A female figure of ‘Peace’ holding a torch and laurel wreath is mounted on a column with a buttressed base inset with memorial panels. The names of First World War theatres of war are inscribed around the base of the column, which is set within a rectangular stone and concrete surround featuring ornamental urns and lampstands.
The Gore Soldiers' Memorial was unveiled on Anzac Day 1924 by Elizabeth Turnbull, who had lost two sons during the First World War. The ceremony was preceded by a march and service in the Princess Theatre in Mersey Street; it was reported at the time that the memorial had cost £1,634 and that 140 names were inscribed upon it. Memorial plaques to Second World War servicemen and those who served in later conflicts (Korea, Malaya, Borneo, Vietnam, Timor-Leste, Afghanistan and Iraq) were later added to the memorial, which remains the focus for local Anzac Day commemorations.
Main image: Bruce Cavanagh, 2024
Other images: Jock Phillips, 2008, Bruce Cavanagh, 2024
Text: Gore District Council, 2022
Find out more about the people listed on this memorial from Auckland Museum's Cenotaph database