Australian Soldiers, Memorials and Military History

Introduction by Sir Peter Cosgrove

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Today's Honour Roll

September

Today's Honour Roll recognizes 109 Australians who fell on this day in history.

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Name	Date of Death	Conflict
HILLMAN, Robert Charles	8 Sep 1942	World War 2
VIVIAN-WILLIAMS, Hurman (MID)	8 Sep 1942	World War 2
GREENLEES, Preston Gavin	8 Sep 1943	World War 2
MITCHELL, Ronald Daniel	8 Sep 1951	World War 2
GRAY, Horace Melbourne	8 Sep 1942	World War 2

An Outstanding Innings - 110 not out! Adelaide's War Memorial Oak

Nestled beneath the East Gate entrance to the Adelaide Oval there stands a magnificent English Oak (Quercus robur). Given its setting between the Oval and Creswell Gardens, many hundreds of thousands people would have passed this tree mostly likely without noticing it let alone being cognisant of its significance.

The Oak’s significance is recorded on the South Australian Heritage Register, Place No: 26348; and it is also recorded on the National Trust of South Australia’s Register of Significant Trees ID No: 727.

Known as the ‘War Memorial Oak’ it is considered to be of national importance for it is recognised as the first memorial tree to be planted for the Great War by any of the countries involved.

Photos: TREENET

A mere 25 days after Britain declared war on Germany the Governor of South Australia, His Excellency Sir Henry Galway, in the company of Lady Galway and many other dignitaries gathered to plant this tree on 29 August 1914.

Eight wattles were also planted by the attending dignitaries to recognise the states and territories forming the Commonwealth of Australia.

This patriotic event took place as part of Wattle Day celebrations and was devised by passionate champions associated with the South Australian Branches of the Australian Natives Association and the Federal Wattle Day League.

Though the wattles no longer exist, the original brass plaque continues to quietly state the tree’s significance.

1928 photograph of the Sir Ross Smith statue in Creswell Gardens.
Note the War Memorial Oak (Quercus robur) tree with plaque to the left rear of the statue.

Source: Anon 1928, np. (This image extracted from Jones: Adelaide Parklands; Section TARNDANYA WOMMA: 419)

The War Memorial Oak was intended as a memorial to the Great War itself and as we ponder this event now it begs the question – “Was the declaration of war itself such a portent that those involved in the ceremony that day foresaw the catastrophic impact it would have when it had barely started?”

A unique ceremony of historic importance was witnessed at Creswell Gardens during the morning. Shortly before 11 a.m. a company of metropolitan Boy Scouts arrived upon the scene. They were followed by the drum and pipe bands of the East Adelaide and Thebarton Public Schools. Lining up on both sides of the principal entrance the scouts, trim and erect, formed a guard of honour for His Excellency, the Governor (Sir Henry Galway) and Lady Galway, who drove in a few minutes later, and were received by the State and Federal President of the Wattle Day League (Mr. W.J. Sowden) and the Vice- President of the local branch (Mr. Herbert Solomon). His Excellency, accompanied by Messrs Sowden and Solomon, the viceregal Private-Secretary (Hon. J Mulholland), and the officer in charge (Assistant Superintendent Scoutmaster Holden), inspected the ranks, spoke a few words to the school children, who were under Messrs. J.J. Fairweather and J. Donfiell, and the real business of tree-planting was begun. Eight wattles of various species were placed in different parts of the gardens, under the supervision of the City Gardener (Mr. A W. Pelzer). The Governor was the first to place a plant in the ground, and as he finished the operation Mr. Sowden called for three cheers to mark the first tree planting operation of his Excellency in Australia. A hearty response was given. Others who performed similar ceremonies were Lady Galway, the Minister for External Affairs (Mr. Glynn), and Mrs. Glynn, Mrs. A.H. Peake, the Mayor of Adelaide (Mr. A.A. Simpson), Lady Butler, and Mrs. W.J. Sowden. The onlookers then gathered round a spot where a small oak [Quercus robur] was waiting for insertion in the soil.

-Presidential Remarks-

Mr. Sowden said he would now, as Federal President, request His Excellency, on behalf of the Federal Wattle Day League, as well as the South Australian branch, to plant a British oak. They desired by that means to commemorate the greatest war in the history of the world, and also what would probably by the most epoch-making period the world had ever seen, or ever would see. (Hear, hear.) With the consent of the Adelaide City Council, represented today by His Worship the Mayor, they proposed to exhibit upon an inscribed plate on the site a record to the effect that on Wattle Day, August 29, 1914, Sir Henry Galway, then Governor of South Australia, had planted a memorial oak to keep the people in perpetual memory of greater events which had now just begun in Europe. (Hear, hear.)

Perhaps 500 years hence— although some of them probably would not be there— (laughter) — the children would gather on Wattle Day under the shadow of the great oak tree and read the suggestive lines placed there by their predecessors.

And their patriotism would be fired as they thought of the deeds that Britons had done in years gone by. (Applause.) The oak which was to be planted was, like Australia, young. An older tree was not chosen because they sought to convey the idea that this oak in its infancy was synonymous with the beginning of the great cataclysm in Europe.

Extract from an article “TREE PLANTERS AT WORK”,
The Register, Adelaide, Monday August 31, 1914