NOW WESTWARD GONE.

Waikato Times, Volume 96, Issue 15866, 12 December 1923, Page 6

NOW WESTWARD GONE.

CAMBRIDGE'S FALLEN SOLDIERS.

MONUMENT TO THEIR MEMORY.

UNVEILED RY LORD JELLICOE

Yesterday marked a historical event in the annals of Cambridge, for it saw the unveiling and dedication of a beautiful and imposing war memorial erected on the triangle, opposite the Town Hall to the memory of the 7i Cambridge men who had laid down their lives in the cause of Empire in the great struggle of 19U-IS. A halfholiday was observed in the town and the population turned out to a man to witness the ceremony. Long before the commencement of proceedings the space surrounding the monument was densely crowded with townsfolk and visitors from the surrounding districts, the police in fact having I heir hands full in controlling the great gathcimg. Interest in the function was increased by the fact that the Governor-General, Lord Jellicoe, had graciously accepted the invitation of the committee fo perform the official ceremony, while His Lordship Dr. Averill, Anglican Bishop of Auckland, had also consented to be present.

A Beautiful Monument. The memorial itself is of a particularly imposing and beautiful design, based as it is upon a lay-out. in the form of a cross, at the foot of which is a sarcophagus bearing in bronze the names of those who lost their lives in the Great War. At the crux of the cross rises an obelisk, which records with its figures and inscription the communal service and sacrifice. The following inscriptions ore incised in the stone on the east and west sides of the shaft: —"To the (.'.lory of God and to the Immortal Memory of the Cambridge men who gave Iheir lives in the i Great War, 1914-1918." "They shall be as the Stones of a Crown lifted up as an ensign upon the land." The latter inscription is from Zachariah xi., 10. Superimposed upon the four faces of the obelisk are cross forms that are read in conjunction with the figures and inscriptions at their bases. At the foot of the cross, on the north side, is the figure of Youth on the threshold of manhood. The New Zealand fighting unit on Gallipoli, stripped to the waist with shorts, has been taken as a type for the modelling of the figure. The sculptor has striven to express in the figure the meaning of the great war, and our own mingled feelings of sorrow in sacrifice and pride in victory. Upon the opposite side, in the shadow of the cross, lies a lion guarding the sarcophagus, with its precious records, and expressing symbolically Imperial victory, strength and courage. Upon the sarcophagus arc threebronze tablets, of which the central bears the inscription: "Tell Britain ye that mark this monument faithful to her we fell and rest content," which is adapted from Simon'ide's epitaph on the Spartans at Thermopylae. Enclosing this inscription is the cross symbol, and laid upon it the mediaeval sword bound wtih reeds and pointing down, representing, a righteous peace with honour. On each side of this central panel at a lower level two panels bear the names and ages of the ', i men of the Cambridge district who gave their lives.

Rosemary shrubs support the shaft at the four corners, and cypresses form a backing for the sarcophagus. A lily pond has been introduced as a link, and as a means of adding an additional value with reflections.

The masonry of the shaft and ped- | estal is Hobart stone, the statuary ; Italian marble, and the ilagging surrounding the whoel design York stone. ' Cost did not permit the committee to , have the bronze work cast in England, and it is indebted to the untiring efforts . of Mr Cross and Messrs A. and T. j Burt, of Auckland, for obtaining the | maximum artistic finish allowed by the limits of the sand-casting process used in New Zealand. Cambridge has a j memorial which is costing less than anything of its size and finish erected in Australia or New Zealand. OnlyMr Coss' great desire to give some- : thing worthy without consideration of ccrst to himself in labour or expenditure has made it possible to erect such a memorial at so small a cost. The erection of the memorial is due to the untiring efforts of a strong committee headed by Mr 11. Alan Bell, with Mr Wallace and latterly Mr Bellamy occupying the position of secretary. The necessary funds for its erection. £2OOO, were raised some time ago, but owing to difficulty to getting the, exact material considerable delay was necessitated in the completion of the work. Tho Service. The service was of a solemn and impressive nature throughout, and as the sheet was slowly unveiled, throwing into bold relief the beautifullysculptured figure of a young New Zealand soldier falling under the gunfire of the foe and a bugle in the distance rendered Hie "Last Post," tears glistened in many an eye, while an air of profound feeling pervaded all. A procession leading from the Drill Hall to the site of the monument preceded the ceremony, those taking part being the Fire Brigade, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, the Town Band, Territorials, the senior cadets, ex-service men, clergy, mayor, councillors and town clerk, members of Parliament, and representatives of local bodies.

