Tamworth Public School First World War Roll of Honor

The Tamworth Public School First World War Roll of Honor is an elaborately carved oak board, with a beaten copper panel attached in the centre. The board and the panel both feature decorative designs, including flags and laurel branches. 

The panel is divided into three sections, each faced with individual brass plaques that are inscribed with the names of those who served in the war. There are around 270 names on the panel. This portion of the roll may have been made by the Wunderlich Company of Sydney. They manufactured numerous memorial honour boards throughout NSW and pressed metal panels such as these are typical of their style. 

Once the decision was taken to construct an honour board at the school, an appeal was made by the Parents and Citizens' Association (P&C) to parents and the public for subscriptions to the memorial. Mr C.W. Wane, the honorary treasurer of the P&C, published the names of subscribers to the appeal in the Daily Observer on 17 October and 24 December 1917.

The memorial was unveiled at the school on 5 December 1917. A detailed report of the event was published in the Daily Observer the following day. Mayor Alderman Thiabult acted as chair on the day and Mr James, the Minister for Education, performed the unveiling. In his speech, Mr James said the memorial was "comparable with any of the many he had seen and reflected credit on all who had gone to the front." He also spoke about bravery and praised the school children across the state for raising 120,000 pounds for "patriotic purposes." The function finished with singing by the pupils and ended with the National Anthem. 

The roll was restored to pristine condition in 2002, following a request for assistance by School Principal Mr Ruskin Donlan to the Tamworth RSL sub-Branch. The work was undertaken by Barry Spencer of the RSL. In the above photo, Spencer (left) is pictured presenting the restored roll to Principal Donlan and three students.

The memorial is located in the foyer of the school and is available for viewing when the school is open to the public.