Colville memorials

Colville memorials

Colville memorials Colville memorials

The Colville war memorial hall was originally built as a Brethren church in 1898. After the First World War the community bought it for use as a war memorial hall, and it was formally reopened as such on 18 June 1924. It was rebuilt in the 1990s and latterly has served as a museum. The Cabbage Bay (Colville) roll of honour in the hall is a wooden tablet that lists 30 men who served in the First World War (eight of whom were killed in action), 22 who served in the Second World War (on killed in action), and one man who served in the Korean War.

On 3 August 2014 a new memorial was unveiled outside the hall. Constructed of Coromandel granite from Paritu Bay, this honoured all those who served overseas in New Zealand’s name. The plaque set into the memorial was made and fired by Coromandel potter Barry Brickell.

Sources: In the Shadows of Moehau: A History of the Colville Region, ed. Wendy Simons, Colville, rev. ed., 2002, pp. 95-6, 145; ‘WWI Monument to be Unveiled’, Hauraki Herald, 20/6/2014, p. 8; ‘Colville Memorial Unveiled’, Hauraki Herald, 15/8/2014, p. 15; From Gold Mine to Firing Line: ‘The Thames’ and the Great War, ed. Megan Hawkes, Thames, 2014, p. 79.

Community contributions

1 comment has been posted about Colville memorials

What do you know?

Deirdre Green

Posted: 09 Jul 2015

Dear all,
I have been visiting the Coromandel peninsula for many years but I've only just discovered that my grandfather was born there. Sidney Alexander Noble was born at Cabbage Bay on the 29th of August 1897 and attended the Coromandel District High School with Mr Tanner as the principal. His father Edward Noble lived as a miner in the district for many years, and according to family stories, his mother Annie Noble was a local midwife and mortician. She travelled throughout the district on horseback night and day and in all weather attending to both the newborn and the newly deceased. My grandfather Sidney joined the army and I have a description of a welcome home celebration held for him at the Driving Creek Hall upon his return from the First World War. It was a well attended event, with a speech by Mr Jas Cook, dancing, and songs from three misses Ngapo and Mr A. Potae. The fuss was warranted because Sidney had been awarded the Military Medal for bravery. Apart from the Victoria Cross, the Military Medal was the highest award that could be earned by a private soldier. I see that he is not listed on the Cabbage Bay roll of honour, so I thought I would share this story as a way to acknowledge the contribution of yet another brave and resourceful ancestor of Cabbage Bay.