The Chatsworth Cenotaph is a granite obelisk, standing on a rectangular pedestal, supported by a concrete foundation. It is surrounded by a fence of four concrete posts, joined by eight pipes. The railing was the gift of the War Equipment League. There is also a flagpole at the rear of the area.
The names of those who served in the First World War are inscribed on four marble tablets attached to the sides of the pedestal. Each tablet is positioned underneath a concrete wreath. At a later date, plaques in remembrance of the Second World War have been added to the memorial.
Harwood Shire Council granted permission for a memorial to be erected in 1921 (The Grafton Argus and Clarence River General Advertiser, 15 April 1921). Meetings were held in April 1922 where it was decided that "all Chatsworth Island district boys and those who enlisted from here should have their names on the Memorial Stone." A list of names had recently been on exhibition and they were agreed upon. An initial unveiling date was put forward of 20 May (Daily Examiner, 7 April 1922).
Delays must have occurred because the monument was not erected until later in the year. It was built on a prominent position on the bank of the North Arm river, adjacent to the main North Coast Road. The work was done by Messrs Matheson and Collins of Grafton. A meeting held on 8 September 1922 about the memorial noted the construction costs were 200 pounds. The memorial committee still had 60 pounds to raise at that stage, and decided to take up a voluntary collection at the unveiling (Daily Examiner, 12 September 1922).
The unveiling took place on 30 September, in front of some 300 attendees. The event began with a procession lead by school children carrying the Union Jack. They marched from the local hall to the memorial, where Mr Alex Anderson, president of the committee, presided over the ceremony. Mrs M. McAulay, mother of three who had served and one who did not survive, performed the unveiling. The children laid wreaths and sang hymns. Special thanks were given to the Colonial Sugar Refinery Company for their donation of 100 pounds and Mr Anderson and Mr. G.H. Jobson for their work on the memorial committee (Daily Examiner, 4 October 1922).
The first dawn service took place at the Cenotaph in 2014.