When you think of flowers and honouring our veterans, what comes to mind? Do you picture fields of red poppies, sprigs of rosemary on lapels, or laurel wreaths woven with ribbons? Yes, all those have special places within commemorative activities, but the makers of these beautiful war memorials looked closer to home for their floral symbols of remembrance.
The intricate carving on the Upper Manning Church First World War Honour Roll (left), on display in Wingham, NSW, allows us to easily identify the shape of Christmas Bells even without any colouring. The detailed rendering of the delicate flowers, on the right-hand side below the Australian Red Ensign, speaks to the skills of the artisan, Mrs W. Hawkins, and the respect bestowed when crafting an honour roll.
The medium of stained glass is perfect for capturing the vibrant colours of Australia's national floral emblem, the golden wattle, in the St Andrew's Anglican Church Anzac Memorial Window in Lismore, NSW (centre). Grown all over Australia, and able to survive tough conditions, wattle is a symbol of unity and resilience. It has also begun to be worn at commemorative ceremonies. The window was made by Australian stained glass artist Bill Klease. Its design also features stylised gum leaves, which were often enclosed in letters to soldiers during in the First World War, as reminders of home.
Artists have also used the striking waratah, the floral emblem of NSW, as a reoccurring design on war memorials. In the Kenthurst and Annangrove First World War Roll of Honor (right), the iconic bloom and its distinctive spikey leaves are carved from the marble and then hand-painted in bright red and green.
Flowers on war memorials are not only used for their aesthetics and decorative appeal, they are also a patriotic motif, supporting other symbols of the Australian identity, such as the Australian flag, soldiers in slouch hats, and the Rising Sun emblem, all seen in the St Andrew's Anzac Window above.
They also reference the traditional role of flowers in mourning rituals, including laying bouquets at graves or on coffins at funerals. They are a physical demonstration of complex feelings of love, loss, grief, and hope for rebirth, used where words cannot be offered or found. This is particularly important for those whose loved ones died during military service and were buried overseas, or have no known grave, as they are unable to lay the floral tributes themselves.
Next time you visit your local war memorial, look for flowers and other decorations within the overall design. How are they used? How do they make you feel? If you took a photo of the memorial, please consider contributing it to the NSW War Memorials Register.
#LestWeForget
Image captions:
- Left - Upper Manning Church First World War Honour Roll, Wingham. Photograph provided by Graham Wilson, 2020, courtesy of Wingham Presbyterian Church.
- Centre - St Andrew's Anglican Church Anzac Memorial Window, Lismore. Photograph provided by Graham Wilson, 2020. courtesy of the Anglican Parish of Lismore.
- Right - Kenthurst and Annangrove First World War Roll of Honor. Photograph provided by Ronald L McIntosh, 2020.