A move commenced in June 1902 to develop a South African War Memorial. The Municipal Council organised a community ballot and the results were: Pillar and lamp 170 votes and band rotunda 15 votes. In January 1903, the contractor Thomas Brown of West Maitland commenced the erection of the memorial at the corner of Grey and Meade Streets. The lamp stands atop a fluted column, which stands atop a tapered hexagonal pillar. The sides of the pillar are inscribed with an honour roll for the First World War. The pillar stands atop a stone base, bearing the dedication inscription. The monument was unveiled by the Governor Sir Harold Rawson on 12 March 1903 during the Glen Innes Show. In January 1964, the decision was taken to move the monument north in Grey Street. However in 2001 it was moved back to the original 1902 site and placed in a newly constructed roundabout.