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Flinders War MemorialPrint Page 
The monument was built in 1922 to commemorate individuals who served in World War One. It is constructed in the shape of a stone seat.
Note : A plaque was added at a later date for those who served in World War Two. In 2017, a separate memorial was unveiled for those who served in World War Two and the World War Two plaque was removed from this memorial.
This memorial (which was recently unveiled by Captain Bruce, M.C., M.H.R.) has been erected on a prominent headland at the entrance to Westernport Bay, Victoria, from which one of the most beautiful views of sea and landscape in Australia may be obtained. In construction it is unique, the base being of fine axed bluestone, while the superstructure is formed of selected waterworn stones faced with Harcourt granite. In the centre a cast bronze panel contains the names of 62 soldiers and nurses who served, and a separate panel bears the names of 16 honoured dead. The waterworn stones were obtained from a spot 10 miles away, and had to be carried up the face of cliffs 300ft. high in sugar bags 10 stones at a time.This was done by voluntary local effort.
Sydney Mail (NSW), 1 February 1922.
Location
| Address: | The Esplanade & Cook Street, Flinders, 3929 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -38.474691 Long: 145.024146 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Seat |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW1 |
| Link: | http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/vhd/… |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 1922 |
|---|
The Great War
1914 1919
Those Who Served
[ Names ]
The Honoured Dead
[ Names ]
"Their Name Shall Live For Ever"
Nurses
[ Names ]
The Great War 1914 . 1918
After the declaration of war on 14 August 1914 seventy-six young people from this district responded to the Prime Minister`s appeal to volunteer for service in the Australina Military Forces. Over 30,000 Australians signed up within months and after appropriate military training in Egypt the volunteer recruits went on to serve at Gallipoli, in Palestine, the Middle East, Mesopotamia, and on some of the most horrific battlefields along the Western Front in Belgium and France. In all, 313,814 soldiers departed Australia for the battlefields of whom 59.330 lost their lives. If their bodies were in fact recovered and identified they were buried in a nearby war cemetery. Of the soldiers who came home 152,1717 carried life-long disabilities. Sixteen local volunteers were killed in action of died of wounds.
Those who had to stay at home faced day by day anguish of having loved ones in battle. With so many young men gone, farmers and graziers had to band together sowing and harvesting their crops. By the end of 1914 the women of the district had established one of the first branches of the Australian Red Cross in Victoria. The branch worked prodigiously to raise funds to supply comforts for the troops.
With only two exceptions - General William Bridges who was fatally wounded at Gallipoli and brought home for burial, and the Unknown Soldier who was reburied at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra in 1993 - every Australian who died in service overseas in the Great War lies buried in foreign soil. As a consequence war memorials in Australia became very significant features in communities. This memorial will always be special to the people of Flinders and Shoreham as a place to come together to share the loss of their loved ones, and to honour those who served.
Australian Government`s Your Community Heritage Program
