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M.W. Hardy's Terrazzo War Memorials

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Pink terrazzo stone
M.W. Hardy's Terrazzo War Memorials

An inventory of Hardy’s work throughout New South Wales continues to grow. 

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Terrazzo is an artificial stone made from composite materials poured in place or precast. Chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable material are placed in a cementitious binder for chemical strength. When set, the stone is polished.  It was used in ancient Rome and revived in the 15th century by Venetian builders who couldn't afford to use solid marble. They mixed discarded marble chips with clay, then polished it to create a decorative, hardwearing floor surface.  When professionally made, it is one of the most durable surfaces, impervious to water and stain damage.  

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George Lenard Illingworth Memorial Tablet

Terrazzo is an unusual material for a war memorial and those by M.W. Hardy stand apart for their aesthetics and technical skill. His Honour Rolls are beautifully detailed, testament to the patience it took to produce them. It is his Patents, combined with a high standard of workmanship, that are remarkable. Plus - Hardy used good quality stone.

In two dimensions, Hardy incorporated theatres of war, rifles, diggers and officers' hats, and upturned wreaths (a symbol of honour, endurance and sorrow), that tell more about the memorial beyond a list of names. Another device was to inscribe the names on a scroll, set between neo-classic columns with a black and white checked floor. The Australian flag and the British Union Jack are often displayed in blue, red and white marble. Hardy usually inscribed his name and Patent number on these monuments.

As at 2020, more than twenty war memorials and honour rolls by M.W. Hardy have been identified, in addition to numerous cemetery monuments. 

Can you help us identify and record M.W. Hardy monuments in New South Wales? Email Sue Jackson-Stepowski

HONOUR ROLLS AND WAR MEMORIALS BY M.W. HARDY

Narrabri West Great War Memorial 

Narrabri District School 1914 - 1919 Roll of Honour and Drinking Fountains 

Narrabri Town Hall Clock Tower and Honour Rolls, now the Narrabri and District Soldiers' Memorial

George Lenard Illingworth Memorial Tablet

Methodist Church Honour Roll Narrabri (1916), not currently recorded on the NSW War Memorials Register

Edgeroi First World War Roll of Honour 

Bullawa Creek Honour Roll (1917), location unknown, not currently recorded on the NSW War Memorials Register

Wee Waa Memorial Clock Tower and M.U.I.O.O.F First World War Honour Roll

Wee Waa Boer War Memorial Drinking Fountain 

Rev. John Wilkinson Memorial Tablet , formerly located in the (now destroyed) Narrabri Methodist Church and relocated into storage at the rear of the Uniting Church

Loyal Pilliga Lodge First World War Honour Roll, not currently recorded on the NSW War Memorials Register

Lodge Wee Waa Roll of Honour, located in the Lodge Namoi Narrabri, not currently recorded on the NSW War Memorials Register

Warialda Public School First World War Honour Roll 

Breeza War Memorial 

Bundarra War Memorials

Duri First World War Honour Roll

Rydal War Memorial 

Koloona Great War Honour Roll

Uralla Public School First World War Honour Roll 

Wandsworth District Soldiers Memorial

Gravesend War Memorial (Obelisk needle)

Boomi and District Public School Great War Honour Roll

St David's Presbyterian Church (Parish of Uralla) First World War Honour Roll

Nullamanna First World War Honor Roll

Gunnedah Public School First World War Honour Roll

Come-by-Chance First World War Roll of Honor

 

honour rolls and war memorials reputedly by m.w. hardy

Warialda M.U.I.O.O.F Honour Roll (1918), not currently recorded on the NSW War Memorials Register

Warialda School of Arts (1915), not currently recorded on the NSW War Memorials Register

St Stephen's Presbyterian Church Great War Honour Roll, Warialda
and the St Stephen's Presbyterian Church 1914-1919 Honour Roll

 

Other known examples of Hardy’s work (as at 2020)

Grave of the children of Joseph Hall, Tamworth Cemetery (c1920)

D Woods monument, Tamworth Cemetery (referred by stonemason Sach Killam in 2020)

L R Gibson monument, Rookwood Monument Database (referred by stonemason Sach Killam in 2020)