133 War Memorial Featherston, Memorial front view
Reason for the name
This centrally located cenotaph is a tribute to all who gave service since the First World War. It was unveilled on ANZAC Day 1927
In 1925 the Anzac Club committee decided to build a memorial to the fallen of World War I. The concrete and stone structure was unveiled in 1927 on Anzac Day. The war memorial is covered in river stones in tribute to the stone-picking duties carried out by recruits at Featherston and Tauherenikau camps. There are 48 names inscribed from World War I. Another 29 names from World War II were added and unveiled in 1950.
Authors: Written by: Khan Harper-Leach and Kimberley Hewison, Researched by: Teagan Taylor and Nathaniel Scott.
The Featherston war memorial stands on the corners of Fitzherbert, Fox and Wallace Streets. In May 1925 the ANZAC Club Committee who was behind the building of the ANZAC Hall made a plan to commemorate the soldiers who had fought in World War I.
The war memorial has a dome on top with 12 concrete pillars that have stones from the Tauherenikau River set into them. The 12 pillars are on top of a concrete platform that have a set of four steps going around it. There is a concrete fence set with stones from the Tauherenikau River as a symbol of the task that the new recruits were set of picking up stones from around the camp site.
Inside the war memorial is a granite block with the names of Featherston soldiers who lost their lives in the war. Around the top of the dome is inscribed with places where New Zealand troops served during World War I. These are Gallipoli, Mesopotamia (now Iraq), France, Belgium, Palestine and Egypt.
The memorial was unveiled on Anzac Day in 1927 by Sir James Allen, the wartime Minister of Defence. In 1950 the names of fallen soldiers from World War II were added to the memorial.
The ‘Perpetual Light’ on the top of the dome was meant to stay alight all of the time, but was connected to the town street lights and now the light just comes on from dusk until dawn.
Improvements to the war memorial have included adding gold lettering and planting gardens. These gardens were once maintained by the RSA but are now looked after by the Featherston Lionesses.
The Featherston War Memorial is a place where an Anzac Day dawn service is held each year and serves as a place where many commemorative occasions have been held in order to honour our fallen soldiers.
