Bridge of Remembrance

Press, 4 July 1981, Page 16

Bridge of Remembrance

Pencil drawing by OWEN R. LEE

Text by

DERRICK ROONEY

The striking angles of the Bridge of Rememberance — Christchurch’s memorial to the dead of the Great War of 1914-18 — are highlighted in this view by Owen R. Lee from Cambridge Terrace, near the southern military command headquarters. With its severely upthrust archway and contrasting sculptural embellishments in traditional style, the Bridge of Remembrance today serves as a reminder of the social upheavals of the 1920 s as much as a memorial. Conceived and planned within a few years of the end of the war, it was completed a decade after the firing of the first shot. The Governor-General (Lord Jellicoe) laid the foundation stone, and Archibiship Julius blessed the project on Anzac Day, 1923; just over 18 months later, on Armistice Day (November 11), 1924,* Lord Jellicoe returned to declare the bridge open. As often happens in civic projects, the choice of a bridge and archway as a war memorial was a controversial decision in the day, and there was keen debate in the early 1920 s between proponents of the Bridge of Remembrance and those who favoured memorials of other kinds — such as a large statue or a town hall.

The bridge was chosen eventually, because the Cashel Street bridge was the one over which all Christchurch soldiers had passed on their way from the King Edward Barracks to join their transport to the war — thus the site was deemed to be most appropriate for a memorial. The design of the Bridge of Remembrance was influenced and made more interesting by the Avon River, which flows beneath it not at a right angle but at an angle of 30 degrees. The architects, Prousse and Glimmer — who won the commission in a competition — included the angle in their design, so that all planes in the bridge were at 30 degrees or multiples of 30 degrees. A Christchurch firm, Scott and Sons, built the bridge and arch at a contract price of £16,000, and a noted Christchurch carver, F. G. Gurnsey, did the carving and

masonry, including powerful stone lions on the buttresses — symbols of the spirit of the British Empire. Both the bridge and the tall stone archway abound in further symbolism. The bridge itself was seen as a symbol of the brief span of individual human lives. A cross, as a symbol of sacrifice, is included in the keystone of the arch, and on the columns are upraised torches — symbolising everlasting remembrance of the battlefields whose names are engraved above. Ophelia’s plaint — “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance, pray love, remember” — is echoed in the use of stylised sprays of rosemary foliage as a decorative surround for the laurel wreaths on both sides of the arch. The wreaths, symbols of victory, are here depicted with bundles of reeds, to show that in unity there is strength. A Latin motto, “Quid non pro patria” —- What will they not do for their country —

accompanies the wreaths. For many years the Bridge of Remembrance served as a traffic bridge at the busy intersection of Oxford Terrace, Cashel Street, and Durham Street, and large gouges and scuff marks in the stonework are lasting evidence of the passage of many vehicles through the narrow archway. Since the change to one-way traffic and the construction of a new bridge linking Durham Street and Cambridge Terrace a few years ago, use of the Bridge of Remembrance has been restricted to pedestrians, so that only now is the bridge providing what was called for 60 years ago — a contemplative and non-functional memorial to the war dead.

With the change in status have come some changes in the appearance of the bridge. Elevated above Cambridge Terrace, it is now seen as it was conceived, in isolation. Steps and a ramp have been built to provide access from Cambridge Terrace, and the former roadway has been paved with tiles.