A MEMORIAL unveiled 100 years ago in Bathurst will once again be the scene of a colourful celebration next weekend.
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British Field Marshall, Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener paid a visit to Bathurst during his colonial military restructuring of the British Empire and to unveiled the Bathurst Boer War Memorial. The date was January 10, 1910 the same January date that Bathurst RSL Sub Branch has planned a commemorative ceremony in King’s Parade next Sunday.
Bathurst RSL Sub Branch president, Bill Abbott and Vice President, Denis Chamberlain yesterday inspected the monument regarded as one of the most beautiful of memorials alongside the famous War Memorial Carillon.
Mr Chamberlain who has long been the curator of the RSL Club Museum said the memorial has always been surrounded by a considerable amount of “folk law and some controversy”.
“Lord Kitchener unveiled the Anglo Boer War Memorial with 92 names on a raised copper plate,” Mr Chamberlain said. “On March 1, 1964 a further three separate name strips were unveiled bringing the number to 95, including Alan Howard, Peter Hancock and Watson Augustus Steel.”
Mr Chamberlain said it was during his research of the publication “History of Bathurst Contingents” he found another 39 names.
“With the assistance of the late Warren Holt, OAM then secretary of the sub branch an additional two plates were cast and unveiled on July 18, 1992 bringing the number of names to 134.”
Mr Chamberlain had always maintained an interest in soldiers whose names were left off the memorial. Since 1992 a further eight names were dedicated on Anzac Day 2006, increasing the number to 142 names to conclude efforts of the sub branch to obtain further names for the honour roll.
In another interesting aside, Mr Chamberlain said that in March, 1978 Anthony John Jackson of Brighton-le-Sands visited Bathurst with his wife relating how his father John Oscar Jackson, who lived in St Peter’s Sydney was invited to act as a live model for the soldier sculptured by Gilbert Doble, of Marrickville. The sculpture became the centre piece of the Bathurst memorial, Mr Chamberlain said.
The RSL museum already had a photographic model in Lieutenant Colonel John Martin Hawkey, MC and now to top it off the name of the live model John Oscar Jackson.
The memorial honours 142 soldiers from Bathurst who fought and died in the Anglo Boer War in South Africa between October 11 1899 to June 1 1902. Five persons who lived in Bathurst and serve in the British Empire died.
“When one considers 16,175 Australian Colonial and Commonwealth forces enlisted with 16,314 horses, 251 men were killed in action or died of wounds, 267 died of illness, 43 were missing in action and 100 became prisoners of war,” Mr Chamberlain said.
The memorial was designed by Bathurst architect John J. Copeman, Gilbert Doble was sculptor, Davidson and Worrall were builders. Doble also carved the rampant lions and moulded the original bronze soldier statue on display in the Bathurst RSL Club since April 19, 1994.