The Marrickville War Memorial has stood proudly outside Marrickville Town Hall since 1919. Built in honour of those who served in the First World War, the memorial is a stately granite column, on top of a decorative granite base. The base is inscribed with the names of 458 men from the area who fought and died in the war. Gracing the top of the column is a four-metre-high bronze sculpture of Winged Victory, standing on a Corinthian capital.
Depicted with a solemn, downcast gaze, Victory holds a laurel wreath in her left hand and a downward-pointing sword in her right, in a gesture of peace. Two powerful wings stretch outwards from her back, giving her pose drama and a sense of movement. Titled Winged Victory, 2015, she was created by artists Darien Pullen and Peter Corlett for the Centenary of Anzac commemorations in 2015.
She is the second such sculpture in the memorial's history. The first was originally cast by accomplished local sculptor Gilbert Doble in 1919, who drew his inspiration from the Greek goddess of victory, Nike. Doble's Victory held her sword pointing to the sky and her wreath by her side, in tribute to the fallen. She was unveiled with the memorial on Empire Day, 24 May 1919 in front of some 15,000 people.
At the time, she was the largest cast bronze sculpture in Australia. She was also made locally, in Doble's studio in nearby Tempe, making her even more unique. When describing the piece, the Evening News (3 May 1919) said:
Marrickville citizens will certainly have good cause to be proud of the possession of a public work of art, which will challenge attention from visitors from all parts of the world and not suffer by comparison with any.
Over the years, damage and issues with instability meant that Doble's Victory had to be removed several times for restoration and repair. In 2008, it was permanently placed in storage and the column stood bare until Pullen and Corlett's work was installed on 15 April 2015, almost 100 years after the memorial's unveiling.
The significance of Doble's Victory had long been recognised. She was restored and put on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra in 2014.
The Marrickville War Memorial continues to be a landmark for the area and a focal point for the community's commemorative services.
Read more about the Marrickville War Memorial on the NSW War Memorials Register.
Do you know more about a war memorial in NSW? Find out how you can contribute to the NSW War Memorials Register.
Images taken by the NSW War Memorials Register, 2021. Image captions:
- Left: Marrickville War Memorial, viewed from Marrickville Road.
- Middle: Close-up of the dedication on the front side of the base.
- Right: Close-up of Winged Victory, 2015 and capital on top of the column.
Other resources:
- Inner West Council YouTube: Winged Victory - a journey through time.