Charleville War Memorial

About

Few monuments existed in Australia before the Great War, and the Memorial Site in Charleville is recognised as being part of the era that produced Australia's first National Monuments. The Obelisk is quite rare in Queensland with just one similar in Esk (Queensland memorials tended to be Statues of Soldiers and Southern States tended to construct Obelisks). It is an opulent monument, 23 feet high, of Italian marble. It stands on a sandstone base with corner buttresses which form a cross, and in turn on terrazzo steps, the upper step being tiled. The square monument above is of veneered marble, with ionic pilasters at the corners and ionic entablature. The tall marble panels bear the leaded names of the 310 locals who served in WWI, including the 40 fallen whose names are recorded on the front panel. At the top of each panel are shields bearing elegantly stylised letters 'AIF', Australian Imperial Forces. The park also has an ornamental fence and gate, with a path leading up to the monument. A flagstaff and two 'war trophies' are located in the park, providing appropriate surrounds. (Charleville Times, 4 October 1924) Corner plaques denoting all war zones were added 1993. Four granite 'digger' statues, representing a Catafalque party, together with eight dividing granite bollards were added to the memorial for ANZAC Day, April 2010. Additional Information Mason was R C Ziegler and Son, Toowoomba. Architect: George Brockwell Gill -Ipswich The Digger Soldiers, carved from granite each weighed 400kg and were sculpted by Master Stone Masons, J. H. Wagner & Sons of Toowoomba.