The history of the Australian War Memorial - Canberra In 1916, Charles Bean, Australias official World War I historian, conceived the idea of an Australian war memorial. It was to be a place where those who were mourning could visit to commemorate the sacrifice of those who had been killed. An architectural competition failed to produce a satisfactory individual design. Sydney architects Emil Sodersteen and John Crust were encouraged to submit a joint design, combining Sodersteen’s vision for the building and Crust’s concept of cloisters to house the Roll of Honour. This was accepted in 1927. The Memorial’s foundation stone was laid on 25 April 1929, but work was curtailed by the onset of the Great Depression. Work on the main structure began in 1936 and was finally completed in 1941 – by which time the nation was embroiled in another war. The Memorial was officially opened on the 11th November 1941 by Prime Minister John Curtin. The ceremony was broadcast nationwide on radio. First World War veterans acted as a catafalque party, while cadets from the Royal Military College and the Royal Australian Naval College formed the guard of honour. You can visit the official website at awm.gov.au Photo credits: The Australian Wa Memorial, The National Library of Australia and the Canberra Times.
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 22:19:19 +0000
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