- Sydney Cenotaph
Infobox Military Memorial
name=Sydney Cenotaph
country=Australia
caption=
commemorates=the war dead of New South Wales from all conflicts
unveiled=25 April 1927
coordinates=coord|33|52|03|S|151|12|35|E|display=inline,title
nearest_town=Sydney ,Australia
designer=SirBertram Mackennal
inscription="Lest We Forget" & "To Our Glorious Dead"The Sydney Cenotaph is located inMartin Place and is one of the oldestWorld War I war monuments in the Central Business District.On the southern side, facing the General Post Office it states "To Our Glorious Dead" and on the Northern side, facing Challis house it states "Lest We Forget." It is used on a regular basis for ceremonies, far more than the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The Cenotaph is the centre for the Anzac and Armistice Day dawn service ceremonies held Sydney, regularly drawing thousands of attendees
History
Martin Place, adjacent to the Sydney General Post Office (GPO), was the location in which the majority of Sydney-born soldiers enlisted into the Army for World War I. The Sydney GPO was also the main conduit of news information regarding World War I.
On 8 March, 1926, the Premier of NSW,
Jack Lang , indicated that the State Government would provide a sum of ten thousand pounds for the commissioning of SirBertram Mackennal to undertake the project of the design and erection of a Cenotaph in Martin Place, to be completed by 25 April, 1929. It was completed in 1927. It is made from 20 tonnes ofgranite The statues
The model for the soldier was Private William Pigott Darby from the 15th Infantry Battalion (Gallipoli & the Western Front; wounded at Pozieres) and 4th Field Ambulance AIF. A native of Monasterevin, Ireland (born 25 Apr 1872), he died in
Brisbane on 15 November, 1935.The model for the sailor was Leading Seaman John William Varco. He enlisted on 3 June, 1913, served on HMAS "Pioneer" (1914 - 1916) in
German East Africa and on HMAS "Parramatta" (1917 - 1919). He was awarded the Commonwealth Distinguished Service Medal in 1918 (one of 60 Australians to earn this honour) and died in October 1948.ee also
*
Cenotaph
*Australian War Memorial - Australia's national war memorial and museum.
*ANZAC War Memorial - Sydney's main war memorial.
*Hobart Cenotaph - Hobart's main memorial.
*Shrine of Remembrance - Melbourne's main war memorial.
* Shrine of Remembrance - Brisbane's main war memorial.Sources
* http://www.rslnsw.com.au/index.cfm?page=374
* http://www.warmemorialsnsw.asn.au/Details.cfm?MemNo=387
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