100-year anniversary of memorial

The City and Subiaco-Shenton Park RSL Sub Branch marked the 100-year anniversary of the Subiaco Fallen Soldiers War Memorial at the annual Remembrance Day Service over the weekend.

The memorial was erected in 1923 initially to honour the 193 residents who died in World War I.

The memorial’s design was the subject of an architectural competition to be sited at a prominent location (Rankin Gardens) where it would define the entry to the civic precinct from the south. 

Ernest Hamilton’s winning design was announced in 1921 before the completed structure was unveiled in November 1923 in front of a crowd reported to be in the hundreds. 

At the time, The West Australian newspaper reported that ‘Subiaco enjoys the distinction of possessing one of the finest war memorials in the State’. 

The memorial was entered into the State Register of Heritage Places in May 2005.

Mayor David McMullen said memorials like this one are not just bricks and mortar.
 
“They are more than just physical structures; they become a symbol of collective gratitude and shared commitment to never forget the sacrifices made in the defence of peace and the Australian way of life, as well as a place of solace for those who have lost loved ones in times of armed conflict,” he said.
 
“As Mayor of the City of Subiaco, there are few days that I feel more proud than on Remembrance Day – this important day of reflection.”

In 2015, the City commissioned a sculpture, Age Shall Not Weary Them by Western Australian artist, Greg James (partly funded by Department of Veteran’s Affairs) to commemorate the centenary of the Anzac Cove landing. It depicts a young man contemplating the decision to sign up for war and can still be found on the Subiaco Fallen Soldiers Memorial.