The memorial is a First World War honour roll for the village of Tintenbar and its surrounding district, located on the Far North Coast of NSW. It is made of polished cedar and features two elegant fluted columns. At the top is a curved pediment, emblazoned with the First Commonwealth Coat of Arms. Below this is a brief history of the war, including the start and end dates and the involvement of Australia.
Printed in gold on the main panel of the board are the names of 62 men who served in the war. They are listed in a table, which also includes their enlistment date, if they were an ex-pupil of the Tintenbar School, and additional 'Remarks', such as their fate and fate date.
The board was commissioned by the the Citizen's Committee of Tintenbar. It was made by Brown and Jolly of Lismore, noted cabinet makers, furniture manufacturers, and builders (Northern Star, 15 April 1916). They constructed a number of timber honour rolls throughout the region.
The unveiling ceremony was held at the school on 20 April 1916. The Northern Star, 26 April, described the event in detail. Mr W. Fredericks, chairman of the memorial committee, oversaw the proceedings and the unveiling was performed by Tintenbar residents Mr Hooper and Mr Curtis Hughes, who both lost sons in the war.
At the time of the unveiling, the roll included 52 servicemen. Three years later, steps were taken to record additional names. A meeting was held at the Tintenbar School of Arts on 20 February 1919, where Mr T. A. Murray advised "he had all the necessary data to complete the board up to the present time, and by putting the work in hand immediately there was every hope of having it ready by Anzac Day, when a function could be held." The meeting moved to have the work done by Brown and Jolly (Northern Star, 28 February 1919). These additional names can be easily identified on the roll, as they are printed in a different shade of gold.
The Tintenbar School closed in March 1988. Around 2000, the roll was moved to the Tintenbar Hall, which is the former School of Arts building. Access to the memorial is restricted to its opening hours.
Note: Research for the below veteran names was conducted using The A.I.F. Project website, the National Archives of Australia service records website, and They Served Us Well: WW1 Service Personnel of Tintenbar Shire by Ian Kirkland, researched by Alison Draper (Alstonville Plateau Historical Society, 2015).