Oxley War Memorial

Oxley War Memorial
Oxley War Memorial
	The memorial is partially surrounded by rosemary
Location	1218 Oxley Road, Oxley, Queensland, Australia
Coordinates	27°33′53″S152°58′47″E / 27.5648°S 152.9798°E Coordinates: 27°33′53″S152°58′47″E / 27.5648°S 152.9798°E
Design period	1919–1930s (interwar period)
Built	1920
Queensland Heritage Register
	Official name: Oxley War Memorial, Oxley Memorial Park, Oxley Place
Type	state heritage (landscape, built)
Designated	4 July 2006
Reference no.	602447
Significant period	1920s (historical); ongoing (social)
Significant components	views to, garden/grounds, memorial – soldier statue, memorial – plaque, trees/plantings, fencing
	Location of Oxley War Memorial in Queensland Oxley War Memorial (Australia)

Last updated June 13, 2019

Oxley War Memorial is a heritage-listed memorial at 1218 Oxley Road, Oxley, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1920. It is also known as Oxley Memorial Park and Oxley Place. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 4 July 2006.^[1]

A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of art such as sculptures, statues or fountains and parks.

Oxley is a south-western suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located approximately 10.8 kilometres (6.7 mi) from the Brisbane CBD. It was named after the early Australian explorer John Oxley. The suburb supports a mix of residential, retail and industrial land.

The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. The register is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council.

History

Today, the Oxley War Memorial sits on the crest of a ridge on the corner of Oxley Road and Bannerman Street in Oxley, where it is an important visual component of the streetscape setting on a busy arterial road.^[1]

The War Memorial was originally erected by local residents on a small parcel of reserved land on the corner of Oxley Road & Ipswich Road. It was unveiled on Saturday 12 February 1921 by the wife of Cecil Elphinstone, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Oxley.^[2] In 1929 Brisbane City Council acquired the land on which the monument stood from the previous proprietors who were the registered trustees of the reserve. The memorial was moved to its present location in the 1980s due to traffic requirements.^[1]

Ipswich Road is one Brisbane's main roads connecting Brisbane to the nearby city of Ipswich, via the Ipswich Motorway. Ipswich Road used to be part of the Cunningham Highway. Logan Road, Pacific Motorway, and Beaudesert Road are the other major roads in the south of Brisbane. The road was an important transport route in 19th century Brisbane.

Augustus Cecil Elphinstone (1874–1964) was an Australian businessman and politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for the electoral district of Oxley (Queensland) from 1918 until 1929.

A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), or a Member of the Legislature (ML), is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction.

The memorial was funded by public subscriptions at an establishment cost of about £ 110. The mason was F Williams & Co of Ipswich, who was also responsible for the memorials at:

The Australian pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 14 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. As with other £sd currencies, it was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.

Ipswich, Queensland Suburb of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia

Ipswich is an urban region in south-east Queensland, Australia, which is located in the south-west of the Brisbane metropolitan area. Situated on the Bremer River, it is approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of the Brisbane CBD. A local government area, the City of Ipswich has a population of 200,000. The city is renowned for its architectural, natural and cultural heritage. Ipswich preserves and operates from many of its historical buildings, with more than 6000 heritage-listed sites and over 500 parks. Ipswich began in 1827 as a mining settlement.

Toogoolawah, One Mile, West Ipswich & Western Suburbs Ipswich (1917)
Colinton & Mount Alford (1918)
Booval & Bundamba (1919)
Boonah, Maroon & Oxley (1920)
Esk & Toombul Shire at Nundah (1921)
the Weeping Mother Memorial at Gatton (c.1922)
Warwick (1923-4)
Ipswich Cemetery Cenotaph (1932).^[1]

One Mile is a suburb in the City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. At the 2016 census, the suburb recorded a population of 2,077. With an unemployment rate of 12.2%, nearly double that of the Australian unemployment rate of 6.9%.

West Ipswich is a suburb of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. At the 2016 Australian Census, West Ipswich recorded a population of almost 500. The western boundary of the suburb follows a section of the Bremer River and part of the northern boundary aligns with the Main Line railway.

Colinton is a locality of the Somerset Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2011 census, Colinton was included within the neighbouring locality of Moore, which together had a population of 315 people.

