Furneaux Lodge is a well-known resort in Marlborough Sounds at the top of New Zealand's South Island. There is an interesting plaque beside a bell hanging in the grounds which tells a fascinating story of Catholic missionaries in China and their rescue by a New Zealander in the British Navy.
A recent Irish visitor to the Lodge from the parish of Nenagh, in Tipperary, Ireland read the name of 'Bishop Galvin' on the plaque alongside the large bell. She recognised the Bishop's name since Fr Dan Fitzgerald, who had worked in China with Bishop Galvin and who now lives in Nenagh, would often relate stories of his mission experiences in Bishop Galvin's diocese of Hanyang. Word of this bell was relayed to the Columbans in New Zealand and it fell to me to investigate the story.
The owners of Furneaux Lodge sent the wording on the plaque, after a request by telephone, but no photo. Recently, I travelled to the lodge to take a photo of the bell. When I told the owners of Beachcomber Cruises of the bell and my brief mission to get a photo, they waived the usual $65 price of a ticket for the wonderful hour's sailing by catamaran to Endeavour Inlet where the Lodge is.
When Fr Edward Galvin led the first group of Columbans to China in 1920 all were aware that life in a new land would expose them to new challenges. But an unforseen challenge and hazard awaited them – danger from bandits and warlords. The first three Columbans to experience this danger had harrowing experiences. The heroic Fr Cornelius Tierney, who was already 48 years old when he sailed for China, died in captivity. The other two, Fr. Patrick Laffan and his assistant Fr James Linehan were held prisoners for 220 days and their rescue relates to the title of this story.
The two priests were in charge of the mission station of Sien TaoChen when soldiers (in effect bandits) of the Sixth Communist Army broke into the mission compound, looted the church and marched them away. A trusted man from the mission was sent off as a messenger to what was known as the 'Red Lake' region.
He returned with a demand for a preposterous amount of money and guns. He could also report that the captive priests had been beaten and a later report said they were suffering from dysentery and malaria. He learned that Fr Fernandez, a Spanish Franciscan, was also being held for ransom in the 'Red Lake' region.
Soon there was relatively good news. The Communists were preparing to leave that region due to the increasing victories of General Chaing Kai-shek, the strong man of China's National Government. Therefore, the Franciscans and Columbans were in a better position to bargain for a more modest ransom demand. When the deal was settled, it was time to hand over the money which leads to the link in the title of this article.
Bishop Galvin approached the British Consul General in Hankow to secure the help of the British Navy in delivering the ransom money. Due to the number of pirates on the Yangtze River, no one dared to carry such money on an ordinary Chinese river boat. Thanks to the Consul General the gunboat HMS Mantis was put at the disposal of the bishop. A determined rescue of the three priests was carried out successfully and four thousand pounds handed over after a night of navigating through unknown waters. A grateful Bishop Galvin presented a bell to Lieutenant Commander Harry L. Howden, the New Zealander who was the gunboat's commanding officer.
When Howden retired from service in 1951 he returned to New Zealand bringing the bell with him from China. Furneaux Lodge had been the holiday home of his parents who lived in Wellington and the Captain spent a lot of his time and money in adorning the area of native bush around the Lodge. The bell's plaque explains for all visitors the link between the Irish missionary and the New Zealander who commanded the rescue gunboat.
The plaque reads:
This bell was originally owned by a Spanish Mission in China. It was given by Bishop Galvin and Roman Catholic missionaries in December 1930 to Lieutenant Commander (later Captain) Harry Howden to thank him and the crew of his ship 'HMS Mantis' for rescuing three missionaries. 'HMS Mantis' was a British Naval gunboat and was at the time patrolling the middle Yangtze River in China. The three missionaries were Frs. Laffan, Linehan and Fernandez. They were kidnapped for ransom by bandits and were being held at the town of Pei Lo Chi. Two Chinese emissaries were dispatched from the town of Cheng Li to treat with the bandits for the release of the missionaries. A sampan (a small boat used on the river) was rigged as a "Q-boat" and was well armed.
Harry Howden and his crew used this boat to rescue the missionaries. Captain Harry Howden's family were the first owners of Furneaux Lodge.
Fr John Griffin worked in the Philippines and Chile. He resides at St Columban's, Lower Hutt, New Zealand.