War Memorial in North Terrace

If we walk along the North Terrace footpath, towards the Adelaide Railway Station, we would find a bing monument on the nothern corner of Kintore Avenue. This is called the Great War monument, or the Shrine of Remembrance. This monument was built for those who fell in the First Great War, from 1914 to 1918. The names of the South Australia soldiers, air force men and women and sailors from the Royal Australian navy are included on the monument.

Looking at the monument, we can see a huge figure, standing with its back to the wall and holding a sword, shaped as a cross, in the centre. There is also a 3-person group standing in front of that figure. As is stated on the South Australian tour organization website, the figure within the arch represents the Spirit of Duty, and the sword un the hands of the figure symbolizes battle and sacrifice. Moreover, the three people in the group stand as a symbol to the youth of the community who are offering a sacrifice. The members of the group are the student, the farmer, and the girl.

Furthermore, behind this monument, at the back of this monument, there is another similar monument but it has a different figure and fountain. The design features a crypt inside the monument, as a memorial to those who died, with bronze honor rolls lining the walls. These contains the names of the 5,511 men from Adelaide who fell during the First World War. Therefore, if you go into the crypt, you can see engraved names on the wall.

The memorial is made of massive marble, granite, and bronze. The firm S.D. Tillet Memorials Ltd was the contractors of the monument. This memorial is named the "Spirit of Sacrifice", and was designed by Woods, Bagot, Jory and Laybourne-Smith.

In 1919, the state government decided that South Australia needed a memorial to commemorate the Victory of the Great War(1914-1918). That is why the committee held an architectural competition to choose this monument's design. The designs for the memorial were completed by December 16 in 1926. Finally, the monument was unveiled on April 25th in 1931, to a lot of public applause and celebration. Therefore, it has stood in the same place as a memorial to the sacrifice of many from this community in the Great War.

When we look around this special place, we can feel a solemn sense of purpose and a sorrow for the victims. It gives us the opportunity to think about the peace achieved through fighting and war, and also allows us the chance to consider celebrating a time of living without any wars.

On April 25th each year, Anzac Day services are held here beginning at 6 am. Thousands of people come and stand in silence waiting for the Dawn Service to begin, to commemorate the fallen and to remember those who have died in wars in the past. It is quite a spectacular public monument. Hence, it will be a very important part of Adelaide's heritage for generations to come.