Burnside District Fallen Soldiers' Memorial
Published on 09 April 2020
On Peace Day, 19 July 1919, several hundred residents of the District of Burnside gathered at the junction of Prescott Terrace and Alexandra Avenue in Rose Park to plant, dedicate and consecrate the Avenues of Honour. The avenues of trees are a living memorial to the fallen. In 1924, the Governor of South Australia, Lieutenant General Sir Tom Bridges, unveiled the bronze memorial statue. The statue was designed by Australian sculptor Charles Web Gilbert and depicts a soldier climbing over the top of a trench and turning back to offer a helping hand to his mate.
In 2020, the City of Burnside became aware that not all the fallen World War I soldiers of the Burnside District are recognised on the Memorial. Currently, 87 names are recognised on the memorial, including an assigned tree for each soldier along Alexandra Avenue and Prescott Terrace. Historical evidence suggests that some residents planted trees for their fallen loved ones, but they did not register the name. This means that some fallen soldiers of the district are yet to be recognised by name.
A research group was formed in June 2021, tasked with uncovering the names of not yet recognised World War I fallen soldiers of the Burnside District.
22 fallen soldiers, many of whom were born in the Burnside District, have so far been identified:
1. Adams, Thomas Clifford 6472
2. Brewer, Gordon 558
3. Gillard, William Gordon 1722
4. Goode, Eric Rolf 450
5. Gurr, Maurice Leonard 2602
6. Keays, Alfred Charles
7. Lammey, Arthur John 2389
8. Manthorpe, John Ross 1612
9. Martin, George Henry 176
10. McWirther, Clifford 1636
11. Murray, Archie Hilliam 3278
12. Norton, Leslie Ivo 3752
13. Pearce, Frederick Phillip 3248
14. Phillips, James Gordon 2009
15. Pike, Victor Hugo 2654
16. Row, Stanley 4565
17. Rugner, Reginald Carl 16237
18. Sandercock, William Edward 1347
19. Shannon, Thomas Patrick 3897
20. Trowbridge, James Walter 744
21. Wark, Reginald Ferguson 4596
22. Wilson, William Wahlers 2144
This list of names is not absolute, and we are encouraging the community to come forward with names or further research to help us identify all fallen World War I soldiers of the Burnside District to be recognised. If they would like to contribute to the research they can contact the Historical and Cultural Officer at burnside@burnside.sa.gov.au
The 22 names were added to the memorial, reunited with their mates, through interpretive plaques and the allocation of 22 unassigned trees on Alexandra Avenue, at a ceremony on 4 August 2022.