that they never were as excited about her life or death as we Americans.  That may have been true 60 years earlier in the last two year's of Jock's life.

I'm sure that's true.  The depth of ignorance at the WPHC about Earhart's flight and disappearance is staggering. Not only was there no awareness that Gardner Island had been a prime suspect location in the U.S. Navy search, but they didn't even seem to know that there had been a man with her.  When Hoodless judged the bones to be male there was no thought they might be Noonan's.

In thinking about why Hoodless was chosen to do the measurements, one might reflect on the notion of seniority.  Hoodless was the founder of the Medical School and director of the Colonial War Memorial Hospital.

Hoodless was not the founder of the Central Medical School.  The Native Medical Practioner program had been around since 1888 to train indigenous people to provide villages in Fiji and outer island colonies with basic medical services.  Training was conducted by the Fiji Medical School which was a medical school in name only.  There was no building and the staff was part time.  When the Colonial War Memorial Hospital was built in 1923 the Colony of Fiji saw an opportunity to include a Central Medical School to take over the training of NMPs.
Hoodless had been a school teacher and administrator in Fiji since 1911. During WWI he decided he wanted to be a doctor but it took him until 1935 to get his certification. He would work in Fiji until he accumulated enough leave time to go to England and take medical courses. it took numerous trips with years between.   Hoodless was in England taking courses when, in 1928, the Central Medical School was established. When Hoodless returned to Fiji in 1929 he was made "Tutor" of the newly-established school to “coordinate the various parts of the medical training, to maintain discipline among the students, to report progress to the Advisory Board, and to ensure the School was running smoothly and efficiently." (Misi Utu, p.19)  When he finally became a licensed physician in 1935 his title was changed to "Prinicipal." I haven't found a record of when he became director of the whole Colonial War Memorial Hospital.

  Macpherson was his assistant.  We can see that MacPherson had better credentials than his boss, but he may not have had the same social standing in the WPHC pecking order.

The hospital and the Central Medical School were part of the Colony of Fiji.  Effective May 1940, MacPherson was Acting Central Medical Authority for the Western Pacific.  He was in charge of all medical activities for the Colony of Fiji, and all of the island colonies administered by the WPHC.  Hoodless was one of his many subordinates. 
When the High Commissioner, Sir Harry Luke, first learned of Gallagher's discovery, he asked MacPherson what questions should be put to Gallagher.  When the answers came back from Gallagher, MacPherson wrote, "“It is unfortunate that the complete pelvis is not available as this would have done much to establish remains as being those of a woman. "

Hoodless doesn't come into the picture until the bones arrived in Fiji six months later. Unfortunately it's not clear from the file who it was who decided that Hoodless should examine the bones. When the bones arrived in Fiji, on or about March 25, 1941, the Assistant Secretary of the WPHC, Patrick “Paddy” MacDonald, telephoned MacPherson.  There is no record of what the conversation entailed but MacDonald followed it up with a note to MacPherson:
 "We have spoken by telephone concerning this matter & I am sending you the file & the coffin to the Central Medical School to Dr. Hoodless.
2. H.E. [His Excellency, the High Commissioner] will be glad if the bones may be examined & and a report submitted in due course.”

So the file was sent to MacPherson and the bones went directly to Hoodless. The question is, who decided that Hoodless should do the examination?  Was that a recommendation MacPherson made during the phone call?  Or was that a directive from the High Commissioner that MacDonald delivered by phone?   My own estimation is that, if the purpose of the phone call was to solicit MacPherson’s  recommendation, the call would have been made by either the Secretary or the High Commissioner himself, not a third level functionary.

 

Of course, "absence of evidence" is not "evidence of absence."  The fact that Hoodless does not mention working with Macpherson in measuring and analyzing the bones does not necessarily mean that Macpherson played no role in that work.

I think the file strongly implies that MacPherson never saw the bones. MacPherson was vastly superior to Hoodless in rank. If MacPherson had been involved in the examination it should have been MacPherson who wrote the report.   Hoodless submitted his report on April 5, 1941.  On April 18, MacPherson returned the file to Secretary Vaskess and wrote "I have read Dr. Hoodless' report with interest and agree with his conclusions."  Like Gallagher, Macpherson seems to have signed on to what was clearly the High Commissioner's preferred outcome - this was not Amelia Earhart.

Lastly, Macpherson may have been out of the office when Hoodless took possession of the bones.  Just as he was on the boat when Gallagher died, he may have been out boating around the islands when the bones came in to Suva.

