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Halswell War Memorial

Unveiled in 1924, the Halswell War Memorial is dedicated to the soldiers of the Halswell district who died in the First World War.

Halswell war memorial
Halswell war memorial. Creator (cre): Danny McNeil, Contributor (ctb): Danny McNeil. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

The Halswell War Memorial is situated on a reserve at the Halswell Road frontage of Halswell Domain.

On 24 April 1922, a meeting was held in the Halswell Hall to discuss the construction of a memorial to honour those soldiers of the Halswell district who had died in the First World War. At the meeting it was decided that the memorial should be in the form of a monument.

The architects of the monument were John Steele Guthrie and Maurice James Guthrie. Tenders for the construction of the monument were advertised in March 1923. This was awarded to William Hinnels Winsor. Designed in the form of a shrine, the monument used Halswell bluestone for the exterior and Hoon Hay stone for the border. Behind the main monument is a low wall built in the shape of a crescent. Within the monument is a granite slab with the names of those who died in the First World War.

The inscription on the slab reads: 

ln memory of the men of this district who made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War of 1914-18. Ready either to live or die valiantly. J. Archibald; A. J. W. Birdling; A. Bryden; W. Bryden; S. Collins; P. Cunningham; T. Ellis; G. W. Ferguson; P. Fever; J. A. Holmes; G. H. Holmes; P. McGough; H. Manship; E. T. Moyna; B. J. O'Shaughnessy; I. Warren; A. V. Wills.

Construction of the memorial was complete by March 1924. The memorial was unveiled on 21 June 1924, by Sir Robert Heaton Rhodes at a ceremony conducted by the chair of the memorial committee, J. Paterson

In 2007, additional bronze plaques were unveiled at the Anzac Day ceremony to commemorate the conflicts of the Second World War, Korean War, Malaya-Borneo, and Vietnam War.

Related resources

Meetings, Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17434, 20 April 1922, p.1.

Halswell War Memorial, Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17439, 27 April 1922, p.2.

Tenders, Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17721, 24 March 1923, p.22.

Wayside Memorial, Star (Christchurch), Issue 17382, 21 June 1924, p.9.

Halswell War Memorial Unveiling Ceremony, Press, Volume LX, Issue 18106, 23 June 1924, p.6.