Enfield War Memorial

by Cathy Jones

The Enfield War Memorial is located at the junction of Liverpool Road and Coronation Parade, Enfield.  It occupies a prominent position on the lawn outside the former Enfield Council Chambers. The Memorial was originally dedicated as World War I Memorial to the soldiers and nurses who served, though plaques commemorating later conflicts are included on the memorial.

The monument is set between two flagpoles with eight marble panels on a sandstone plinth listing names of the men and women of Enfield Council that served during World War I. A 105mm German Howitzer gun was donated by the French government in recognition of Australia’s wartime assistance during World War I and stands on a large rectangular dressed sandstone pedestal.

The Memorial was built under a public subscription program and was unveiled at 3.30pm on Saturday 11 October 1924 by the Hon. Sir Thomas Rainsford Bavin MLA, NSW Attorney-General.  Bavin was later Premier of NSW from 1927-1930.  The monument not only perpetuates “the memory of brave men and women, but also engenders a feeling of rejoicing that by the great sacrifice made we are still able to enjoy the freedom that the British Empire gave”, stated Alderman Ebenezer Ford, Mayor of Enfield, 11 October 1924.

The Attorney-General Mr Bavin said that, ‘in his opinion, nothing of any future achievement would deserve to be regarded with the same pride as that which they were commemorating that day. As a result of what the Australians with the Allies had done, the world was saved from the greatest menace it ever had. The Empire had maintain its integrity, and Australia had got a proud place amongst the nations. The memorial was a mute appeal to all to bear in mind that the qualities of our soldiers were just as necessary in peace, as in war’.

The service was participated in by Reverends J W Ferrier, G M Scott and W E Bennett, and the military was represented by Captain A D. Beveridge (ImperialArmy), and Major Cox.

The memorial was erected by the Mayor and Mayoress of Enfield, Mr and Mrs Ebenezer Ford.

The Enfield Memorial lists the name of Corporal George Julian ‘Snowy’ Howell, VC, MM, who lived in Enfield. Howell’s Victoria Cross was awarded for action at Bullecourt, France whilst serving with 1 Battalion, 1 Brigade, 1 Division A.I.F. as a Corporal. He had previously been awarded a Military Medal for courage and devotion to duty while leading a rifle bombing section during the battalion’s capture of the village of Dernicourt. Howell died in 1964. Two flag poles are located on the south side of the monument alongside small sandstone blocks with inlaid marble slabs. One plaque states ‘To perpetuate the memory of those who served in Borneo, Vietnam, Other Conflicts’, the other plaque states: ‘To perpetuate the memory of those who served in World War II, Korea, Malaya’

The monument has four panels with plaques on each panel recording the names of men and women who served during World War I. The first panel which faces north at the Coronation Parade/Broadway intersection contains the names of those who died during World War I. The marble panel has incised gold lettering and states: Municipality of Enfield, These Gave Their Lives.

Bancroft G, Boesewberg C, Brownell W. C., Bull C.D., Bancroft H. W., Collyer J, Clissold H. W., Connolly H., Clayton A.E.M.M., Eldred W.E., Godbolt P.R., Hanson G.E., Harvey R., Howell V.J, Brown H.H., West A.S., Jordan R., Knight L., King J.E., King E., Ladner E., McArdle R.F.M.M., McKinnon W.W., McKinnon M.M., McNeil J.J., Magnusson A., Martin A.M., Murray F.M.. Murray W.P., Pike F.C., Pearce G.A., Parkin H.B., Petty F., Quilter W., Richardson T., Rowe R.L., Sparkes A.H., Steed F., Slade W.A., Taylor J.G., Taylor C., Tosh J., Walters A.P. Woodhead A.D.C.M., Wrigley E.R., Young W.R.M.M., Griffiths A.G., Reid J.S.

