The gates have Honour Rolls for locals, for World War One, and for World War Two, with the Korean, and Vietnam Wars.
WORLD WAR ONE
The following is from the Monuments Australia website:
"The gates were originally erected to commemorate those from the district who served in World War One. Honour Rolls commemorating those who served in World War Two and later conflicts were added at a later date."
They have an excerpt from the local newspaper of May 1927:
'Bendemeer Memorial Gates. The opening ceremony in connection with the above took place on Monday last (Anzac Day), in the presence of a large crowd. The structure, which is of brick with marble tablets inscribed with 31 names of volunteers, is situated on the eastern side of the village, and is overlooking the beautiful McDonald River. The opening ceremony was performed by Mr. Murray, and speeches were given by Messrs. D. Dixon, J. A. Ryan, A. Hamilton, A. Osborne and Carlon. The latter gentleman, in the course of his remarks, said, "There was not a wasted life among our dead soldiers. My idea of a wasted life is one which goes through life without a thought for others."'
[The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser (NSW), 3 May, 1927: Bendemeer War Memorial
The plaques for World War One are tall white marble tablets, embedded in the brick pillars of the Commemorative Arch at the War Memorial Park. The left-hand (when looking west) reads:
Bendemeer
In the Great War 1914-1919
K / D.C. Murray
I | G.T. Reid
L { J.H. Riordan
L | H.C. Hine
E | G. Burlinson
D \ R. Adamson
* / W.A. McGinty
D \ P. Murray
E / F.J. McGinty
C | F.S. McGinty
I | L.R.L. McGinty
V | J.H. Murray
R | S.T. Murray
E | L. Murray
S | J. Murray
E | P.O. Murray
V { W.E. Riordan
I | D.G. Riordan
T | H.V. Riordan
C | E. Brereton
A | H. Brett
| C. Brett
N | B. Schalk
O \ A. Reid
While the white marble plaque, on the right-hand brick pillar, has the following inscription for World War One:
Bendemeer
In the Great War 1914-1919
O / J. Skewes
N | J.R. Skewes
| W. Skewes
A | O.L. Smith
C | A.C. Smith
T | G. Phillips
I | H. Gibson
V | W. Day
E | F. Albertson
| C.G. Park
S | J. Ryan
E | W. Southward
R | L. Berman
V | C.F. Sisson
I | B.K. Osbourne
C | A. West
E | G. Gregerson
| G. Fitzgerald
| T. Adamson
\ C. Knight
E / W. Haines
N | G. Blair
L | T.L. O'Toole
D \ J. McGinty
There are also individual plaques for those that died in World War One, on some of the medium sized granite stela in the park. The plaques are groups of two (or one, of three) and they are:
1847 Private
Robert Herbert
Widdicombe
2nd Infantry Battalion
7th August 1915 Age 22
Lone Pine Gallipoli
980 Private
John Hastings
Riordan
18th Infantry Battalion
22nd August 1915 Age 28
Hill 60, Gallipoli
With the next granite stela also having two plaques:
4233 Private
Henry Claude
Hine
4th Infantry Battalion
24th July 1916 Age 29
Pozieres, France
1862 Private
George Tait
Reid
3rd Infantry Battalion
9th April 1917 Age 23
Hermies, France
Another grey granite stela has three plaques, as follows:
970 Corporal
Donald Cranston
Murray M.M.
33rd Infantry Battalion
23 July 1917 Age 35
Messines, Belgium
228 Private 35? Private
George Randolph
Burlinson Adamson
33rd Infantry Battalion 35th Infantry Battalion
16th October 1917 Age 28 7th June 1917 Age 19
Passchendaele, Belgium Messines, Belgium
A fourth grey granite stela has the following two plaques:
467 Driver
Charles
Holledge
2nd Light Horse Field Ambulance
4th August 1916 Age 31
Romani, Sinai
600 Trooper
William Anthony
McGinty
12th Light Horse Regiment
22nd April 1916 Age 38
Cairo, Egypt
On the top of another grey speckled granite stela is another plaque:
34 Corporal
Francis Andrew
Murray
2nd Light Horse Regiment
28th April 1917 Age 24
Sydney, Australia
On the cream coloured wrought iron gate is a brass plaque, from the dedication of the Gates and Memorial on ANZAC Day, 1927, which reads:
These Gates were Erected
by Residents of
Bendemeer and District
to the Glory and Honour of
The Soldiers who Fell & Served
in The Great War
--- 1914 - 1919 ---
WORLD WAR TWO
While the Memorial Gates "In Remembrance" were dedicated in 1927 (ANZAC Day) they now include Honour Rolls of those who served in World War Two (as well as: 'The Great War', and subsequent conflicts to WW2). There are also individual plaques, for those who Gave Their Lives, on the granite stela.
While the Honour Rolls for WW1 are on white marble tablets, the Honour Rolls for World War Two are on two polished and lacquered rectangular brass plates with the following transcriptions (E&O, mine). The left-hand one being:
BENDEMEER
2nd World War
1939 - 1945
H. Bailey
R. Barrett
R. Bastock
V. Blair
D. Cassin
A. Chad
C. Clark
L. Clark
R. Clark
M. Corliss
C. Costelloe
I. Didlick
L. Didlick
R. Didlick
E. Doring
R. Doring
A. Fisher
E. Fisher
G. Fisher
M. Fisher
N. Fisher
V. Fisher
A. Gamble
H. Hall
D. Kingdom
K. Mason
A. Murray
C. Murray *
H. Murray
M. Murray
C. Phillips *
G. Phillips
W. Phillips
G. Dixon
R. Dixon
J. Clark
C. Longmore
M. Longmore
C. O'Toole
D. Walker
V. Walker
And, the right-hand brass plaque reads:
Bendemeer
2nd World War
1939 - 1949
K. Reece
A. Reid
E. Reid
J. Reid
M. Reid
V. Reid
J. Ryan
L. Ryan
G. Savage
B. Schalk
G. Schalk
L. Schalk
P. Schalk
A. Smith
R. Smith
E. Strudwick
M. Wilson
W. Yates
Land Army
M. Kingdom
H. Reece
Further Conflicts: KOREA, and VIETNAM
At the bottom of the right-hand brass plaque, screwed to the brown brick pillar of the Memorial Gates are those that served in the Korean (1950-1953), and the Vietnam (1965-1972) wars. That part of the plate reads:
KOREAN WAR
1950 - 1953
F. Wilkinson
VIETNAM WAR
1965 - 1972
K. Costelloe
S. Hall
P. Prior
C. Bayliss
On grey granite stela to the side are individual bronze plaques, for those that died in service. Two are for WW2 action in New Guinea, and they read:
QX1470 Private
Leo
Schalk
2/9th Infantry Battalion
3rd September 1942 Age 30
Milne Bay, New Guinea
NX121740 L/Cpl
Colin Bruce Murray
2/9 Infantry Battalion
Killed in Action
Buna 18th Dec., 1942
On separate granite boulder are two more, though it is unclear if the upper plaque actually had service in WW2, but she would have been in that era. Both died well after WW2. Those inscriptions are:
In Memory of
Nona "Nonie" Margaret
Kingdom
07.09.1924 - 10.08.2010
Missed by Family
and Friends
In Loving Memory
Pte C.E. Kingdom (Dick)
NX134664
2/2nd Indpt. Coy.
A.I.F.
New Guinea
Born 15.5.1918 - Died 25.12.2000
From Family & Friends
Please, be respectful, and enjoy the park.
Visited: 1730, Sunday, 23 July, 2017