Cross of Sacrifice & Stone of RemembrancePrint Page

The Cross of Sacrifice and Stone of Remembrance commemorate those who died in service or were killed in action in World War One. The memorial was the first of its kind to be unveiled in Australia.

The Cross of Sacrifice and Stone of Remembrance were unveiled by the Governor-General of Australia, Lord Forster on ANZAC Day 1924. Grouped around the cross were relatives of the heroic dead, the naval guard from H.M.S Dragon and presiding officials. An aeroplane from the Ascot garage whirred overhead and the pilot dropped a shower of evergreens for St Augustin's Memorial Church. The Governor and Lady Forster approached the cross through a long avenue of mourners to the strain of the National Anthem.

Brisbane April 25. In the bright sunshine and morning stillness, broken only by the soughing of the neighboring pines, the Cross of Sacrifice and Stone of Remembrance erected in TooWong cemetery to the memory of those who have made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War were unveiled this morning by the Governor-General (Lord Forster). The spectacle was a most impressive one, and worthy of the noble sacrifices it commemorated.

Grouped round the Cross were the relatives of the heroic dead, a naval guard from the British cruiser Dragon, and representatives of the Returned Soldiers' League, while overlooking the site were headstones marking the resting places of some 350 departed heroes. An aeroplane whirred overhead, dropping a shower of floral tokens. Brisbane Citizens' Band played the majestic Beethoven. "Symphony" and the Dead March in "Saul." 
Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld), 26 April 1924.

"Commemorating our beloved dead" said His Excellency " we turn to the Cross, the sign of Him through whose self-sacrifice they have passed through the vale into life immortal". His Excellency then quoted from a poem written in the early days of the war which was written by a friend in the House of Commons.

'O valiant hearts, who to your glory came
Through dust of conflict and the battle flame
Tranquil you lie, your knightly virtue proved
Your memory hallowed in the land you loved.'
The Brisbane Courier, 26th April 1924
 
 

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