Wallalong War Memorial

About

The memorial is an obelisk of polished grey Italian granite. It is positioned on a two-step pedestal, also made of granite. The whole is supported by a freestone pillar base. Two sides of the memorial are inscribed with dedications and honour rolls for those who served in the First and Second World Wars. All the inscriptions on the memorial are highlighted in gold. The war memorial was originally erected to commemorate those from Wallalong and Bowthrone who served in the First World War. The names of those who served in the Second World War were added at a later date. The memorial is located approximately 100 metres south of Morpeth Street in Wallalong, on the west side of the street, atop a small hill on land donated by William Christian. It is approximately 2km north of the Hinton Bridge over the Paterson River at Hinton.  The monument was created by the noted Maitland mason, Mr Browne. The company manufactured large numbers of headstones and monuments found through the Hunter Valley, New England and North West of the state. At the time of the unveiling almost all funds for the memorial had been raised by subscription from residents of Bowthorne and Wallaong. The monument was unveiled on 14 December 1919 at a ceremony attended by over 500 people. Among those present were the Mayors of Maitland and Morpeth, Councillors Read and Graham, and various members of the clergy. The assembly was presided over by M J Madden, Vice-President of the Patriotic League, who, after a brief speech called upon Mrs A Tiedeman to unveil the memorial (The Maitland Weekly Mercury, 20 December 1919).

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