MacPherson's service history indicates that he was in Fiji until April 2oth when he "proceeded on duty" to the British Solomon Islands Protectorate.

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

Macpherson died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1943.

I remember reading that but I don't recall the source.

Probably me.  I read all of the "outgoing mail" from the Colonial War Memorial Hospital that I could get my hands on in the Fiji Archives.  From my journal, which I sent you in bits and pieces while I was there:

"McGusty wrote Dr. Duncan Macpherson's dad to say that his son had cirrhosis of the liver.  Three days later, Jock died at age 42 on July 10, 1943.  On 4 October 1943, a silver pocket watch, a silver wrist watch, and a gold signet ring were sent to the Secretary of the WPHC: 'It was Dr. Macpherson's intent to take these items to Mr. Gallagher's parents when he next went to England on leave.'

"Tofiga: 'Didn't his death shock all of us!  It was the first big funeral in Suva.  Military, too. No dry eyes that day.'"

My notes say, "Jock Macpherson: Assistant Director of Medical Services at CWMH circa 1940-41.  Born circa 1901."  I don't know whether I got that idea from the correspondence or from looking at the ''Civil Lists.''  But I stand corrected--Hoodless worked for Macpherson, not vice-versa.

Distraction from the main point: "Exclusive: The UK Has Just Unearthed New 'Top Secret' Colonial-Era Government Files."  Has anyone checked those for WPHC correspondence?

[Ric Gillespie]

My notes say, "Jock Macpherson: Assistant Director of Medical Services at CWMH circa 1940-41.

Several people seem to have read the abbreviation for "Acting" as "Assistant" (the handwriting in some of these records is atrocious). Fortunately is it not abbreviated in his service history.  He was Acting Central Medical Authority.

Distraction from the main point: "Exclusive: The UK Has Just Unearthed New 'Top Secret' Colonial-Era Government Files."  Has anyone checked those for WPHC correspondence?

Thanks.  Definitely needs checking out.

[Greg Daspit]

Who saw the part of a woman’s shoe that Gallagher found with the bones?

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

Who saw the part of a woman’s shoe that Gallagher found with the bones?

They were examined by Dr. Steenson in Suva on July 1, 1941: "Apart from stating that they appear to be parts of shoes worn by a male person and a female person, I have nothing further to say" (Bones file).

[Ric Gillespie]

They were examined by Dr. Steenson in Suva on July 1, 1941: "Apart from stating that they appear to be parts of shoes worn by a male person and a female person, I have nothing further to say" (Bones file).

I find Steenson's phrasing indicative of an " I'm not going to get involved in this" attitude. Gallagher didn't mention the part or parts of a man's shoe in his initial report. He apparently found them and the "corks with brass chains" during his later search of the site.  It's interesting that Steenson agreed with Gallagher's opinion that one or more of the shoe parts was from a woman's shoe.  The presence of man's shoe may have contributed to the opinion that the castaway was not Amelia Earhart (she was alone on that flight - right?).

[Randy Conrad]

Ric...In reference to the bones and "coffin" that was mentioned that was sent to Dr. Hoodless; what was the usual procedure of sending bones to an abroad. Was it by aircraft or cargo ship, or military. Was there any form of documentation that these bones were shipped? For example...I live in Fiji and you live in U.S. Basically, wanting to know who signed off on these when they shipped them from one country to another...Also, back in the 30's-40's it would be interesting to see how the treatment of bones...or the remains of a person were treated when being shipped. I'm also baffled that the kanawa box (coffin) isn't more respected than has been noted. I believe personally, that the remains found along with the kanawa box, weren't tossed aside but may indeed been interred. But, then again was there any documentation to this ever happening?

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

I believe personally, that the remains found along with the kanawa box, weren't tossed aside but may indeed been interred. But, then again was there any documentation to this ever happening?

Roger Kelley examined all of the burial and cremation records for Suva from 1937 to 2003.

Nothing remotely resembling "bones found on Gardner."

I read all of the outgoing correspondence from Colonial War Memorial Hospital that was available in the Fiji archives.  That only covered the late 30s and early 40s.

I read all of the outgoing correspondence from the WPHC that still exists in the archives in Auckland from 1939 until the early 1950s.  I read every index available for the archives, too--all of the finding aids and all of the indexes that are preserved in the archives.

I read letters composed and signed by Gallagher during the last summer of his life.