Significance of war memorials in Queensland

Australia, and Queensland in particular, had few civic monuments before the First World War. The memorials erected in the wake of the war became our first national monuments. Australia lost 60,000 from a population of about four million, representing one in five of those who served. The casualty rate of the Australian volunteer military forces was significantly and proportionally higher than any of the other combatant groups, claiming 20% of the Australian volunteers who served, and 1.5% of the total Australian population. Australia's maturity as a nation and continuing commitment to the "motherland" were proven beyond doubt. No previous or subsequent war has made such a devastating impact on the nation.^[1]

Even before the end of the war, memorials became a spontaneous and highly visible expression of national grief. To those who erected them, they were as sacred as grave sites, substitute graves for the Australians whose bodies lay in battlefield cemeteries in Europe and the Middle East. British policy decreed that the Empire war dead were to be buried where they fell. The word "cenotaph", commonly applied to war memorials at the time, literally means "empty tomb".^[1]

Australian war memorials are distinctive in that they often commemorate those who served, not only the dead. Australians were proud that their first great national army, unlike other belligerent armies, was composed entirely of volunteers, men worthy of honour whether or not they made the supreme sacrifice. Many memorials honour all who served from a locality, not just the dead, providing valuable evidence of community involvement in the war. Such evidence is not readily obtainable from military records, or from state or national listings, where names are categorised alphabetically or by military unit.^[1]

Australian war memorials are also valuable evidence of imperial and national loyalties, at the time not seen as conflicting; the skills of local stonemasons, metalworkers and architects; and of popular taste. In Queensland, the soldier statue was the popular choice of memorial, whereas the obelisk was favoured in the southern states, where overall responsibility for the approval of war memorials fell under the jurisdiction of a Board made up of artists and architects.^[1]

Although there are many different types of memorials in Queensland, the digger statue is the most common. It was the most popular choice of communities responsible for erecting the memorials, seen as embodying the ANZAC spirit and representing the qualities of the ideal Australian: loyalty, courage, youth, innocence and masculinity.^[1]

The digger and the little digger statues are an iconic Queensland memorial form. Oxley Memorial Park is an exemplar of this class of cultural places.^[1]

War memorials are the focal point for the local community during the solemn annual ceremonies of 25 April, Anzac Day, the Australian national day of commemoration and remembrance for all those who have fallen in war. The Anzac Day dawn ceremony, the one minute of silence, the Ode and the bugle call of the Last Post are especially poignant and moving experiences for Australians, young and old alike. The Oxley War Memorial encapsulates this aesthetic for the local community, and for the wider Australian community.^[1]

Description

The Oxley War Memorial stands to the northwest of a small rectangular park on the corner of Oxley Road and Bannerman Street. The park setting contains grassed areas, decorative planted beds and hedges, scattered trees, children's play equipment and the war memorial monument.^[1]

The sandstone and marble monument stands on a low dressed stone plinth surrounded by stone pavers. A stepped sandstone pedestal bears a sandstone soldier figure facing west. Identifiably Australian with a slouch hat and "rising sun" hat badge, the little digger stands at ease with hands resting on his rifle in the reversed arms position.^[1]

Carved squat bollards stand to each corner of the stone paver surround and are linked by hollow metal tube rails to the north, east and south. A rectangular decorative garden is planted to the north and south of the paver surround. Three flagpoles stand to the east of the monument.^[1]

Surmounting the plinth is the little digger statue. The soldier stands at ease with his head slightly bowed and his rifle reversed resting on his left boot. The hands are crossed and resting on the rifle butt. He is supported by a tree trunk located behind and to his right side.^[1]

The west face of the dado bears a marble plaque commemorating those associated with of the district who fell in the First World War. It reads:^[1]

OXLEY HONOURS THE MEMORY OF W. M. BOURKE R. PRICE W. COOLING T. L. ROWLANDS W. CROCK R. L. SINNAMON M. ENRIGHT C.H. TOWNSON J. FISHER S.J. TOWNSON A. J. GIBBINGS A. WEBSTER S. HAGGER D. WEBSTER C. MITCHELL WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919^[1]

Small marble plaques to the north and south faces commemorate involvement in the Second World War (1939–45); the Korean War (1950-53); the Malayan Emergency (1950–60); Borneo; & the Vietnam War (1962–72). Bronze military badges of the Australian Armed Services are fixed to the base of the pedestal.^[1]

Heritage listing

Oxley War Memorial was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 4 July 2006 having satisfied the following criteria.^[1]

The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.

The Oxley War Memorial is an important in demonstrating the pattern of Queensland's history representing a recurrent theme that involved most communities throughout the State. It provides evidence from an era of widespread Australian patriotism and nationalism, particularly during and following the First World War. The monument provides a unique documentary record of the fallen, and demonstrates popular taste of the inter-war period.^[1]

The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places.

Unveiled in 1920, the memorial at Oxley demonstrates the principal characteristics of a commemorative structure erected as an enduring record of a major historical event. This is achieved through the use of appropriate materials and design elements. As a digger statue, it is representative of the most popular form of memorial in Queensland.^[1]

The place is important because of its aesthetic significance.

