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Shire of Eltham War MemorialPrint Page Print this page

06-July-2010 (Kent Watson)
06-July-2010 (Kent Watson)

Photographs supplied by Kent Watson / Sandra Brown

The tower commemorates the local men who died in service or were killed in action in World Wars One and Two. It was originally erected to commemorate those who died in service or were killed in action in World War One. 

It is a brick, basalt stone and reinforced concrete tower, sixteen metres high with a large bronze tablet above the doorway listing 79 names from World War One and 28 from World War Two.

In 1919, Ruby and Robert White donated land to the Shire of Eltham to create the Kangaroo Ground War Memorial Tower in memory of the soldiers killed in the Battle of Bullecourt, France, including Ruby’s brother Harold.

It was unveiled in 1926 by the Governor-General Lord Stonehaven. Architects Arthur Stephenson and Percy Meldrum designed the tower in the style of a Scottish watch-tower recognising Kangaroo Ground’s early Scottish settlers.

It was built by George Rousell from stone quarried from Dr Ethel Osborne’s property in Kangaroo Ground. New interpretive signage was installed on the site in 2015 with funding from the Australian Government’s Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program.

Location

Address:385 Eltham - Yarra Glen Road, Eltham War Memorial Park, Kangaroo Ground, 3097
State:VIC
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -37.688564
Long: 145.224714
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Structure
Monument Theme:Conflict
Sub-Theme:Multiple
Designer:Stephens & Meldrum (architects)
Monument Manufacturer:George Rousell (builder)

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Thursday 11th November, 1926
Front Inscription

               SHIRE OF ELTHAM
                 WAR MEMORIAL
       These Men Died For Their Country.
1914  In Remembrance This Tower Was Built  1918

                        [ Names ]

 

Left Side Inscription

1939
[ Names ]

KOREA
1950 1953

BORNEO
1962 1966

LEST WE FORGET
 

Right Side Inscription

1945
[ Names ]

MALAYA
1948 1960

VIETNAM
1962 1973

LEST WE FORGET
 

Inscription in Proximity

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

KANGAROO GROUND
     TOWER OF REMEMBRANCE

The Kangaroo Ground Memorial Park opened in 1921, and the Tower of Remembrance was unveiled in 1926 in honour of all those of the district who fought and died in the First World War 1914 - 18.   It was built from local sandstone and based on the design of a Scottish watchtower. The local community also planted rosemary and a pine sapling from Gallipoli around the foot of the tower.

Australian Imperial Force
Missing

TRAGEDY AND SORROW

 

Source: MA,RSLV,VMR,SKP
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au