I read letters by and about some of our major suspects.

I read letters dealing with the loss of a few pennies of postage stamps and a torn dress.

I read letters about the digging of the air-raid shelters under the Colonial War Memorial Hospital.

I read all of the shipping invoices for the transfer of materials from Suva to Honiara.  Those dealing with bullocks and chickens were the most memorable.  Also a 1.5 ton door for a safe, if I remember correctly. 

I'm not saying there is no record of how the bones were dealt with in the end.

I'm only saying that I couldn't find a record in the places I looked.

[Ric Gillespie]

what was the usual procedure of sending bones to an abroad.

There was no usual procedure.  This sort of thing just didn't happen.  In October 1940 Gallagher was ordered to send the bones and artifacts to Fiji at the next opportunity.  The next opportunity didn't come up until January 1941 and the bones didn't arrive in Fiji until late March. We have the only documentation there was.

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

what was the usual procedure of sending bones to an abroad.

There was no usual procedure.

I think the concept of "abroad" is foreign to the nature of the Western Pacific High Commission.  (The word "foreign" in the last sentence is a pun.  You may laugh now.)

Gallagher was on Gardner on behalf of the WPHC.  When they asked him to ship everything he had found on Gardner to headquarters in Fiji, the transaction was entirely within the WPHC system.  The bones were not going "abroad."  They were just going from one agent to his superiors in the same organization.  There were procedures for sending corpses or cremains to Great Britain.


Here are the last notes I took in Auckland.  They illustrate the kind of materials I was looking at and have the entries on the procedures in question:


1230369-72  WPHC 16/I  Item 14  100-200 series


"Alleged Cannibalism by Press"  (CF.113/14/6)


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Boards of Enquiry F.130/16/3


Card found underneath other cards:


"Index system.  The entries in red type are not actual
files but are the titles and numbers of file series and
the black entries on these cards are file titles and
numbers of actual files in the series.  The cards
headed in black type are normal index references.
The two sets of cards are intermixed for ease of
reference."  May apply also to 1229050--although
those 4x6 cards with red titles are NOT intermixed
with the related 3x5 cards that seem to deal with
normal files.  123072 holds the red cards; they
also are NOT intermixed with the other cards,
even though they are the same size.


A quick sample of the red cards shows that they
seem to contain file headings that do NOT appear
in the black cards, e.g., "Deaths of Prominent
Persons" seems to have a long list of names that
I don't recall seeing in the black cards.
"Death of His Holiness the Pope" is on the list.
I didn't see the death of the King of Nepal in
the black cards.


"Corpses:- Policy re importation of corpses and
ashes of cremated corpses into U.K." (F.125/2/3).


"Diaries: Station.  Phoenix Islands: GEIC"
(F.101/31/1).


"Graves:- Late Chief Headman Bambu (Eastern)"
(F.101/24/5).


"Human remains:- Importation into the U.K."
(F.125/2/3).


"Visit of Life Magazine  Party" (CF .188/1/23).
"Edition of Life Magazine (Publication)"
(F.145/11/26).


"Missing Persons:- Enquiries re whereabouts"
(F.175/1/1).


"Museums.  Honiara: Upkeep and maintenance"
(F.104/7/1).


"Phoenix Islands: GEIC.  Station Diaries"
(F.101/31/1).
"Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme: CD&W
D.2047" (F.101/27/2).


"Pope.  Death of His Holiness  the Pope"
(F.175/6/16).


"Radio Controlled Models" (F.141/10/2).


"Whereabouts of Missing Persons.  Enquiries"
(F.175/1/1).


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


I looked at all the black cards; I didn't look at
all of the red cards--just sampled them to learn
how they differ from the black cards.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Here ends the Auckland chapter.  I'm flying out
around 3 PM this afternoon. 


We've been looking for a needle in a haystack.
And the haystack has been winnowed and moved.
And we're not sure we've got the right haystack
to begin with.  (  There may be just one piece
of paper that records what happened to the
evidence.  It could be a telegram, a "despatch,"
or an outgoing letter.


The problem with that guess is that most telegrams
and letters seem to have been placed in files.
Wouldn't they open a file to contain the page
that says where the evidence went?  Wouldn't that
file be at the level of the bones file (general,
not confidential or secret)? 


ARGH! 


