N.Z. visit to trace missing M.P.

Press, 9 October 1982, Page 26

N.Z. visit to trace missing M.P.

A British member of Parliament is visiting New Zealand in the hope of finding some trace of a former British member of Parliament who enlisted in the Ist New Zealand Expeditionary Force, was discharged and disappeared from a London hotel in 1920 — never to be seen again.

Dr David Ckark is the member of Parliament for South Shields and has previously represented Colne Valley. He is in New Zealand as part of a parliamentary delegation, but has arrived a few days early to pursue some research work for a book.

In 1907 Victor Grayson was elected a Socialist Labour member of Parliament for Colne Valley. Dr Clark says that Grayson was “the shining light of socialism in the United Kingdom for a few years after his election.”

His fall from grace was eventually followed by his disappearance from a London hotel, a mystery that is often returned to prominence in Britain.

Grayson and his wife, who was an actress, visited New Zealand-in 1915-16. Grayson enlisted in the Ist N.Z.E.F. in Christchurch on November 28, 1916, and entered camp on February 10, 1917, to be posted to C Company, 25th Reinforcements. On arrival in England on July 20, 1917, he was posted to the Ist Battalion, Canterbury Infantry Regiment, and on September 5 left for France.

Private Grayson , was wounded. at Passchendaele on October 12, and admitted to hospital with gunshot wounds to the left hip. On October 23, he was moved to England and admitted to No. 1 General Hospital at Brockenhurst.

He left the hospital on December 18, and was to report to the Discharge Depot at Torquay on January 3, 1918. He was discharged from the N.Z.E.F. on March 7, being medically unfit for

war service. After this he remained in England.

Dr Clark believes there are three alternatives surrounding Grayson’s fate: • He was murdered. • His disappearance was connected with the Secret Service.

• He wanted to disappear and work for another party. About the time of Grayson’s disappearance honours were being illegally sold in Britain, the money going to Lloyd George. Dr Clark believes that Grayson was meeting people who were selling these honours and was certainly on the fringe of this activity.

A House of Commons investigation was subsequently held into the racket, but Dr Clark says this was eventually hushed up and no more was heard of it. This might explain the Secret Service connection, says Dr Clark. Dr Clark, who has been interested ’in the Grayson case for about 15 years, does not think that Grayson returned to New Zealand. “He was entitled to a war pension and never claimed it,” he says.

However, he belives there may be people in New Zealand who may be able to shed some light on the matter.

Dr Clark says that Grayson was almost 40 when he enlisted, which may have made him conspicuous in some way. He may also have drawn attention to himself by the trouble he expert-

enceo wnn socialists here because of his pro-war stance.

Dr Clark would like to talk to anyone who might remember Grayson, from camp or the trenches.

“I don't think the key to the mystery lies in New Zealand,” Dr Clark says, but he does hope that someone’s memory may be stirred by this account.

He hopes that someone may remember conversations with Grayson in which he may have indicated his plans for after the war. “At the end of the day we will not be able to prove one way or the other what happened to him,” Dr Clark says.

In spite of this, he is half way through writing a book on the mystery and has interested the 8.8. C. in making a television documentary. Dr Clark is combining his research with a parliamentary delegation on a factfinding good-will visit to New Zealand. The two Labour, two Conservative,and one House of Lords representatives are spending three weeks touring New Zealand to acquaint themselves with New Zealand’s political system.

Dr Clark will arrive in Christchurch on October 18 and hopes that anyone who may be able to help him in his search for information on Grayson will write to him or get in touch with him at Noahs Hotel in Christchurch.