Troopers Thomas Barker & Geoffrey BrownPrint Page

The monument commemorates Troopers Thomas William Barker and Geoffrey Brown who died in the South African (Boer) War.

Yesterday was a red letter day in the history of Penguin, the memorable occasion being the unveiling of the district's memorial to soldiers who fell in the late war. The monument, which is built of Malmsbury stone, is 6ft square at the base, and stands 16ft high, bearing the following inscription:  " This monument is erected by the public in memory of Troopers Thomas William Barker and Geoffrey Hugh Brown, of Penguin, who died in South Africa 1900, nobly doing their duty for their Queen and Empire. Trooper Barker fought with the First Tasmanian Contingent and died at Deelfontein of enteric fever. Trooper Brown, of the Imperial Bushmen's Contingent, died of wounds received at Warmbaths."

Rev. F.G. Copeland, military chaplain of the Third Battalion, T.I.B., in addressing the townspeople, said they were there to perform a task pleasing in one sense but painful in another. He had known Trooper Geoffrey Brown very well on the West Coast, and when he was chosen for active service in South Africa with the Imperial Bushmen he knew that he would do his duty under the flag as he had done at home. These two soldiers nobly laid down their lives for Queen and country, and this monument would be a memorial for the members of their family and also for their children to be proud of.  Miss M. Brown and Miss V. Barker, sisters of the fallen soldiers, then unveiled the monument.
The North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times,
11th November 1902.

Location

Details

Dedication