Christ Church War Memorial, Gosford

About

Unveiled on 29 August 1920, the Christ Church War Memorial in Gosford, NSW, was erected in memory of the parish soldiers lost during the First World War. The Church of England memorial was the first erected in Gosford, to acknowledge the sacrifices made and experienced by those of this rural parish church. Crafted by Thomas Browne Monumental Masons of Maitland and Sandgate, the memorial features a three step crepidoma, the stone sourced from Browne's Ravensfield quarry. This sandstone base supports a pedestal and upper Celtic Cross made from natural and polished trachyte. The west-facing dedication panel reads 'To the Glory of God’, and references 1914–1919, a common war service timeline highlighting the final return of many Australian troops in 1919. The north, east, and west panels identify 30 soldiers of the faith, each related to members of the parish church. The Rector, Reverend Arthur Renwick, his wife Alice Alberta Ann (nee Smith), along with the tireless efforts of the Church of England Women's Guild were instrumental in the erection of the memorial. It was previously located at the entry point of the historic church. It was later moved to its prime position closer to Mann Street, which overlooks Gosford Memorial Park, when the more modern St Mary's Anglican Church was erected upon the former St Mary the Virgin Church site. A roll of honour for the First World War, dated 1916, is located within the Rectory. In 2021, conservation work was undertaken on the memorial by Rookwood Cemetery Monumental Heritage Team. Previously, the memorial's panels were barely legible from build-up of moss, lichen, and pollution, and mortar was disappearing from the joints. This initiative was proudly funded by a Community War Memorials Fund grant from the NSW Government Office for Veterans Affairs. Note: Originally constructed at East Gosford, between 1857 and 1858, the Christ Church was designed by Edmund Thomas Blacket. The structure features hammer dressed stone. From 1897, plans to remove the derelict church at East Gosford commenced, with the foundation stone laid on 16 September 1904, heralding a new era for the church within the grounds of St Mary the Virgin Church in Mann Street, Gosford. Dismantling the church from East Gosford occurred in September 1905, with completion at the new site mid-1906. The west face The western face highlights the importance of faith during the war years, featuring the words 'To the Glory of God'. They are incised using the 12th Century English lettering of sacred texts, representative within illuminated manuscripts. The Bible verse from John 15:13, 'Greater love hath no man than this' is also on the western face, inscribed in italics. It was a personal biblical inscription featured on casualty war graves. The verse continues with, 'that a man lay down his life for his friends'. Inscriptions on the west face are typographically aligned as centered, using uppercase script. The south, north, and east faces are typographically aligned as flush left, using uppercase script. Please note: Full names and service rank are listed directly below. Names as they appear on the memorial itself are listed in the Inscription section. The south face The southern face originally had a prime position facing the entry and exit door of the historic church. The soldier names are: Corporal Walter Eric EVANS, William ‘George’ HASTINGS, Private Francis ‘Frank’ GELL, Sergeant-Major Archibald Ernest BUSHELL, Corporal Richard Stanley ‘Dick’ MAYO, Lieutenant Ronald Stanley ‘Roy’ HOBBS, Lieutenant Victor Joseph FREWIN, Private Richard Hubert LE GRAY, Private Albert George Horace ‘Abe’ PARSONS, and Corporal Alfred James HAMMOND The north face The soldier names are: Private William Thomas Briggs ‘Tom’ GARDINER; Major Richard Lewis Hay Blake JENKINS, Private Francis Henry HITCHCOCK, Private Vincent Arthur CATO, Private Samuel Thomas ELEY, Corporal Frank Henry GOLDSMITH, Private William Henry CRAGG, Private Henry Albert CAMPBELL, Private Thomas Richard FRENCH, and Corporal Alexander PORRITT The east face The soldier names include: Captain Irvine Fleming ‘Flem’ CAMPBELL, Private Cyril ‘Henry’ MARTIN, Private Arthur Thomas BANKS, Lance Corporal Signaller Clarence William WRIGHT, Lieutenant Herbert Keith SOWELL, Private Phillip Matthias JOHNSON, Private Albert Henry BEAN, Sergeant Arthur Prior CURTIS, Gunner Charles Norman MOIR, and Bombardier Frank Herbert RITCHIE