Anzac Square Memorial Site, Brisbane, 21 August 1929

town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

and

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

located between Ann Street and Adelaide Street (opposite Post Office Square), in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. It is a state memorial to the men and women who participated in overseas armed service and is named in honour of the

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the Gallipoli campaign. General William Birdwood com ...

. ANZAC Square is adjacent to ANZAC Square Arcade. ANZAC Square was opened on

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, Fran ...

, 1930. It is also known as 9th Battalion Memorial and Queensland Women's War Memorial. ANZAC Square was registered on the (now inactive) Register of the National Estate in 1980 and added to the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. A ...

on 21 October 1992. ANZAC Square contains the

Shrine of Remembrance The Shrine of Remembrance (commonly referred to as The Shrine) is a war memorial in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road. It was built to honour the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I, but ...

and the 'Eternal Flame of Remembrance' held in a continuously lit bronze urn, dedicated on Tuesday, 11 November 1930. There is also the World War II Shrine of Memories. Daphne Mayo sculptured the Women's War Memorial that forms part of the memorial's wall. The external wall of the Shrine of Memories is dedicated to the 60,000 Queenslanders who fought in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. There are also war-related statues, for various wars, including memorial statues for the Queensland soldiers who fought during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

(1899–1902), as well as

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

and campaigns in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...

and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

. On 27 May 2022, a sculptural memorial memorial to Queensland's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service men and women, designed by

Wakka Wakka Wakka Wakka, or Waka Waka, people are an Aboriginal Australian community of the state of Queensland. Name "''Wakka''" was assigned the meaning "no" by Western linguists who documented the Wakawaka language. Ethnonyms based on the duplication o ...

artist, John Smith Gumbula and sculptor Liam Hardy, was added to Anzac Square. Cast in bronze, the memorial features life-size figures standing on a ‘Journey Stone’. Navy, Army and Air Force are represented alongside Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often groupe ...

warriors and dancers, depicting a story of embarkation from home via air, land and sea. On 25 April, every year, a Dawn Service is held at the Shrine of Remembrance and ANZAC Square.

Symbolism

Some of the symbolism used are as follows: * the 18 columns of the Shrine represent the year of peace after World War 1—1918. * also symbolizing the year (1918) are the number of stairs leading up to the shrine—19 stairs in the first row and 18 stairs in the second row. * the bottle trees commemorate the Queensland Light Horse Regiments, which served in South Africa's Boer War (1899–1902). * the palm trees are Middle East date palms and they represent Australia's success in the Middle East during both World Wars. Palms are also a biblical symbol of victory. * the three paths from the bottom of the stairs represent the three services (Army, Navy, Airforce)

History

Australia's involvement in World War I exacted a heavy toll in death and injury. Of a relatively small population of about five million people, 60,000 troops were killed and 152,000 wounded. Australia's casualty rate of 68.5% was the highest of the Allied forces. The idea of a large memorial park and monument in the centre of the city commemorating those who had participated and died in the Great War was first raised in 1916. The original plan was to use the whole city block bounded by Ann, Edward, Adelaide and Creek Streets for the square but as negotiations with Federal, State and local governments continued throughout the early 1920s, a smaller site was determined. In 1928 State and Federal governments agreed to grant lands for the square and to erect flanking buildings to a co-ordinated design. Anzac Square commemorates all Queenslanders who participated in war, not just

residents. In 1928 a competition for the design of a Shrine of remembrance was won by Sydney architects Buchanan and Cowper. Construction proceeded over the following two years and on Armistice Day 11 November 1930 the

Queensland governor The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor performs constitutional and ceremonial funct ...

Sir John Goodwin dedicated the Shrine and the square. In 1933 the square was declared a Reserve for Park purposes and the

Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...

was appointed trustee of the site. In 1932 the Queensland Women's War Memorial was unveiled. This memorial was an initiative of the Brisbane Women's Club and funded by public subscription. It was designed and executed by Daphne Mayo with assistance from George Harvey. A memorial commissioned by the 9th Battalion (AIF) Association was mounted in the Crypt and unveiled by the

Australian Governor-General The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.Lord Gowrie on 17 August 1937. Commemorating the battalion's 45 officers and 1048 other ranks who lost their lives in the war, it was undertaken by former Brisbane sculptor

