MemorialsAlumny Creek Public School and District First World War Roll of Honor
About
This war memorial is an elegant timber honour roll for the First World War. It features carved columns and a decorative pediment. It is decorated with a delicate painting of a laurel wreath, flanked by of the crossed Union Jack and Australian Red Ensign. The names of 35 men who served in the war are printed in neat gold script down two columns in the centre of the board. The roll was built by Messrs. H. H. Sanders, furniture manufacturers of Grafton, NSW. It was unveiled at the Alumny Creek Public School during Empire Day celebrations on 24 May 1918. Mrs. Eugenie Wotherspoon, wife of the teacher in charge, and senior girls of the school raised funds for the creation of the roll. The school is located 5km north of Grafton, NSW, and was established in 1872. It operated continuously until its closure in 1969. It was re-opened as a museum in 1988, depicting the typical one-teacher school of the 1930s era. In 2000, a 'Heritage Room' was established in the former teacher's residence, located adjacent to the school. The room forms part of the museum and houses this roll and the related Alumny Creek Public School and District Second World War Roll of Honor. There are also individual framed photographs and profiles of each soldier listed on the rolls. This photographic display is a permanent exhibition in the museum and was established by the Honorary Reserve Trustees. Men from the Alumy Creek and Great Marlow farming communities, located north of Grafton, were among the first to enlist, and eight paid the supreme sacrifice in the service of their country during the First and Second World Wars. Notes on veterans' names: Bert Cameron saw extensive service in Egypt, Sinai, Palestine, and Syria during the First World War and enlisted again in the Second World War. He subsequently died while carrying out service duty within Australia. Jack Chapman, the grandson of Grafton's first Mayor, was killed in action in 1916 at the Armentieres Front in France. Roy Eggins who saw service on the Gallipoli Peninsula died of illness in 1915. Vyvian Ellem was killed in action in 1918 on the Somme in France.