Auburn North Public School Great War Roll of Honor

This war memorial is an elegant timber honour board for the First World War. Made of rosewood and maple, it features a decorative top piece and two turned columns. Within the top piece is a carved laurel wreath, surrounding the words 'Roll of honor'. Those words, and the name of the school, are painted in vivid yellow and red. 

The main section of the board contains a list of 107 ex-students of the Auburn North Public School (established 1891), who enlisted in the war. They are printed in gold in alphabetical order across three columns. Ten names, all on the Auburn War Memorial, are identified with a cross, indicating they died in the war.

The construction of the roll was a communal effort, as outlined in the Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate on 2 June 1917:

Mr E. Hewson made the lower part of the honor board out of some rosewood, and finished it off with two columns of maple. He made a present of the timber and his labor to the [Parents and Citizens'] association, and also offered to erect the board in the school. Messrs. Wilkinson and Nightingale polished the whole of the woodwork gratis. The teachers collected the names and supplied the top piece, the carved lettering on which was the artistic work of Miss Bray.  

The roll was unveiled by the Mayoress, Mrs Cheetham, on Empire Day, 24 May 1917. The event included speeches by the Mayor, Alderman T. Cheetham, and other dignities and patriotic songs from the school children. At the time of the unveiling, the roll contained only 94 names. 

The board was refurbished with fresh lettering in 2007, in a project undertaken by Auburn RSL sub-Branch. It now resides in the school's hall, where the annual Anzac assembly is held. It is not accessible to the public. 

Notes about the veterans:

• Three other names on this roll are also on the Auburn War Memorial, but they do not have a cross against them. S. Perry returned to Australia, but it must have been an oversight to leave a cross off the names J. O’Brien and W. Reynolds.
• The full list of names of those who died is: E. Atkinson, H. Creagh, A. Marshal, E. McGuire, L. Myers, J. O’Brien, C. Page, D. Paine, T. Perry, W. Reynolds, J. Wheeler, and R. Wilkinson.
  • Cleveland Page was the only Gallipoli casualty.
  • J. O’Brien is yet to be identified.
• Six of the Auburn soldiers killed in the war appearing on this roll are also listed on the Auburn Superior Public School Honour Board: E. Atkinson, H. Creagh, W. Paine, S. Perry (returned), T. Perry, and W. Reynolds. They would have completed their primary education at Auburn North Public School and then completed one or two years at Auburn Superior Public School. For the early decades of the 20th century, Auburn Superior Public School provided post-primary vocational courses, such as woodwork, metalwork, business principles, typing and shorthand, cookery, sewing, and home management.