At the War Memorial Park on the median strip between Coonamble Street and Castlereagh Highway, (corner of Bourbah Street) is a tall stone cairn - that from a distance looks like it is built of sandstone - reported to be basalt; from Monuments Australia, and War Memorials Register in NSW. While there are multiple black granite tablets on it with inscriptions of those locals who served, the four large rectangular ones are for the First World War. Starting with the one 'in the front' (to the north), it reads:
IN
Memory of
Those
Who Lost Their Lives
and
In Gratitude to Those
Who Served in the
Great War
1914-1918
1939 -- 1945
Yes, it was erected in 1922 to commemorate the locals Who Served, but has had further inscriptions and tablets added for World War Two (and Vietnam). On the southern side is a large tablet for those who Lost Their Lives in'the Great War', which reads:
The Following Lost
Their Lives
*-*-*
Buckley A.H. VC
Andrews S.C.
Blagrave J.C.
Davidson D.
Donohoe F.
Edgar A.
Green O.B.
Green E.C.
Hitchen W.T.
Hourn W.
Jenkins S.R.
Jeffrey E.
Law J.
Lemon A.C.
Long A.F.
McGill R.A.
Murphy A.A.
Owens E.H.
Strang D.J.
Strudwick A.
On the western, and eastern sides are two more black granite tablets, each with two columns of names, of Those Who Served who also served in World War One, as follows:
The following Served
*-*-*
Andrews H.E. James F.
Andrews J. Jasper J.
Brown C.H. Jasper T.
Brown A.H. Jenkins A.J.
Buckley C.P.R. Johnstone T.C.B.
Callan T. King A.
Chapman W. Kingsley N.O.
Coleman A. Kirkpatrick D.
Curtis C. Langben H.J.
Dowling F.O. Law C.H.
Dunn E.D. Law A.
Edwards G. Law P.
Ferguson A. Law G.
Frend J.R. Lemon F.E.
Frend H. Long E.J.
Foran H. Long J.F.
Green T.D. Long R.L.
Harris N. Magick C.
Hawker C.W. Maitland A.L.
Hewson W.W.S. Mathews W.
Holland A.F. Mathews L.
Holland F.T. McGill W.D.
Keogh H.
The Following Served
*-*-*
McGill J.B. Saunders W.L.
McGill W.R.P. Simpson A.T.
McGuiness M. Simpson C.M.
Mill G.C. Simpson T.M.
Mill L.W. Slade G.
Mill A.H. Smith F.R.
Mills E. Smith R.L.
Mills L. Smith R.H.
Mills F. Strahorn J.
Mitchell D.C. Strang A.
Mitchette J.C. Strang A.R.
Mooney C.J. Strang D.K.
O'Neal H. Sowden C.A.
Owens C.E. Sowden M.C.
Owens G.A. Sowden W.
Patrick A.W. Sutherland K.T.
Peacock J.G.W. Sutton R.
Press H.J. Terry G.
Power A. Ward A.E.
Russell H. Wilson J.
Ryan D.J. Winton A.D.R.
Ryder R. Williams E.
The WW2 tablets are on the very bottom of the memorial cairn, and not very tall, but quite wide, with four, six, or three columns. Starting in alphabetical order, with the one on the western side [A to H], with six columns, it reads:
THE FOLLOWING SERVED
Andrews A. Bruce H. Comber V.C. Donnett A. DCM Ferguson J. Hill A.
Benjamin J.D. Byrne J. Conn J.P. Donohoe J.K. Ferguson K. Holland G.
Best J.E.G. Calvert M. Connell P.G. Dowling V. Frazer F. Holland E.
Bills C. Campbell K. Copland J.A. Dunn H. Friend E.J. Hourn D.
Blackman G. Carruthers M.F. Copland C.C. Dunn W. George W. Herring M.
Blowse J.T. Carruthers R.J. Coy. M. Earsman J. Giles R. Hunter I.
Brett W.J. Carson K. Daly M.A. Edmunds L. Harrison J. Hunter W.
Brown J.C. Cassidy J. Donnelly J. Ferguson E. Haydon H. Hunt R.
Brown M.D. Chandler H. DFC Donnelly T. Ferguson F. Hodgeman A.J. Huxley L.
And then the one on the eastern side [I to S] again with six columns, reads:
THE FOLLOWING SERVED
Irving J. Knight S. McEwen A. Mitchell J. Press F. MID Shepherd J.
Jennings J. Lake A.J. McGill T. Mathes J. Reed L. Simpson W.
Kearney C.J. Lambell N.A. DFC Maloney P. Naylor J. Reddington J. Simpson M.
Kelly W. Lemon E. Martin E. O'Neale E. Richardson C. Simpson R.
King F. Lemon L. Matthews L. Paine E. Richardson N. Simpson I.
Kingsley N. Lewis G. Miles M. Peacock W. Ryan L. Simpson S.
Knight L. McCallum I. Milgate C. Perran W. Ryan T. MM Simpson F.S.
Knight R. McDonald A. Milgate G. Plumbe C. Sanson T.W. Skinner J.F.
Munro G.J. Rutter H. Skinner J.
The last of the alphabetical tablets is on the southern side, with three columns [S to Y], and it reads:
THE FOLLOWING SERVED
Sowden N. Walker D. White D.
Sullivan C. Wallace R. Wright J.
Taylor J. Waring A. Wrigley M.
Taylor S.J. Waterford R. Wrigley T.
Taylor N. Wells S. Tell J.A.
Thurston P. Wharton W.
Turner C. Wharton A.
TUrner N. Wheaton J. MID
At the bottom of the northern side is a tablet for the women who served in World War Two, with six who Lost Their Lives. It is in four columns, and reads:
The Following Women Served | The Following Lost
Bolger P. Richardson M. | Their Lives
Ferguson J. Richardson N. |
Hodge D. Rosser J. | Bills L. Donohoe M.
Holland N. Ryrie P. | Bolger N. Hodgeman H.
Horne M. Thurston D.G. | Donohoe J.B. Rutter T.W.
Brown M.D. Thurston M.I.
The black marble (or granite) tablet for the Vietnam Veterans is fixed to very top of the 2.5 metre basalt stone block cairn, and faces the east. It commemorates the NINE locals who went to the Vietnam War, from 1964 - 1973. It reads:
Vietnam War Memorial 1964 - 1973
Edmunds L. Morgan W.S. Tindall G.G.
Hunt R.A. O'Brien T.W. Walker J.G.
Keefe P.A. Owens G.R. Yearby A.
N.B. This is a different marble tablet to the one shown at the War Memorial Register, which shows a different format, and at ground level on a smaller basalt boulder. Gulargambone War Memorial. That site, and pictures, do show the different Services appointed to the commemorated soldiers/sailors. Interestingly, currently the soldiers had been listed in alphabetic order, tho in three columns. It so happens that the three on bottom were in the Navy, while the upper six were soldiers in the Army.
Address: On the median strip between Coonamble Street and Castlereagh Highway, corner of Bourbah Street, Gulargambone, NSW, 2828, Australia
Visited: 1409-1411, Friday, 21 September, 2018
N.B. Any Errors, or Omissions in the transcription 'are mine'.
[In particular, 'C's and 'G's may be in error.] PLEASE notify me if mistakes are identified.