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[Jerry Germann]

Has anyone viewed these sources of information? I don't know if the contents would help us glean any further information on Hoodless, or information on his activities in Fiji.

http://librarysearch.auckland.ac.nz/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?fn=search&ct=search&initialSearch=true&mode=Basic&tab=everything&indx=1&dum=true&srt=rank&vid=UOA2_A&frbg=&tb=t&vl%28freeText0%29=Dr+David+Hoodless&scp.scps=scope%3A%28Standard_record%29%2Cscope%3A%28Combined_record%29%2Cprimo_central_multiple_fe

[Ric Gillespie]

Has anyone viewed these sources of information? I don't know if the contents would help us glean any further information on Hoodless, or information on his activities in Fiji.

I have a copy of Misi Utu.

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

Has anyone viewed these sources of information?

The Ameliapedia article on Hoodless is based on Misi Utu plus other sources.

It also contains a link to a pdf version of Misi Utu.

[Ted G Campbell]

Marty,

You have done more then anyone else in trying to find the history of the “bones”.

If I would challenge you to hypothesize on what happened to the “bones”, after they arrived in Fiji, what would your answer be?

To the others on the Forum, don’t criticize Marty’s response but start to ask yourself what other explanations might return a similar answer to the question – what happened to the “bones”.

For example; is there a tradition of burying “unknowns” in a church or public cemetery in Fiji?  Are there any records of such burials?  Personally, I don’t think the bones would simply be thrown away – there is a record out there some where!

Ted Campbell

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

You have done more then anyone else in trying to find the history of the “bones”.

Thanks for the kind words, but it's not true.

Roger Kelley poured himself into the challenge with me in Bones II.

And Bones I and III were major undertakings--they covered a lot more ground than Roger and I did.

If I would challenge you to hypothesize on what happened to the “bones”, after they arrived in Fiji, what would your answer be?

Tonight my answer is, "Thrown into a medical waste bin in the early 1950s."

All the folks who had been in on the investigation were long gone.

Some acting Director of CMS is said to have gotten rid of materials that Hoodless had left behind. 

It seems plausible to me.

The WPHC moved to Honiara in 1952.

Roger and I mulled over the possibilities endlessly--day after day after day.  I wrote up some comments on what seemed to me to be the most likely back in 2003.

...is there a tradition of burying “unknowns” in a church or public cemetery in Fiji?  Are there any records of such burials? 

Yes and yes.  See Roger's reports about the burial and cremation records he searched.

Personally, I don’t think the bones would simply be thrown away – there is a record out there some where!

I was convinced of that, too.  I really thought that I was going to find a relevant letter in the archives after Roger and I finished interviewing all of the ex-pats that we could track down.  I was wrong. 

The fact that I couldn't find the record does not mean it never existed.

It does not mean that it does not exist now.

It just means that, as far as I can tell, it is not in the places I looked for it.

The tradition of keeping bound copies of all outgoing mail either ended in the 1940s in Fiji or else those records got lost.  Of course, the final decision about the bones could have been made in conversation and not recorded in a letter.  The British ruling class socialized together a lot and had lots of business or committee meetings as well.  It would be easy for someone to have a one- or two-minute conversation that led to the bones being discarded.

The one archive where we were not welcome was at Fiji School of Medicine (CMS).  There was no index or finding aid in 2003.  Even if there were any materials left from the Hoodless era, the archivist would not have let us see them ourselves.  She said she would ask a student to review them if she came across anything that SHE thought might be helpful.  It's hard to explain how useless that is.  The student would not have our immersion in the details of the WPHC administration or our (or, at least, my) desire to read every letter on file from 1939 until 1952, at a minimum.  Would Hoodless have kept his own "bones file"?  Would he or a successor have put a note in that file?  If such a file ever existed, does it still exist?

<sigh>

The Indo-Fijian doctor in charge of the school would not give us the time of day.  Of course, Roger and I just showed up unannounced and started asking questions and taking staff time.  Unlike the Bones III expedition, we did not seek or find someone with some political or social clout to give us an entree.  The fate of AE and FN held no romance for the director of the school.  We were bothersome American eccentrics, uninvited and unwelcome "guests" for an afternoon. 

The archivists at the national archive in Fiji and in the WPHC archive in Auckland were as kind as could be--but their job and their joy is to have their materials used. 

Even if, by some chance, we could get the kind of free access to whatever files FSM has, and even if my suspicion that the bones were disposed of there is true, there might not be a trace left of how the decision was made and carried out.  It all could have been done viva voce in such a small institution.