Ipswich Railway Workshops War MemorialPrint Page

The bronze cast digger monument was built in 1919 to commemorate the Workshops employees who served in World War One. More than 300 men from the Workshops enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force - thirty-one did not return. After the war, the Workshops employees raised £1400 to build the monument.

As early as 1915, a proposal had been put forward to honour comrades who had gone to the Front. A committee was appointed and regular collections were taken up to fund the memorial. At a meeting held on the 7th February 1917, the committee detailed the progress of the employees efforts. A sum of £650 had been raised and the Commissioner of Railways, Colonel C.Evans C.M.G had given £100 and promised to bear the cost of the foundation for the memorial.

The committee still required £150 to complete the project and Mr Robinson who presided at the meeting said ''that 240 men had gone from the workshops to fight for them and he appealed for them to do their bit". A motion was carried that the subscriptions been continued until the required £150 was raised. The memorial was unveiled by the Governor of Queensland on the 27th September 1919 and dedicated by the Archbishop of Brisbane, Dr Donaldson.
The Brisbane Courier, 8th February 1917, 27th September 1919.

Location

Details

Dedication