ANZAC Day 2015

11032842_804468039639923_457907528_nIn 1922 thousands gathered around Leichhardt’s 1st memorial which was situated in the middle of Marion and Norton Street. Look at that crowd, it was just one year after the Council’s Jubilee year celebrations in 1921.The memorial was relocated in 1949 to Pioneers Park (previously Balmain Cemetery)The magnificent figure of peace was designed by Gilbert Dobel, it is a grey marble obelisk surmounted by 3 steps and the figure of a lady at the top.The memorial commemorates  the names of 379 men who fought in World War 1 with a total of 537 names for the Boar War, World War 1, World War 2. The memorial was dedicated on 9th April 1922.Image Courtesy of State Library NSW and Posted by sydneythenandnow DCF 1.0Image of The figure of peace by Patriccia Baillie c.2008 from the Leichhardt Library Image collection.
anzac-day2015Put it in your Diaries ANZAC Day Dawn Service and March on Darling Street commences at 5:45am memorialLoyalty Square This is possibly Australia’s first memorial to WW1 soldiers, unusual because it lists only those killed in action prior to the involvement of the AIF on the Western Front in France.  It was unveiled on 23 April 1916 just before the first anniversary of the Gallipoli landing to record the names of soldiers form this district who have fallen in the service of the Empire. It was the subject of a a Balmain Council design competition in 1915.
www.leichhardt.nsw.gov.au/ANZAC  For more information visit: www.leichhardt5000.com.au/memorials-plaques/balmain-loyalty-square/