by Cathy Jones

Enfield War Memorial (2004). Photo: Cathy Jones

The Enfield War Memorial was built originally as a World War I Memorial. A 105mm Howitzer gun, donated by the French government in recognition of Australia’s wartime assistance during World War I stands on a large rectangular dressed sandstone pedestal. It occupies a prominent position on the lawn outside the former Enfield Council Chambers, which is located on a busy and prominent crossroad. The Memorial was built under a public subscription program and was unveiled on 11 October 1924 by the Hon. T R Bavin MLA. Bavin was the then NSW Attorney-General but later Premier of NSW from 1927-1930. The memorial was erected by the Mayor and Mayoress of Enfield, Mr and Mrs Ebenezer Ford.

The Enfield Memorial lists the name of Corporal George Julian ‘Snowy’ Howell, VC, MM, who lived in Enfield. Howell’s Victoria Cross was awarded for action at Bullecourt, France whilst serving with 1 Battalion, 1 Brigade, 1 Division A.I.F. as a Corporal. He had previously been awarded a Military Medal for courage and devotion to duty while leading a rifle bombing section during the battalion’s capture of the village of Dernicourt. Howell died in 1964. Two flag poles are located on the south side of the monument alongside small sandstone blocks with inlaid marble slabs. One plaque states ‘To perpetuate the memory of those who served in Borneo, Vietnam, Other Conflicts’, the other plaque states: ‘To perpetuate the memory of those who served in World War II, Korea, Malaya’

The monument has four panels with plaques on each panel recording the names of men and women who served during World War I. The first panel which faces north at the Coronation Parade/Broadway intersection contains the names of those who died during World War I. The marble panel has incised gold lettering and states: Municipality of Enfield, These Gave Their Lives.

Bancroft G, Boesewberg C, Brownell W. C., Bull C.D., Bancroft H. W., Collyer J, Clissold H. W., Connolly H., Clayton A.E.M.M., Eldred W.E., Godbolt P.R., Hanson G.E., Harvey R., Howell V.J, Brown H.H., West A.S., Jordan R., Knight L., King J.E., King E., Ladner E., McArdle R.F.M.M., McKinnon W.W., McKinnon M.M., McNeil J.J., Magnusson A., Martin A.M., Murray F.M.. Murray W.P., Pike F.C., Pearce G.A., Parkin H.B., Petty F., Quilter W., Richardson T., Rowe R.L., Sparkes A.H., Steed F., Slade W.A., Taylor J.G., Taylor C., Tosh J., Walters A.P. Woodhead A.D.C.M., Wrigley E.R., Young W.R.M.M., Griffiths A.G., Reid J.S.

