ST. AIDAN'S MEMORIALS.

— o LYCH GATE AND CROSS. DEDICATION CEREMONY. The war memorial which has been erected in the grounds of St. Aidan's Church, Remuera, is of a two-fold character, comprising a unique lych gate and an imposing Celtic cross, the whole making one of the most effective of the many war memorials raised in New Zealand. The lych gate has been erected to the memory of all who fell in the war by the parents of one who gave his life, while the cross is the tribute of the parishioners to those members of the parish who died in the service of their country. The lych gate, which has been placed well back from the main road at its junction with Ascot Avenue to obtain a rural setting, is a replica of that in tie Churchyard of Clun, Shropshire, erected in 1722, and is of a very rare type. The lych gate is a familiar feature in the old churchyards of rural England and Wales. The najne is derived from the old Anglo-Saion word "Hon," meaning " corpse," because the gate stood at the entrance to the churchyard where the bearers of the dead might rest before passing through and into the church for the solemn funeral rites. It was frequently the custom for the officiating minister to meet the bearers at the lych gate and there begin the service. Many lych gates were provided with a lych stone on which I the bearer could rest their burden, and j immediately above, affixed to the central cross beam, was the lych cross. The base of the lych gate at St. Aidan's has been built of quarry-laced bluestone sots and on this rests the sturdy framework of the structure consisting of two sides fitted with solid panels for half their height and the upper part left open, the four-gabled roof, found in but lych gates, is strongly framed and is covered with hard burnt tiles. The gable panels are ornamented with shaped Umbers and boldly cut sweeps under the front and rear top plates and form arches over the pathway. The pair of gates, hung on hard wrought iron hingee midway through the structure, and fitted with hard wrought latch, complete a very handsome and attractive entrance to the church grounds. Immediately above the gates. and affixed to the cross beam in place of the lych. cross, is a brass tablet bearing the following inscription; In Memory of Evan Gibb Hudson. Lieut. N.Z.E.. And of Those Others Who cave their lives in the Great War for Civitwatioji. "Their namo liveth for evermore." On passing through the lych gate the cross, simple and almost rugged in its outline, comes boldly into view, standing midway in the path on its own rough rockwork base, and symbolising the virile strength of the youthful warrior. The cross itself is buiit up of four stones of quarry-faced Harcourt granite imported from Victoria, comprising the foot, the shaft, the cross arms and the coping stone. The cross stands on a concrete core surrounded by rockwork, formine a broad spreading base, between the wings of which attractive rock bordered jgarden plots have been laid out. Mounted on the face of the shaft, viewed from the lych gate, is a bronze Crusader's sword, Bft. Bin. in length, identical in every way with those adopted by the Imperial Government for surmounting the "Cross of Sacrifice" to be erected in evorv British war cemetery. Hie desi°Ti of the sword is by Sir Reginald Blomfield, R.A., by whose permission the makers supplied it. It is believed that St. Aidan's is'the only parish outside Creat Britain to which such permission has been granted. The granite base of the cross presents four polished panels. The front panel bears the following inscription in V-cut and gilded block letters: — For God and Country. " Lord God of Hosts be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget! " A small panel beneath bears the dates 1914—1918. The three remaining panels earn 7 the 35 names of members of the congregation, to whoso memory the cross is erected The total height of the cross and its base is 19ft. The drawing for the lych gat*, were prepared by Mr. R. A.. Abbott, of Messrs. Arnold and Abbott, architects of the city, who also supervised the erection of the gate and the cross and the layiug out of the ornamental surrounding. The buildine of the {rate was entrusted to Mr. Thomas Whiteley. who has displayed excellent craftmanship. The cross was executed by Messrs. Parkinson and Company. The memorials are to be unveiled tomorrow morning bv the Governor-General, Tord Jellicoe, and will be dedicated by Dr. A. W. Averill, Anglican Bishop of Auckland.