The Oxley War Memorial is an important visual component of the streetscape, a prominent and sombre landmark within a landscaped park setting on a busy arterial road. The little digger statue displays a high level of workmanship and design, additionally contributing to its aesthetic quality.^[1]

The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

The Oxley War Memorial has a strong and continuing association with the community as evidence of the district's involvement in the First World War. The more recent additions to the memorial for the remembrance of other major offensives during the 20th century, informs us of the historical continuity of the place, and its social & cultural relevance to the community. The Oxley War Memorial is also the focal point for the district's annual Anzac Day memorial services.^[1]

The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.

The sandstone sculpture of the little digger atop the marble monument seated on a sandstone pedestal is a fine example of the work of the Queensland mason and sculptor Frederick Williams of F Williams & Co, Ipswich. Williams was responsible for a large number of First World War cenotaphs throughout the Brisbane River Valley and the Ipswich area of south-eastern Queensland. It is believed that Williams used his young 14-year-old son as the model and inspiration for this work, as well as for his other little digger statues.^[1]

Related Research Articles

Cooyar War Memorial is a heritage-listed war memorial in Hack Menkins Park, McDougall Street, Cooyar, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. The memorial was unveiled on Saturday 14 July 1923 by Arthur Edward Moore. It was designed and produced by R. C. Ziegler and Son and cost £413/10/0, with funds raised by public subscriptions and revenue raised from entertainments. The memorial comprises two pieces, the pedestal surmounted by a digger statue, on which the names of the 25 fallen are recorded, and a smaller plinth which records the names of the 110 local men who served in World War I. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Goombungee War Memorial is a heritage-listed memorial at Hartwig Street, Goombungee, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1920 by R C Ziegler and Son. The architect was Harry Marks. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Greenmount War Memorial is a heritage-listed memorial at Ramsay Street, Greenmount, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was unveiled 11 December 1922. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Westbrook War Memorial is a heritage-listed memorial at 114 Toowoomba Road, Westbrook, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was constructed in 1922 by Toowoomba masonry firm Bruce Brothers, and lies adjacent to the Westbrook Public Hall, which it predates. It stands 4.2 metres (14 ft) high, and consists of a statue of a digger atop a sandstone pedestal and base. The memorial contains the names of the 10 local men who died during World War I on the front face, and the 37 who served on the side faces. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Boer War Memorial is a heritage-listed war memorial at Crescent Street, Gatton, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by William Hodgen and produced by Toowoomba mason William Bruce. It was built in 1908, and was unveiled on 3 August by Governor of Queensland, Lord Chelmsford. The memorial honours four local men who died in or as a result of the war, and is one of only three known Boer War memorials in Queensland. It is also known as the Fallen Soldiers Memorial and the South African War Memorial.

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Beaudesert War Memorial is a heritage-listed memorial at William Street, Beaudesert, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1919 to 1921. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Boonah War Memorial and Memorial Park is a heritage-listed memorial at Park Street, Boonah, Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1920 to 1922. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Maroon War Memorial & Memorial Enclosure is a heritage-listed memorial at Boonah - Rathdowney Road, Maroon, Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed and built in 1920 by Frank Williams and Co. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Pimpama & Ormeau War Memorial is a heritage-listed memorial at Pacific Highway, Pimpama, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1919. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Manly War Memorial is a heritage-listed memorial at 184 Carlton Terrace, Manly, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1920 to 1921. It is also known as Ferguson Street Reserve, Manly Dam, and Soldiers Memorial Park. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 August 1992.

Booval War Memorial is a heritage-listed memorial at Green Street, Booval, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1919. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

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Finch Hatton War Memorial is a heritage-listed memorial at Anzac Parade, Finch Hatton, Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Melrose & Fenwick and built in 1921 by Melrose & Fenwick. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

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Aramac War Memorial is a heritage-listed memorial at Lodge Street, Aramac, Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed and built by F M Allan in 1924. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Herberton War Memorial is a heritage-listed memorial at Myers Street, Herberton, Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed and built by Andrew Lang Petrie and Son in 1922. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 "Oxley War Memorial (entry 602447)". Queensland Heritage Register . Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
↑ "Oxley Soldiers' Memorial". The Brisbane Courier . National Library of Australia. 14 February 1921. p. 6. Retrieved 7 December 2014.

Attribution

This Wikipedia article was originally based on "The Queensland heritage register" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 7 July 2014, archived on 8 October 2014). The geo-coordinates were originally computed from the "Queensland heritage register boundaries" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 5 September 2014, archived on 15 October 2014).

External links

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[qhr-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 "Oxley War Memorial (entry 602447)". Queensland Heritage Register . Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.

[2] "Oxley Soldiers' Memorial". The Brisbane Courier . National Library of Australia. 14 February 1921. p. 6. Retrieved 7 December 2014.