Camberwell War Memorial

Details

Location RSL, Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Boroondara - Victoria, Australia
Type memorial
Description

A concrete stepped obelisk on a cement base.

This panel was originally inside of the foyer of the Canterbury Memorial Hall on Canterbury Rd, Canterbury. This Memorial Hall Stood on the corner of Canterbury Rd and Keats St Canterbury.

(The Original Memorial Hall)

It really was a magnificent structure. It was used for many years as the site of the opening of the election campaign for Sir Robert Menzies. When the RSL went into decline the hall sort of lost its appeal. It was used to hold deb balls, flower shows and all sorts of fundraising events.

The Canterbury RSL had an annual Fete there for many years which helped support many of the local charities.

I know this because my father was a member when I was a young child. We had many great times there. I was welcomed back into the fold of the RSL when I returned from my first trip to Vietnam on HMS Sydney in 1971. This was before the State and National RSL recognised that sailor on the Sydney did actually go to war. It helped that my dad was the president at the time.

It was eventually demolished because the building was signed over to Camberwell City Council and they could not afford the upkeep or maintenance on the building. Demolished in the late 1970s and elderly persons home units were erected on the site. There was supposed to be several units reserved for widows of ex servicemen but the council changed their mind and started to just lease the units out to the wider community. The panel was in the foyer for many years and when the council changed the emphasis it just disappeared.

I located it after chatting with the secretary of the City of Camberwell RSL and he told me where the panel was now located.

The bust of Pompey Elliott is significant as he was the first president of the Canterbury RSl and helped set up the whole of the RSL. He lived locally in Prosp[ect Hill Rd until he took his own life in the mid 1930s.

Courtesy of Peter Sneddon

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Built Not yet discovered
Opened Not yet discovered
Inscription

Front Inscription
They Shall Grow Not Old

This Sacred Monument
Is In Memory Of All Who Gave
Their Lives As A Result Of
Service In War And Conflict
In Which Australian Forces
Were Engaged

Lest We Forget.

Condition

Good

Names

Showing 8 people of interest from memorial

MAWSON, Frederick William

Service number 3073
Lance Corporal
5th Field Company Engineers
AIF WW1
Born Jan 1893

LYNCH, Thomas Nicholas

Service number 1034
Private
21st Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 1895

HAYES, Robert James

Service number 787
Private
8th Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1

GIBBS, Albert Roy

Service number 873
Corporal
37th Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1

MCKINLEY, Harry Robinson

Lieutenant
14th Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 1885

MICHAEL, Charlie Leslie

Service number 664
Corporal
24th Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 29 Dec 1893

DALY, Clarence Wells Didier

Service number OFFICER
Lieutenant Colonel
6th Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 5 May 1890

MERRITT, Frederick Thomas

Service number 4491
Private
22nd Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1

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