Their son Bill, 22, had been killed in Egypt. Puke Ariki Darcy and Bill Batten both died in the war. The eldest Batten son, Tom, was Catalina pilot in the Solomon Islands with the RNZAF 6 Squadron. Laurence, 75, grew up on the family farm in Urutī knowing about his uncle, but says no one really talked about him. Because he was the only son, Wright Saywell would probably have taken over the farm at Urutī had he returned from the war.

Source: Stuff April 24, 2019 12:11 UTC