Virtual War Memorial | Rose Park Burnside District Fallen Soldiers'

Rose Park Burnside District Fallen Soldiers' Memorial - Rose Park

Details

Location	Corner Prescott Terrace and Alexandra Avenue, Rose Park, South Australia, Australia
Type	memorial
Description	The bronze statue by the Australian sculptor Charles Web-Gilbert, to commemorate the fallen soldiers of the Burnside district, has arrived, and the work of erecting the granite pedestal to carry it has been begun. The statue is to stand on the site of the captured German Field gun in the Soldiers' Memorial Gardens, Rose Park, near the intersection of Alexandra Avenue and Prescott Terrace. Panels on four sides of the granite base will contain the names of 87 fallen soldiers. The Governor (Sir Tom Bridges) has consented to perform the unveiling ceremony on Sunday afternoon, December 14. The Register (Adelaide), 15th November 1924. The bronze figure of a WW1 soldier leaning forward with his left arm extended in the pose of a man about to lift a friend to 'hop the bags' or 'go over the top'. The right arm is extended behind holding out his rifle for balance. As it happens we can be even more specific - it relates to the Battle of Mont St Quentin, one of the great victories of the AIF, fought between 30th August and 2nd September 1918.. This statue appears to be modelled on a figure in the AWM WW1 diorama of the capture of Mont St Quentin. The designer / sculptor of the diorama and this memorial are one in the same, Mr Charles Web Gilbert, so the likeness is not a coincidence. This effigy is surmounted on a two-tier granite pedestal, which in turn, is set on a two-tier granite base. The monument is set in brick pavers. Bronze plaques are affixed to each face. The Memorial is part of an adjacent precinct including the avenues of trees in Alexandra Avenue and Prescott Terrace, at the base of which are brass plates commemorating the 87 men named on this memorial. An identical sculpture forms part of the Shepparton War Memorial and another Web Gilbert statue is the focus of the Broken Hill Memorial in NSW, entitled "The Bomber" . See the link to this ubiquitous sculptor's works which include the now lost original 2nd Division Memorial at Mont St Quentin, France. Read more...
Built	Unveiled 14 December 1924 Manufactured by French metalworker and manufacturer Ferdinand Barbedienne, in France. Sculptor: Charles Web Gilbert (Vic)
Opened	14 December 1924 by HE The Governor of SA Sir Thomas Bridges
Inscription	Face: Top plaque BURNSIDE DISTRICT FALLEN SOLDIERS' MEMORIAL GREAT WAR 1914-18
Condition	Good although the bronze figure is heavily oxidised MAINTAINED BY: Burnside Council PECULIARITIES/DAMAGE: Nil
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