Arrived at the scene of the ceremony His Worship the Mayor of Cambridge, Mr C. H. Priestley, in opening the service, said, infer alia, I hat it would doubtless be some consolation to those bereaved as a result of the war thai such a beautiful monument erected to the memory of their dear ones would be carefully guarded for all time. Mr F. Lye, M.P. for Waikato, in calling upon llis Excellency Lord Jellicoe to unveil the memorial, said that, the day was the most important one in the town's history. He paid a tribute to the gallant men whose memory they were endeavouring to perpetuate. He thanked the Governor-General for having so honoured the town as to have consented to perform the ceremony, and welcomed him on behalf of the people of Cambridge. Mr Lye alluded lo the great work done during the war by Lord Jellicoe and to his kindliness and good nature which had endeared him so to the people of New Zealand.

New Zealand's Great Record. His Excellency Lord Jellicoe said the thoughts in every mind of those gathered around the memorial must be of sacrifice and of vie Lory. New Zealand's sacrifice in the Great War was typical of this Dominion —a country that had always answered, and would always answer the call of Empire. He had been given official figures by Lord Ascpiith showing Uic percentage of men enlisting in Die various parts of the Empire to he as follows: Great Britain 22 per cent, New Zealand 19 per cent, Canada and Australia each 13 per cent, and South Africa I I per cent. New Zealand, the most remote from the battlefield, headed the list amongst the Dominions in her sacri-

ficcs for right against might. The credit, he continued, was due as much to the wives and mothers as to the men themselves, for they could have prevented this wholesale voluntary enlisting had they so desired. New Zealand's name would go down emblazoned in history for her efforts on behalf of civilisation. On occasions such as this the deepest sympathy must always go out to the bereaved, but with that was accompanied a. certain feeling of envy in the. pride they must feel in the sacrifices made on behalf of the Empire and of righteousness by their lover! ones. In conclusion, His Excellency remarked that there was one thing all should be determined to avail themselves of, ami that was to follow the example of self-sacrifice so nobly set, by those gentlemen who gave their lives'in the great struggle that all ■might be worthy of their champions' victory. Lord Jellicoe then unveiled the memorial with the words, "To the Greater Glory of God and to the Memory of those who fell in the Great War."

He himself placed a beautiful wreath at the foot of the monument. Then commenced a veritable procession of people laden with wreaths anxious to pay their last tribute to the memory of (lie fallen..

Dedicatory prayers were then read by Dr. Averill, while. Rev. J. D. McArthur and Rev. J. Hay offered prayers and pronounced the Benediction. Hymns were rendered during the service by the Hamilton Choral Society.

Another Memorial Unveiled. Following the unveiling of the war memorial the Governor-General was called upon to unveil the beautiful stained-glass window in the Anglican Church provided as a further •monument, to the self-sacrifice, of Cambridge's sons. The window consists of three lights, the eenlral one being 18ft high and emblematical of truth, freedom and justice. It is a wonderful colore scheme and is the work of Fowlds and Son. Whitcfriars, England. It is considered by those in a position to judge to be the finest window of its kind in the North Island, and one of the finest in the Dominion.

In unveiling this beautiful work, His Excellency said that he knew of no more fitting place in which a memorial could 1)C erected than in the parish church, where those loved ones worshipped before they gave their lives in the cause of righteousness. On the altar of the church was the representation of the cross which typified the greatest sacrifice made by the Saviour for mankind. The monument erected to the dead soldiers would serve to keep their memory ever green to the generations to come, for they had followed the example of their Master in sacrificing their lives for their fellowcreatures. It was only right and proper, therefore, that their sacrifice should be honoured in this way. Dr. AveriU dedicated the window and offered suitable prayers. Amongst those also present were Dr. O'Callaghan, Ven. Archdeacon Cowie, Rev. C. Mortimer Jones. Rev. G. T. Bobson, M.C., Bcv. C. B. Scton, and Rev. F. Harty.

Among the wreaths was one for the Cambridge district, which Mr F. Lye, M.P., laid on the memorial, one for the Borough Council by His Worship the Mayor, and a third by the Rev. Montimcr Jones, as representative of the tribute of returned soldiers.