War memorial recrowned with VC for Anzac Centenary

 

A Victoria Cross long missing from a World War I Memorial was replaced this week following a meticulous City of Sydney restoration project.

When the tribute to local soldiers killed during the “Great War” was completed in Foley Park, Glebe, in 1922, a bronze Victoria Cross sat on top, proudly clasped to a granite orb.

But the cross, which symbolises the highest military decoration for valour “in the face of the enemy” for Australian servicemen and women, mysteriously disappeared decades ago.

To restore the monument’s original glory, the City engaged heritage conservators to oversee the reproduction of the missing piece for Anzac centenary year celebrations.

“We know that 174 Glebe men did not come home from action in World War I and the City has restored the Glebe War Memorial to its original format as we commemorate the centenary of the Anzac landings,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“It’s fitting that we reinstalled the Victoria Cross in the year we remember the Gallipoli landings, when so many young men displayed such remarkable courage. The terrible war and tragic loss of life was a defining time for Australians and we must ensure the memorials honouring those who served always look their best, for now and future generations.

“The City’s conservators have done a great job coordinating this project as well as other important work at 10 other war memorials across Sydney in the past year.”

Specialist metal-artists reproduced the missing Glebe memorial Victoria Cross by taking a mould from one that sits atop the Mascot War Memorial, which was designed by the same architect, William Martin. Mr Martin was also a local Alderman and anti-conscription campaigner back in the 1920s.

Craftsmen from Crawford’s Casting, which made both bronze Diggers on the Anzac bridge, used a cherry picker to reach the orb seven metres above Mascot Memorial Park, where they prepared a silicon rubber mould last month.

They then cast the new cross and clasp over four weeks in their Sydney foundry in a process that saw a compound of copper, silicon and manganese heated to a temperature of 1,240 degrees Celsius for pouring.

State President of the Returned and Services League of Australia Mr Rod White AM RFD thanked the City for the thoughtful restoration.

“The NSW Branch of the Returned and Services League of Australia expresses its sincere appreciation to the City of Sydney Council and to all those involved with the significant restoration of this Memorial,” Mr White said.

Crawford’s Casting art founder Matt Crawford said extra care was taken during the moulding process not to damage the Mascot tribute.

“Traditionally a mould like this would be backed with a fibre glass resin,” he said. “But we didn’t do that on this job because we wanted to protect the Mascot memorial and not leave a mark on it a few weeks before Anzac Day.

“We painted the silicon on in layers – seven coats to build the thickness with different colours for different layers.

“From this mould we made a wax copy and used it in the bronzing process to make the cross and ornamental strapping or clasp.

“It’s just good to be part of this celebration. You always feel pretty special and particularly respectful when you are around these monuments.”

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