Memory box
Even before the peace was declared, the people of Gordonton had erected a war memorial to commemorate the local men who had gone overseas to fight during World War I.
Of course, in October 1918, there was no knowledge of the future need for a numeral to distinguish the ‘‘Great War’’ from the one that was to follow.
Rather, it is likely that attendees at the unveiling thought that humanity, to whom the monument is dedicated, would not be so stupid as to engage in such destructive behaviour ever again.
Initially, a Roll of Honour for display in the Gordonton Public Hall had been proposed, but when the public appeal for funds was oversubscribed, it was decided to erect a memorial in the form of an obelisk instead.
Although it might appear to have been added later, the inscription at the base was there in October 1918: ‘‘Erected by the people of Gordonton, in honour of our heroes who participated in the great war, 1914-19.’’
The Gordonton war memorial was unveiled by the Hon RF Bollard, MP, on October 16, 1918, almost a month before Armistice Day.
A laurel wreath was laid upon the monument at the unveiling ceremony by Mrs Margaret Martin, the oldest resident of the district.
The names of 41 local men, including 11 who had died by the time of the unveiling, are inscribed on the obelisk. Richard Bollard remarked at the event that he hoped the war would soon be over and that returned soldiers would be well treated when they got home. The granite obelisk is mounted on a concrete base and was made by Auckland monumental masons McNab & Mason.
The firm had earlier been responsible for the South African Troopers’ Memorial in Thames (1902) and also designed and built the Thomas Wells Memorial Gates in Cambridge (1911).
In October 1918, the allies had entered Ostend, the British had occupied Lille, and it was reported, somewhat belatedly, that the Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia had ‘‘been killed by the Bolsheviks’’ (Auckland Star, October 18, 1918, p.1).
At the same time, Auckland teachers were urging a larger expenditure on education, and hosiery was on special at Warren’s shop in that city’s Strand Arcade. The banal and the extraordinary rubbed shoulders, just as they always do.
Four names were added to the memorial after World War II. All of the men listed are given their rank, which was later discouraged by the government, because it was felt it created divisions between those who had made an equal sacrifice.
A pipe railing originally bordered the obelisk’s plinth; it was later replaced by a chain between the bollards.
The neighbouring Gordonton Hall is the third to serve as a backdrop to the memorial; it opened in 1998, replacing an earlier hall (1928) and the one before that (c.1907).