BACK FROM THE DEAD

Hokitika Guardian, 4 October 1928, Page 5

BACK FROM THE DEAD

EX-SOLDIERS’ CASE. TEN YEARS I N ASYLUM. (United Press/Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright'. v ■. LONDON, Oct. 3. The Daily Mail reveals an. astonishing “back from Jthe dead” case. It is that of an ex-s6ldier, O. H. Peachey. He has returned home to Gloucester after having vanished for, ten years, which ho spent in a mental hospital in the United States. He was unable to remember ’who he was. He served with the Second Battalion of the Glou-cestc-rshires in France and at Salonika. He was hit on the head while with a Tank Corps in 1917. A metal plate was put in to replace his frontal hone. He was discharged as disabled. Then he joined a steamer for Portland, Maine, U.S.A., as a. coal trimmer. He went ashore there and disappeared, and was entered as a deserter.

The family of Peachey advertised throughout the country for him, hut .there was no response. Meanwhile, Peachey’s mind was a complete blank. 1 Wandering about in Portland, be was admitted to a mental hospital, where he remained for ten years, being unable to account for himself.’ Several head' operations were performed on him, the final one being upon his nose. This led to his memory gradually bding restored. He then returned to ‘England and found that strangers Were occupying his home, that his mother was death and that his wife had remarried, and had four children. His brother, who js partially deaf and dumb, "was so shocked at his reappearance that he recovered in a large measure his speech.

Peachey visited the shipping office of the line for which he worked, and satisfied it of his bona fides, so he drew his wages, and also £l4 salvage reward for towing a disabled American ship to port.

'■Peachey is now claiming a renewal of his army pension.