"For the Fallen"Print Page 
The monument commemorates the poem "For the Fallen" written by O. L. Binyon which is a tribute to all casualties of war.
Moved by the opening of the Great War and the already high number of casualties of the British Expeditionary Force in 1914 Laurence Binyon wrote his For the Fallen, with its Ode of Remembrance, as he was visiting the cliffs on the north Cornwall coast, either at Polzeat or at Portreath (at each of which places there is a plaque commemorating the event, though Binyon himself mentioned Polzeath in a 1939 interview. The confusion may be related to Porteath Farm being near Polzeath). The piece was published by The Times newspaper in September, when public feeling was affected by the recent Battle of Marne.
Today Binyon's most famous poem, For the Fallen, is often recited at Remebrance Sunday services in the UK; is an integral part of ANZAC Day services in Australia and New Zealand and of the 11 November Remembrance Day services in Canada. The third and fourth verses of the poem (although often just the fourth) have thus been claimed as a tribute to all casualties of war, regardless of nation.
Location
| Address: | Princes Highway & Victoria Street, Beaufort Memorial Gardens , Bairnsdale, 3875 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -37.830728 Long: 147.609967 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | Multiple |
Dedication
They shall not grow old . . .
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted ;
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old ;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them.
O. L. Binyon (from For the Fallen)
Plaque :
This plaque donated by Bairnsdale RSL was unveiled by John Landy, AC, MBE, Governor of Victoria
16 April 2004