William Leslie Bowles William Leslie Bowles (26 February 1885 at Leichhardt, Sydney, Australia – 21 February 1954 at Frankston, Victoria) was an Australian sculptor and medallist. Education He started at Kangaroo Point State School, Brisbane. After studyi ...

at a cost of . Bowles was noted for his memorial work, having been head sculptor at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra during the years 1924 to 1931. In 1939 a memorial commemorating Queenslanders who served in the South Africa conflict 1899 to 1902 was relocated to the square. This memorial, featuring a fully equipped mounted trooper originally stood near the intersection of Turbot and Edward Streets. It was designed by James Watts and sat on a pedestal constructed by local firm Lowther & Sons. During the 1960s and 1970s various proposals were made to alter the square as part of the redevelopment of property on the opposite side of Adelaide Street. These plans met with considerable public resistance. After a protracted public debate, a compromise plan involving limited encroachment on Anzac Square was agreed upon. This work was completed by 1984 and included the construction of a pair of elevated pedestrian bridges to Post Office Square, enlarging the crypt under the Shrine, and the realignment of the Adelaide Street entrance to the square. Originally envisaged as a First World War memorial, Anzac Square has become a repository for memorials of other wars. In 1984 the Second World War Shrine of Memories was relocated in the enlarged crypt under the Shrine and during 1988 memorials to those who served in the Korean and Vietnam wars were erected in the square. Anzac Square remains as the focus of armed services commemorations, particularly on Anzac Day.

Description

Anzac Square, occupies an area of more than between Ann and Adelaide Streets. It lies in a band of pedestrian access space extending from Central Station through four city blocks. On the river side of Anzac Square are Post Office Square, the GPO precinct and St Stephens Cathedral grounds. The square is formally arranged. From a small stone wall edged by formal gardens on Adelaide Street, three paths, separated by lawns and mature trees, converge on a large elevated Shrine at Ann Street. These paths represent the three branches of the armed forces, Army, Navy and Air Force. Trees along these paths include Palms, Bribie Island Pines and Bottle Trees – the latter were donated by Colonel Cameron, former

Light Horseman Light cavalry comprised lightly armed and armored cavalry troops mounted on fast horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the mounted riders (and sometimes the warhorses) were heavily armored. The purpose of light cavalry was primarily r ...

and active lobbyist for the square. A dominant feature of the square is the Shrine. It is an adaptation of the classical Greek temenos (sacred enclosure) and tholos (circular shrine) comprising a circular

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or cur ...

of Helidon sandstone on a three-tiered base of Queensland granite, and stands approximately high on a paved forecourt extending to the Ann Street footpath. Eighteen

Doric columns The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of col ...

support a circular entablature externally ornamented with rosettes and internally inscribed with the names of battlefields where Australian soldiers fought. The colonnade is enclosed by

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

railings that span the columns. Within the circular enclosure a bronze urn houses the Eternal Flame – a symbol of faithful remembrance. Beneath the Shrine is a large crypt containing the Memorial Galleries, previously known as the Shrine of Memories, now managed by the State Library of Queensland. These Galleries are a memorial to those who served in the Second World War, and in various Queensland contingents of the armed forces. The mosaic mural by artist Don Ross is the centrepiece of the Memorial Galleries. Twin stone staircases wrap around the Shrine, descending to the level of the square. On either side of the staircase are shallow tiled reflecting pools – symbols of tranquillity and renewed life. Large sandstone retaining walls rise from the lawns of the square to the footpath under the Shrine. The Queensland Women's War Memorial is located in the western wall of Anzac Square, below the

. It consists of a relief panel in Helidon sandstone depicting a military procession. The panel is surmounted by a centrally placed bronze

laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a round wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen, or later from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cherry laurel (''Prunus laurocerasus''). It is a s ...

and the inscription "Erected by the women of Queensland in memory of those who lost their lives through The Great War 1914–1918". A sandstone and stone

pedestal A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

supports a bronze and sandstone drinking

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were ori ...

mounted on upturned bronze dolphins – symbols of renewed life. The equestrian memorial of the South African War dominates the entry to the central path at Adelaide Street. A life-size bronzed statue, it depicts a Queensland Mounted Infantryman. On two sides of the trachyte pedestal large bronze plaques contain the names of the eighty-nine Queensland soldiers who lost their lives in the South African war. Memorials to the

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

wars are also located in the square. The square is flanked by State Government Offices to the south and Commonwealth Government Offices on the north. These are generally of restrained classical design and sympathetic in scale to the space, except the 1970s Commonwealth Government highrise extension on Ann Street. They frame vistas through the square to the GPO in the east and Central Station to the west.

