Darfield War Memorial Hall pictured shortly before its demolition in 1984. The Darfield Soldiers' Memorial Hall, as it was first known, was one of the earliest war memorial halls opened in New Zealand (it also commemorated soldiers who had served in the South African War). Work started on the hall in August 1916; the foundation stone was laid on 23 September 1916; the building was formally opened on 29 December 1916.
There is no record of any roll of honour being unveiled in the hall until April 1952, when a memorial scroll listing the 41 members of the Darfield Young Farmers' Club who had served in the Second World War was unveiled (five deaths). The hall was demolished in 1984, and the scroll's whereabouts is unknown today.
The former site of the Darfield War Memorial Hall has been transformed into Tussock Reserve. Brass interpretation panels tell the story of the war memorial hall and highlight prominent moments in the history of the local Malvern area. There is also a marble tablet (not pictured here) which reads: THIS HALL WAS ERECTED / AS A MEMORIAL / TO THOSE FALLEN. / "SOUTH AFRICAN WAR" / 1899 -1902. / "GREAT WAR" / 1914 - 1918.
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