Murwillumbah War Memorial

About

This war memorial is a column, set upon a pedestal and surmounted by a globe. Set into the sides of the pedestal are three marble tablets, inset with lead lettering, containing the names of 218 locals who served and died on active service in the First World War. The northern face contains two columns of dead totalling 72. The southern face contains another 72 dead, while the eastern face contains the names of 74 dead, across two columns. The monument is located in Remembrance Place, Murwillumbah. It is made from stone quarried from Tweed Heads in 1923 and has subsequently been painted white. The monument faces west as is common with Classical temples and many other war memorials. The column itself is an accurate facsimile of an un-fluted Ionic column, with a diameter to height ratio of 1 to 8. The capital is also an accurate rendition of an Ionic capital, with perfectly proportioned volutes and egg and dart moulding. The name of the architect or designer is not known; however, the design of the column would suggest the author possessed a classical training. The builders of the monument were the local masons Armitage Bros. The memorial was unveiled on Anzac Day, 1924 by a wife, a mother, and a sister of three of the dead listed on the monument. An additional plaque of black granite was fixed to the plinth in November 1977 and commemorates those who died in subsequent conflicts.

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