Photo: R. McCoy
The major honour board to the right of the main door records forty-six men and two nurses who while members of the Congregation served in World War 1. The names include that of the minister, The Rev. R. M. Legate who served as a chaplain.
No mention is made in the Session
Minutes of the erection of the Honour Board. In the minutes of June 1916
however, there is an invitation to worship at St Paul’s, which the Moderator
reporting having made to His Excellency the Governor-General who was visiting
Brisbane in August 1916.
At the March meeting of the
Committee of Management the following is found:
“The question of the erection of an Honour board in connection with the
members of the Church who were at the Front, and also erection of Memorial
Tablets to the memory of late Ministers viz, Rev Dr Nesbit, Dr McSwaine and Rev
A Gillison was discussed, and it was decided that circulars be prepared and
sent to present and past members of the congregation soliciting contributions
toward same.”
At the following meeting the
comment was made:
“A discussion took place as to the working on the memorial tablets and
it was finally decided that same be left in the hands of the committee. It was
decided that the tablets be placed on the wall instead of being let in.”
In the Courier Mail of Saturday, 16
August 1916 the following appeared:
“His Excellency the Governor-General will unveil the church honour board
tomorrow morning at the service in St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Leichardt
Street. There will also be unveiled by relatives, brasses to the late Dr
McSwaine, Dr Nisbet, Rev A Gillison, Lieutenant Colin Ross-Monro, Lieutenant
Thomas Holmes Nisbet, and Private Thomas Windled. The Rev Moorhead Legate will
be the preacher at both services.”
From a photo that appeared in the
Courier Mail later, it seems that the current board is not the original one.
The framework remains the same but for the fact it is headed “1914 – 191 “ and
the names have obviously been re-done and new panels slipped in, when we
compare that photo with the original board.
Research has been undertaken into the men and women who have been honoured on our World War I Honour Board. This research can be found at 'Our War History'.
The information provided has been
compiled using the WW1 Records search facility of the National Archives. Not
all of the names could be matched satisfactorily as there was insufficient
information to confirm. Other information has been included from newspaper
sources and the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Deaconess Dianne Parker, November 2012.
Deaconess Dianne Parker, November 2012.
