Devonport War Memorial

**Devonport War Memorial
** by Celia Walker

Outside the Devonport Library is the substantial World War One memorial, featuring a lone soldier, mounted on a large marble and rough-finished stone plinth. Made by the New Zealand sculptor and Gallipoli veteran Frank Lynch, the sculpture is known as the ‘Untidy Soldier’, with his untied bootlaces and rumpled clothes giving a personal and human-scale glimpse of soldierly life. Although erected to commemorate locals killed in WWI, it now has added plaques that memorialise the names of those killed in later wars and engagements, including WWII and the Korean War.

The Devonport memorial is the focus of community commemorations on ANZAC Day, when it is festooned with wreaths, poppies and other flowers. The presence of the New Zealand Navy Base in Devonport helps retain strong links with New Zealand’s engagement in past military actions, the Navy Band often performing at parades and local events. The ‘Untidy Soldier’ makes another appearance in Masterton, where a duplicate casting dating from 1923 stands as the town war memorial.

Other smaller war memorials in the Devonport area include the South African War Memorial fountain, just along from the Devonport Library, although the main bronze sculpture is a rough replica of the 1903 original, which was stolen and never found. An earlier memorial (1902) lies along the waterfront at the start of King Edward Parade. This elegant wrought-iron archway commemorates both peace in South Africa and the coronation of King Edward VII, and leads to steps down to Windsor Reserve Beach.

Image Credits: Celia Walker