Family members of the brothers, all Victoria alumni, were joined by the mayor and locals from the Central Hawke’s Bay farming town on Armistice Day, November 11, to mark the street’s name change from Railway Esplanade to Bogle Brothers Esplanade.
The three brothers – George (known as Stafford), Gilbert and Gordon Bogle – were killed in combat in successive autumns from 1915 to 1917. All three brothers are listed on a roll of honour in the Hunter Council Chamber at Victoria University, as well as on several memorials in Hawke’s Bay.
The fourth brother Archibald (Archie) survived the war, and is listed on another roll of honour in the Hunter Council Chamber to those who served in the war. Archie’s granddaughter Christine Bogle, who is currently studying her PhD at Victoria, attended the renaming ceremony at Waipukurau railway station.
Christine says the ceremony was a “moving experience” and it was humbling to see so many people in the district, including school children, turn up to honour the memory of her relatives.
Central Hawke’s Bay Mayor Peter Butler organised the street renaming after he and local historian Jeremy Ballantyne, discovered they shared a curiosity about the three Bogle names on town memorials and were both investigating the history of the brothers.