Anzac Square restoration and enhancement

Beginning in 2014, Anzac Square underwent a major restoration and enhancement project. Stages 1, 2 and 3 of the project were a joint initiative by the Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council and were undertaken from 2014 to 2016. Stage 1 and 2 involved extensive restoration work to build a structurally sound exterior to the memorial site (stopping water infiltration into the substructure and walls), installing an electronic ignition system inside the Eternal Flame urn, during which time the Eternal Flame was relocated to the Parkland of Anzac Square and restorative work to stonework and paving. Stage 3 involved significant enhancements to the crypt and memorial galleries. The spaces in the undercroft were renamed after the completion of Stage 3: * World War I Memorial Crypt (previously the Shrine of Memories) * World War II Gallery (previously Memorial Crypt) * Post World War II Memorial and Exhibition Gallery (formerly the RSL Queensland Branch headquarters) The two memorial galleries house digitised material curated by State Library of Queensland, enhanced with interactive digital experiences including touchscreens and timelines.

Gallery

File:Entrance and opening hours signage of Anzac Square Memorial Galleries. Brisbane, Queensland, 2019. 01.jpg, The entrance and opening hours were updated as part of the Anzac Square restoration and enhancement project completed in 2019. File:Plaque at the entrance to the Anzac Square Memorial Galleries. Brisbane, Queensland, 2019.jpg, The entrance plaque was updated as part of the Anzac Square restoration and enhancement project completed in 2019. File:Anzac-Square-sign.jpg, ANZAC Square sign File:Boer-War-Memorial-Statue-Amzac-Square-Brisbane.jpg,

Memorial Statue File:Shrine-of-Remembrance-Anzac-Square Brisbane.jpg,

ANZAC Square façade, showing the lower section which contains the crypt with the

Shrine of Memories File:Inside-the-Shrine-of-Memories-at-Shrine-of-Remembrance-Brisbane.jpg, Inside the Shrine of Memories File:World-War-I Memorial-sculptureANZAC-Square Brisbane.jpg,

Memorial Sculpture on the external wall of the Shrine of Memories section of the Shrine of Remembrance File:Shrine-of-Remembrance-Anzac-Day.jpg,

, Ann Street façade File:Anzac-square-night-brisbane-may2012.jpg, ANZAC Square

at night, taken from Ann Street,

File:Korea - Malaya - Borneo - 1948 - 1966 Memorial (8282229911).jpg, Memorial to Korea, Malaya and Borneo conflicts by Rhyl Hinwood

Heritage listing

Anzac Square was listed on the

on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. Anzac Square, a State memorial to those who participated in overseas armed service campaigns and the site for major commemorative occasions is significant as a rare example formal urban design of such a scale and degree of unity. The place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage. Anzac Square, a State memorial to those who participated in overseas armed service campaigns and the site for major commemorative occasions is significant as a rare example formal urban design of such a scale and degree of unity. Anzac Square is significant as one of the few examples of Australian war iconography which include servicewomen. Anzac Square is significant as it contains the only memorial in Brisbane dedicated to all members of the Queensland contingents who died during the South African conflict, and one of the few South African War memorials in the state. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. Anzac Square, a State memorial to those who participated in overseas armed service campaigns and the site for major commemorative occasions is significant as a rare example formal urban design of such a scale and degree of unity. Anzac Square is important for its contribution to the central city area as a large open space, combining green and built elements. Anzac Square is significant as examples of the work of Queensland artists and sculptors Daphne Mayo, L Watts and W L Bowles. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. Anzac Square, a State memorial to those who participated in overseas armed service campaigns and the site for major commemorative occasions is significant as a rare example formal urban design of such a scale and degree of unity

References

Attribution

External links

Anzac Square
- Official website

– Anzac Day War Memorials official website

– Digger History official website *

{{Brisbane landmarks Parks in Brisbane Second Boer War memorials in Queensland Queensland places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate Queensland Heritage Register Squares in Brisbane 1930 establishments in Australia History of Brisbane John Smith Murdoch buildings World War II memorials in Queensland Articles incorporating text from the Queensland Heritage Register Ann Street, Brisbane Adelaide Street, Brisbane Square, Brisbane Korean War memorials in Queensland Borneo confrontation memorials in Queensland