Pinjarra War Memorial

Statement of Significance

Pinjarra War Memorial commemorates the fallen from the district.
Pinjarra War Memorial has high aesthetic values as a simple memorial located outside the
Shire Offices.
Pinjarra War Memorial is associated with the well-known architectural firm of Eales &
Cohen. Pinjarra War Memorial is unusual having a modified Celtic cross, with a square in the
centre.

Physical Description

Pinjarra War Memorial is situated outside the Shire Offices and comprises a rough hewn
granite obelisk surmounted by a Celtic cross, the whole mounted on an octagonal base.
The Celtic cross is unusual, since it has a square at the centre of the cross-piece and lacks
the typical circle.
On the front of the octagon is inscribed ‘Erected In Honour Of Our Soldiers Who Fell In The
Great War 1914 to 1918’. On the side directly to the rear is inscribed ‘Greater Love Hath No
Man, Patterson P. P., Tyler L. C., Campbell F.’ The other six sides of the base are inscribed
with 36 names.

History

Twenty-five men from Pinjarra fell during World War I, and in the early 1920s the form of a
war memorial was decided by a memorial committee, under the auspices of the Road
Board.
An ideal site for the Memorial was found on land near the Pinjarra Bridge, abutting the main
road at the approach to the bridge from the town. This block was improved by digging and
tree planting by local school children under the direction of their headmaster, A. R. Cantwell,
who was also president of the memorial committee.
Eales & Cohen were appointed architects for the project, and the construction was carried
out by Baker and Mathews. Eales & Cohen are known to have designed various other war
memorials in the interwar period, and each of these memorials is distinctive and there is no
evidence of a common design style in the firm’s commemorative work.
It was noted at the time of unveiling:
The final choice of a Celtic cross was a happy one, because the essential features of
such a monument are strength, simplicity, and ruggedness – attributes of the
Australian soldier.
Mahogany Creek granite was used for the cross, the construction of which cost
approximately £330. The die stone weighed 3½ tons, and was cut out of a block of 5 tons.
The whole monument weighed 12 tons, and the top was 16 ft (4.9 m) from the ground.
The memorial was unveiled in July 1923 by Governor Sir Francis Newdegate in the
presence of a large number of people. Ross McLarty, then secretary of the Road Board,
was responsible for arranging the ceremony.
The vice-regal party was welcomed at the railway station by W. E. C. McLarty, chairman of
the Road Board, and a guard of honour was provided by Boy Scouts. Luncheon was
provided at the Exchange Hotel.
Others present at the unveiling ceremony included Lady Newdegate, Major General Sir
Talbot Hobbs, Canon Burns (who officiated in the absence of Archbishop Riley), the State president of the RSL, and a number of politicians.
A devotional service was conducted by Canon Burns, with hymns sung by a choir, and the
Last Post was sounded. After the Memorial had been unveiled, wreaths were placed at the
base by relatives of the men whose names were inscribed on the stone.
In 1964 the Memorial was moved to its present site outside the Shire Offices.

Integrity/Authenticity

Good

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.