The other panels state: ‘These offered their lives’ and record the following names: Adam A.J, Adam F.E., Andrews C.J., Anslow R., Anslow G., Archinall W.H., Arthur W.A., Ayres J.M.M., Ayres R.F., Armstrong G., Alcott C.H., Barker H.E., Booth A.E., Barker E.A., Barker H.R., Banbury L.C., Banbury C.I., Blackburn W., Bancroft W.T., Banner A., Banner J.W., Barron P.J., Burton A.A., Basden R., Beach H., Beak W.L., Beaumont J.F., Beckhaus B.A., Bourke J.J., Boyd T.F., Brown L.H., Brown C., Bull F., Burgess F., Burton G., Bull C.P., Brew E.H., Bagnell C., Beach J J, Beach W.W., Bancroft H.J., Brown C.H., Bond A., Castle T.J., Cuthberton W.J., Cuthberton L.G., Cuthberton L.G., Cameron A., Chantrill B.J., Chapman J., Chapman J.S., Clements W.P., Clifton N.C.M.M., Clissold R.A., Curtis R.J., CaIdwell R., Cotterill P.T., Crawford D.E., Cross W.T., Cooper H.C., Clifton W.J., Clarke F.W., Connolly W.N., Cummings G.F., Cunningham J., Davies A.E., Druce S.R., Dudley W.H., Dunlop H.J., Dyball R., Eason C.D.M.M., Eason D.P., Eden J.H., Evans A.E., Eldred A.C.M.M., Eldred E.C., Ellis A.E., Ellis S., Ellis T.N., Ellis F., Evans N., Elliott P., Elliott W.E., Eldridge Eagles A., Evans H., Foggan C., Faulkner G., Ferguson R.L., Fitch A.W., Fletcher H.A.L., Forster H.E., Foy E., Francis W.C., Flaherty B., Fry R.H., Fuller F.E., Freeman G.S., Gage W.H., Grant J., Grant E.D., Gagan A., Gathercole A., Gibson L.W.P., Gibson R.S., Gibson H.W., Godfrey J., Grenenger S.S., Grenenger W.S., Grenenger G.R., Griffiths H.J., Griffiths A.C., Goggins D.H., Goggins T.J., Graves A.B., Graves A., Geddes J., Grieves A.J., Hanson G.F., Hall L.V., Hanson H.G.A., Hassall J., Head W.S., Heather W.J., Hele S., Herbert R.H., Hespe F.R., Hewitt L.C., Hoare F.F., Hockley J.E., Hodge S.J.M., Hodson H.J., Howell F.F., Howell C.J.V.C., Howell F.J., Hunt R.A., Hinde C.J., Hutchinson M.A., Herbert S.R., Jarett T.C., Jeffries R.E., Jenkins A.B., Jordon W., Jolley H., Keast R. C., Kelly E.J., Kirkwood R.E., Laing N., Lalor A., Lambpin I., Law R., Leighton C.H., Little G.A., Lish KH, Lloyd T.R., Leonard C.L., Logan A.M.M., McCaffrey R.D., McCaffrey H.G.M.M., McCaffrey A.J., McDonald A.B., McDonald T.A., McFarlane A., McGilveray A., McLeod R.M., McLeod L.A., McKenzie J.R.L., Murray H.M., Moule A.C.H., Mathinson G., Matthews H.G., Mead B., Migney B., Morrissey E.H., Murray S.P., Murray M., Mullins A.E., Messer F.H., Marriott A.S., Milton P.W., Nepean C.H., Ogg A.E., Olsen J.P., Page J.H., Page W.E.M.M., Patino E.R., Phillips S.R., Parkin G., Parkin J.N., Parkin B.H., Parkin S.P., Pike F.G., Pyne N.H., Poole A.J., Priestly J. F., Parker S.E., Proctor G., Parkinson S.B., Parsons H.W., Parkes H.G., Pratt P.W., Pickard W., Rowe D.H., Rowley T., Rozea A.B., Radford J.H., Reid J.S., Richards H.S., Roberts J.D., Roberts R.J., Robertson J.G., Robinson E., Rogers W., Reid L., Rock G.W., Rock R., Robinson V.D., Scope J., Shepherd S., Shepherd W., Short F.J.N., Smith G.L., Sorrel J H A., Stace C.E., Stelle E K, Stinson R.J., Stinson A.J., Sullivan A.E., Swaine M.J., Stugall J.T., Sherwood R.W., Short R.B.N., Steele E.K, Sparks T.E., Steele T.M., Stevens A., Sutton H.W., Taylor J.J., Taylor F., Taylor A.G., Taylor H., Taylor R.E.M.M., Taylor D. V., Tomkins F.E., Townsend A. W., Trevend J.W.C., Turner G., Thornton J.N., Thurston W.L., Trevena H.T.B., Tingey W.W., Turner H.J, Tomkins A.B., Taylor S., Throwden H.J., Walker W.G.R., Walker L.R., Walker K. L., Watson G.W., Warren A.P., Warren T.R., Warren A.R., Warren R.G., Warren O.H., Warren W.A., Westerberg V.M., Whipp R.B., White C.V.S., White G., White F.G., White R.J., Willmott W.H., Willmott, G.W., Willmott L.F., Wilson E.H., Wilson R.O., Wood D.M., Wood S., Woodhead S., Wearne H.L.D., Williams R.L., Wagner G., White E, Warton J.R., Wilson H., Whyte F., Willoughby G. T., Watkins J.H., Waddington F., Wilce W., Young J.

Nurses: McKenzie A.J., Moore F.I., Perkins J., Kent B.M., White S., Bembrick A., Edmundson M., Callen R.I., Livingstone M., Little I., Lambert D.

References

‘Enfield Memorial’, Daily  Telegraph, 12 October 1924

© Cathy Jones 2005. This article is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without permission of the author.