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Fallen Soldier Memorial : 29-May-2013
Fallen Soldier Memorial : 29-May-2013

Photographs supplied by Peter F Williams

The bronze sculpture of a dead soldier commemorates all who have died in service or have been killed in action in the conflicts in which Australia has been involved.

It was designed by George Lambert in 1928 and cast by A. B. Burton, as a gift of the Roman Catholic sailors and soldiers. It is a simple image of a typical Australian digger portrayed with a bullet hole in his left breast, with the uniform recreated with great accuracy.

This sculpture to the Fallen was unveiled on 26 July 1931; moved to the Crypt in 1937; and relocated on the south western corner of the Cathedral in 2004.

SYDNEY, Thursday. In the full radiance of the light that spllls and stains the stone under the soaring Gothic Windows of St. Marys Basilica, the Lambert war memorial rests in the chapel near the Altar of the Sacred Heart. It is the bronze figure of a recumbent soldier with arms folded and eyes closed in death. The uniform bears the impress of conflict. Even the shoes are worn and begrimed. But the countenance is one of complete serenity and fulfilment. It is a face of final and lasting peace, full of gravity and quiet content. A spiritual quality is imminent in every line.

The genius of Lambert has reached its topmost flight in this work. All Sydney will feel its magnetism. This masterpiece of both representation and symbolism was unveiled by Archbishop Kelly with a pomp and high ritual which gripped the congregation in the vast cathedral. Several thousand people were present, among them the leaders of society and of political and civil life. It took more than an hour for them to file past the memorial at the close of service. 
Evening News (Rockhampton, Qld),  31 July 1931. 

Location

Address:College Street, St Mary`s Roman Catholic Cathedral, Sydney, 2000
State:NSW
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -33.871638
Long: 151.213125
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Sculpture
Monument Theme:Conflict
Sub-Theme:WW1
Actual Event Start Date:04-August-1914
Actual Event End Date:28-June-1919
Artist:George Lambert
Monument Manufacturer:A. B. Burton

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Sunday 26th July, 1931
Front Inscription

PAX INVICTUS

Left Side Inscription

THEIR NAME LIVES ON FOR ALL GENERATIONS

Back Inscription

DEO ET PATRIAE

 

Right Side Inscription

TO ALL AUSTRALIANS WHO DIED IN WAR

 

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au