The other panels state: ‘These offered their lives’ and record the following names: Adam A.J, Adam F.E., Andrews C.J., Anslow R., Anslow G., Archinall W.H., Arthur W.A., Ayres J.M.M., Ayres R.F., Armstrong G., Alcott C.H., Barker H.E., Booth A.E., Barker E.A., Barker H.R., Banbury L.C., Banbury C.I., Blackburn W., Bancroft W.T., Banner A., Banner J.W., Barron P.J., Burton A.A., Basden R., Beach H., Beak W.L., Beaumont J.F., Beckhaus B.A., Bourke J.J., Boyd T.F., Brown L.H., Brown C., Bull F., Burgess F., Burton G., Bull C.P., Brew E.H., Bagnell C., Beach J J, Beach W.W., Bancroft H.J., Brown C.H., Bond A., Castle T.J., Cuthberton W.J., Cuthberton L.G., Cuthberton L.G., Cameron A., Chantrill B.J., Chapman J., Chapman J.S., Clements W.P., Clifton N.C.M.M., Clissold R.A., Curtis R.J., CaIdwell R., Cotterill P.T., Crawford D.E., Cross W.T., Cooper H.C., Clifton W.J., Clarke F.W., Connolly W.N., Cummings G.F., Cunningham J., Davies A.E., Druce S.R., Dudley W.H., Dunlop H.J., Dyball R., Eason C.D.M.M., Eason D.P., Eden J.H., Evans A.E., Eldred A.C.M.M., Eldred E.C., Ellis A.E., Ellis S., Ellis T.N., Ellis F., Evans N., Elliott P., Elliott W.E., Eldridge Eagles A., Evans H., Foggan C., Faulkner G., Ferguson R.L., Fitch A.W., Fletcher H.A.L., Forster H.E., Foy E., Francis W.C., Flaherty B., Fry R.H., Fuller F.E., Freeman G.S., Gage W.H., Grant J., Grant E.D., Gagan A., Gathercole A., Gibson L.W.P., Gibson R.S., Gibson H.W., Godfrey J., Grenenger S.S., Grenenger W.S., Grenenger G.R., Griffiths H.J., Griffiths A.C., Goggins D.H., Goggins T.J., Graves A.B., Graves A., Geddes J., Grieves A.J., Hanson G.F., Hall L.V., Hanson H.G.A., Hassall J., Head W.S., Heather W.J., Hele S., Herbert R.H., Hespe F.R., Hewitt L.C., Hoare F.F., Hockley J.E., Hodge S.J.M., Hodson H.J., Howell F.F., Howell C.J.V.C., Howell F.J., Hunt R.A., Hinde C.J., Hutchinson M.A., Herbert S.R., Jarett T.C., Jeffries R.E., Jenkins A.B., Jordon W., Jolley H., Keast R. C., Kelly E.J., Kirkwood R.E., Laing N., Lalor A., Lambpin I., Law R., Leighton C.H., Little G.A., Lish KH, Lloyd T.R., Leonard C.L., Logan A.M.M., McCaffrey R.D., McCaffrey H.G.M.M., McCaffrey A.J., McDonald A.B., McDonald T.A., McFarlane A., McGilveray A., McLeod R.M., McLeod L.A., McKenzie J.R.L., Murray H.M., Moule A.C.H., Mathinson G., Matthews H.G., Mead B., Migney B., Morrissey E.H., Murray S.P., Murray M., Mullins A.E., Messer F.H., Marriott A.S., Milton P.W., Nepean C.H., Ogg A.E., Olsen J.P., Page J.H., Page W.E.M.M., Patino E.R., Phillips S.R., Parkin G., Parkin J.N., Parkin B.H., Parkin S.P., Pike F.G., Pyne N.H., Poole A.J., Priestly J. F., Parker S.E., Proctor G., Parkinson S.B., Parsons H.W., Parkes H.G., Pratt P.W., Pickard W., Rowe D.H., Rowley T., Rozea A.B., Radford J.H., Reid J.S., Richards H.S., Roberts J.D., Roberts R.J., Robertson J.G., Robinson E., Rogers W., Reid L., Rock G.W., Rock R., Robinson V.D., Scope J., Shepherd S., Shepherd W., Short F.J.N., Smith G.L., Sorrel J H A., Stace C.E., Stelle E K, Stinson R.J., Stinson A.J., Sullivan A.E., Swaine M.J., Stugall J.T., Sherwood R.W., Short R.B.N., Steele E.K, Sparks T.E., Steele T.M., Stevens A., Sutton H.W., Taylor J.J., Taylor F., Taylor A.G., Taylor H., Taylor R.E.M.M., Taylor D. V., Tomkins F.E., Townsend A. W., Trevend J.W.C., Turner G., Thornton J.N., Thurston W.L., Trevena H.T.B., Tingey W.W., Turner H.J, Tomkins A.B., Taylor S., Throwden H.J., Walker W.G.R., Walker L.R., Walker K. L., Watson G.W., Warren A.P., Warren T.R., Warren A.R., Warren R.G., Warren O.H., Warren W.A., Westerberg V.M., Whipp R.B., White C.V.S., White G., White F.G., White R.J., Willmott W.H., Willmott, G.W., Willmott L.F., Wilson E.H., Wilson R.O., Wood D.M., Wood S., Woodhead S., Wearne H.L.D., Williams R.L., Wagner G., White E, Warton J.R., Wilson H., Whyte F., Willoughby G. T., Watkins J.H., Waddington F., Wilce W., Young J.

Nurses: McKenzie A.J., Moore F.I., Perkins J., Kent B.M., White S., Bembrick A., Edmundson M., Callen R.I., Livingstone M., Little I., Lambert D.

© Cathy Jones 2005. This article is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without permission of the author.