Landmark bronze pays homage to forgotten war.
Thousands of motorists pass it every day. If you travel out of the city towards the Tasman Bridge, on the highway to the left you will see an imposing memorial.
It is topped with a bronze statue of a soldier looking towards Hobart’s waterfront. It has been there for 119 years.
The Hobart Boer War Memorial, originally called the Tasmanian Soldier’s National Memorial, had its foundation stone laid on July 4, 1901 by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Cornwall and York. The bronze statue is an impressive, if not a beautiful piece of art; so grand there is a replica of it in Halifax, Yorkshire, England.
This Sunday is Boer War Commemorative Day. This year there will be a downsizing of proceedings. Previously it has been a large and colourful affair. For 2020 there will be opportunity for the public throughout the day to lay a flower, posy or wreath at the foot of the memorial in honour of Tasmanians who served in that forgotten war of 1899-1902. I will speak at 11am, followed by a lone bugler sounding Last Post.
At the time of the laying of the foundation stone in 1901, 16 Tasmanians had died because of the war, with a final total of 42. The site was chosen because it was in view of vessels entering the harbour.
The memorial committee chairman was Bernard Shaw (cousin of English playwright George Bernard Shaw), and the architect was Alan Walker.
Creator of the remarkable sculpture was Benjamin Sheppard senior, who married Elise Morrisby, sister to Bernard Morrisby, who died in the war. It is believed Bernard Morrisby may have been the model for the statue, or his brother Raymond Morrisby, who survived the war. Another contender was Fredrick Weeding, who worked on Lt-Colonel Cameron’s property in the Midlands. Cameron led the first contingent to South Africa. London-born Ben Sheppard moved to Hobart, joining his sister and her schoolmaster husband at Bismarck, now Collinsvale.
The soldier on the Boer War memorial watches ships leaving Tasmania’s shores and greets those sailing home. Picture: RICHARD JUPE
He won a commission for the memorial which he executed in London. It won great acclaim in Britain and Australia. Undoubtedly, it was his masterpiece. In the cavity of the foundation stone was placed the names of those Tasmanians who went to South Africa. There were also newspapers covering the announcement of the first meeting about the memorial, the death of Queen Victoria and accession of King Edward VII, the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York in Australia, and the names of the memorial committee and others who took part. The foundation stone was placed in position by pulley and three huge granite stones were added for the base.
It was described as the “National Monument”, with subscription for its erection coming from all classes of people throughout Tasmania.
The soldier is looking in the direction he does because he is watching the troops leaving and returning to our shores.
The statue was sent to London for casting in bronze and exhibited there. The founder was Messrs Singer and Co of Somerset. In Venice and Rome, Sheppard found inspiration in Michelangelo’s statue of David, hence the trooper’s pose. The Times (London) reported: “He stands on the alert, his field glasses in one hand and his rifle in the other, a fine type of the young manhood of the colony who came forward so readily to help the mother country and the Empire.” The statue returned to Hobart on the SS Papanui in January 1905, and added to the memorial. Ben Sheppard won the design out of 52 entrants, 16 from Britain. The prize was 20 guineas. Sheppard died in Cape Town, South Africa, after leaving for a warmer climate because of his failing health. The Mercury described him as a “promising young painter” (July 25, 1902).
Forty Tasmanians died from various causes during the war, with two dying returning on an overcrowded troopship, making 42 out of more than 600 Australians. The war was declared on October 11, 1899, and peace proclaimed on May 31, 1902. Memorials are scattered throughout Tasmania, including a wonderful one in Launceston paying homage to those who served and to those who died.
Most are probably forgotten and neglected. Perhaps they are considered a quaint reminder of some war many Tasmanians have little knowledge of, overshadowed by the later major world wars.
Author
Reg A. Watson is a Tasmanian historian and author.
https://regwatson.mydrive.me/
It is topped with a bronze statue of a soldier looking towards Hobart’s waterfront. It has been there for 119 years.
The Hobart Boer War Memorial, originally called the Tasmanian Soldier’s National Memorial, had its foundation stone laid on July 4, 1901 by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Cornwall and York. The bronze statue is an impressive, if not a beautiful piece of art; so grand there is a replica of it in Halifax, Yorkshire, England.
This Sunday is Boer War Commemorative Day. This year there will be a downsizing of proceedings. Previously it has been a large and colourful affair. For 2020 there will be opportunity for the public throughout the day to lay a flower, posy or wreath at the foot of the memorial in honour of Tasmanians who served in that forgotten war of 1899-1902. I will speak at 11am, followed by a lone bugler sounding Last Post.
At the time of the laying of the foundation stone in 1901, 16 Tasmanians had died because of the war, with a final total of 42. The site was chosen because it was in view of vessels entering the harbour.
The memorial committee chairman was Bernard Shaw (cousin of English playwright George Bernard Shaw), and the architect was Alan Walker.
Creator of the remarkable sculpture was Benjamin Sheppard senior, who married Elise Morrisby, sister to Bernard Morrisby, who died in the war. It is believed Bernard Morrisby may have been the model for the statue, or his brother Raymond Morrisby, who survived the war. Another contender was Fredrick Weeding, who worked on Lt-Colonel Cameron’s property in the Midlands. Cameron led the first contingent to South Africa. London-born Ben Sheppard moved to Hobart, joining his sister and her schoolmaster husband at Bismarck, now Collinsvale.
The soldier on the Boer War memorial watches ships leaving Tasmania’s shores and greets those sailing home. Picture: RICHARD JUPE
He won a commission for the memorial which he executed in London. It won great acclaim in Britain and Australia. Undoubtedly, it was his masterpiece. In the cavity of the foundation stone was placed the names of those Tasmanians who went to South Africa. There were also newspapers covering the announcement of the first meeting about the memorial, the death of Queen Victoria and accession of King Edward VII, the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York in Australia, and the names of the memorial committee and others who took part. The foundation stone was placed in position by pulley and three huge granite stones were added for the base.
It was described as the “National Monument”, with subscription for its erection coming from all classes of people throughout Tasmania.
The soldier is looking in the direction he does because he is watching the troops leaving and returning to our shores.
The statue was sent to London for casting in bronze and exhibited there. The founder was Messrs Singer and Co of Somerset. In Venice and Rome, Sheppard found inspiration in Michelangelo’s statue of David, hence the trooper’s pose. The Times (London) reported: “He stands on the alert, his field glasses in one hand and his rifle in the other, a fine type of the young manhood of the colony who came forward so readily to help the mother country and the Empire.” The statue returned to Hobart on the SS Papanui in January 1905, and added to the memorial. Ben Sheppard won the design out of 52 entrants, 16 from Britain. The prize was 20 guineas. Sheppard died in Cape Town, South Africa, after leaving for a warmer climate because of his failing health. The Mercury described him as a “promising young painter” (July 25, 1902).
Forty Tasmanians died from various causes during the war, with two dying returning on an overcrowded troopship, making 42 out of more than 600 Australians. The war was declared on October 11, 1899, and peace proclaimed on May 31, 1902. Memorials are scattered throughout Tasmania, including a wonderful one in Launceston paying homage to those who served and to those who died.
Most are probably forgotten and neglected. Perhaps they are considered a quaint reminder of some war many Tasmanians have little knowledge of, overshadowed by the later major world wars.
Author
Reg A. Watson is a Tasmanian historian and author.
https://regwatson.mydrive.me/