ANZAC EDUCATION
MEMORIALS IN ST GEORGE
HONOUR ROLLS
Honour rolls were one of the first memorials erected in the local community to register and honour the volunteers who signed up for military service. The public display of the names of local service personnel also encouraged new enlistments.
A temporary honour roll, to document those who had enlisted from the Hurstville district, was installed at Hurstville Railway Station in 1917. One year later, an effort was made to obtain a photo of every soldier who enlisted from Hurstville for inclusion in an honour roll. The public was called on for assistance in local newspapers to provide a photo of enlisted family members. The completed photographic honour rolls became known as the ‘Lest We Forget’ memorial and were initially installed in the vestibule of Hurstville Council Chambers in 1921. Similar photographic honour boards were designed for Kogarah and Rockdale municipalities.
Today, honour rolls listing soldiers’ names, combined with accessible online resources from the Australian War Memorial, National Archives of Australia, and other institutions make it possible to delve into individual stories.
Hurstville’s temporary honour board
The temporary honour board, possibly bearing floral attributes, is pictured in the centre of the photograph, on the front wall of Hurstville Railway Station.
Hurstville Library Museum & Gallery collection.
‘Lest We Forget’ memorial
The complete installation of the Municipality of Hurstville Honour Roll 1 and 2 was known as the ‘Lest We Forget’ memorial, acknowledging a committee of the same name which organised functions for the benefit of returning soldiers.
Hurstville Library Museum & Gallery collection.
HURSTVILLE COMMEMORATES
“We consider the time is now opportune…of erecting a memorial in honour of our gallant soldiers who defended our rights and liberty in the Great War.”
Hurstville Propeller, 21 February 1919, p. 2
Soon after the war, discussions arose in the Hurstville community about what form of memorial would be most suitable to honour the people who served in the war. Many residents preferred the idea of building a memorial hall with facilities for returned servicemen and public spaces over a sculptural monument.
In 1920, businessman Bert Jolley organised a week long carnival at Hurstville Railway Station to raise funds for the memorial project. The public interest in this event was huge and 10,000 visitors attended the official opening. By this time, it was planned to erect a Memorial School of Arts building on land donated by Timothy MacMahon in MacMahon Street. However, a few months later it was decided in a public meeting to use part of the raised money to also erect a monument in a prominent position.
The Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Memorial
The memorial was unveiled at Railway Square in 1922. It’s central column is inscribed with the names of all First World War servicemen who had a connection to Hurstville. A second stone in front of the tower was added in 1950 to remember those involved in World War II. This image was taken c. 1930.
Hurstville Library Museum & Gallery collection.
Soldiers' Memorial Hall, Hurstville c.1930
For the Hurstville Soldiers’ Memorial Hall project, it was not until 1929 that the foundation stone was laid at Ormonde Parade and officially opened the same year. The hall was used by returned service personnel and families as a social meeting place and was later absorbed by the Hurstville RSL Memorial Club.
Hurstville Library Museum & Gallery collection.
LOOKING FOR OTHER MEMORIALS AND SITES OF COMMEMORATION IN HURSTVILLE'S SURROUNDING SUBURBS?
Visit the Library Museum & Gallery's City of Hurstville Historic Sites map.