Thames war memorial in c. 1986, 2007 and 2014.
In August 1921, after several years of heated debate, the people of Thames agreed that the town’s war memorial should take the form of a memorial column.
The site chosen was a commanding position above Pollen Street at the northern end of the town. The column was designed by a local civil engineer, Mr E.F. Adams, and built by a local contractor, Mr I. Daunton. A new road was built from Waiotahi Road to the site, with a steep flight of steps to the memorial.
The memorial was unveiled by Major C.E. Andrews OBE on 25 April 1925. It was an imposing and sparsely decorated concrete column, octagonal in shape and set on a foundation of mortared rocks. A marble dedicatory panel and a roll of honour consisting of seven inscribed and one blank memorial tablets were incorporated. According to a report of the unveiling published in the Thames Star, the tablets listed the names of 107 men who had died and 267 men who had served.
An appeal for more names in 1929 brought in the names of a further 190 men, 20 of whom had been killed. However, it seems that no additions were made to the roll of honour on the cenotaph until 1953, when 47 names were added. Two more names were inscribed in 2014, giving a total of 316.
Information about most of these men is available on the Treasury website.
The memorial was first floodlit on the evening of Anzac Day 1929. At the time it was referred to as the Thames ‘Peace Memorial’. In recent years, the steep flight of steps has been replaced by an easier walkway, and an olive grove has been planted on the ridge above the memorial.
Sources: ‘Thames War Memorial’, Auckland Star, 30/8/1921, p. 4; ‘Thames Memorial’, Thames Star, 21/4/1925; ‘To-morrow’s Ceremony’, Thames Star, 24/4/1925; ‘Anzac Day: Unveiling the Memorial’, Thames Star, 27/4/1925; ‘Our Beautiful Monument’, Thames Star, 26/4/1929; ‘War Memorial Flood-lighted’, Auckland Star, 29/4/1929, p. 6; ‘Thames War Memorial’, Auckland Star, 24/9/1929, p. 6; ‘The Memorial on the Hill’, Thames Star, 27/4/1954, p. 4; From Gold Mine to Firing Line: ‘The Thames’ and the Great War, ed. Megan Hawkes, Thames, 2014, pp. 87-9, 120-90, 297-301.
Names on this memorial
Thanks to Jeni Palmer for supplying these. She writes, 'it is not clear from the monument whether it is only for WWI or includes those lost in other wars. It starts out alphabetical and then adds on more names.'
Faithful Unto Death
- S S AGNEW
- A ALLEY
- W ALLEY
- L ANDERSON
- C ARNS
- L AUTRIDGE
- F BARRETT
- J BRUNTON
- W CAMPBELL
- P CLARKIN
- G CLINKER
- A COAKLEY
- O W COOPER
- T CORBETT
- R COX
- W E DANBY
- F DANN
- L R DARROW
- F DEMPSEY
- F DYNES
- E G ELLIS
- H ENSOR
- W E F FLOWER
- H C FRUZE
- L GARRY
- S GARRY
- T GEMMING
- J GEMMING
- G GLASGOW
- J P H GLESSING
- W GOODWIN
- A W GORDON
- A E GRAHAM
- W GRANT
- J GRIFFIN
- Charles GREAVES
- T GURNETT
- W HADDOCK
- A HANCOCK
- T HANDLEY
- B HAWKINS
- R HAWKES
- H HENDERSON
- Wm HENDERSON
- W HENDERSON
- A INNIS
- E INNIS
- T ISAACS
- E James
- E JAMIESON
- F J JENKIN
- C JENKINS
- J JOBE
- E JOHNSON
- S JORDAN
- R A JUDD
- W KEARNEY
- F J KELLOR
- J KENDALL
- G KILGOUR
- R LACK
- L LOWE
- L LOWSON
- J LYES
- W MAXWELL
- Z H MAXWELL
- G MOUNCE
- R W MURRAY
- RS McCARTNEY
- E McCOLLUM
- V McCOLLUM
- E McCOONELL
- Jo seph McGUIN
- C McONIE
- J McMILLAN
- L NEWMAN
- N OTTO
- J PAUL
- W PATTEN
- R PEARCE
- R PEARSON
- J POTTS
- P PREECE
- E RICE
- J SARICH
- A C SHERLOCK
- T SIMPSON
- R STEVENS
- L STEVENSON
- F STEWART
- W SULLIVAN
- James TAYLOR
- W TAYLOR
- H THAYER
- C THORBURN
- B THORN
- W TORRENS
- F TRAINOR
- C WHITEHOUSE
- G T WILLIAMS
- H W WILLIAMS
- S WILLIAMS
- S WILTON
- W R WALLACE
Served
- K E ADAMS
- W J ADAMS
- A L ALEXANDER
- H ALEXANDER
- W ALEXANDER
- W ALGIE
- A K ALLEY
- C ALLEY
- I AMY
- W ARNS
- H BAKER
- N BARKER
- P BARRON
- J BAYLDON
- T BAYLDON
- W BEATON
- A BEALE
- L K BEALE
- R BEDFORD
- A BLACKWELL
- G H BOLES
- J BOLES
- V BOLES
- G BOOT
- H BRIEN
- A BRIGHT
- A BROKENSHIRE
- G BUCHAN
- W BUCKLEY
- C BUNTING
- H BURRETT
- J CARTWRIGHT
- G CHALLIS
- E A R CHALLIS
- T CHILDERHOUSE
- A J CLARK
- G CLARK
- J P CLARK
- H CLARK
- R CLAY
- H CLINKER
- D COAKLEY
- C COAKLEY
- E P COOKE
- C COOMBES
- P CORBETT
- J COUTTS
- R K COWLES
- W T COX
- T COXHEAD
- G CRAWFORD
- T H CRAWFORD
- J CULPAN
- A DANBY
- S DANBY
- A DARE
- G DAVIS
- DEMPSEY
- H DOUGLAS
- A DOVELL
- P DOWNES
- C DOWNS
- H DRIVER
- S DRIVER
- D DYNES
- W E DYNES
- A DYSART
- F A ELLIS
- C H ELLIS
- F W EVANS
- A FELL
- D FISHER
- G FISHER
- J H FISHER
- G GARRY
- J GARRY
- F E GEMMING
- J GIBSON
- F L GIBSON
- A GILLAN
- G GILMORE
- T GODKIN
- P GOODER
- V GORDON
- C GRAHAM
- W GRAHAM
- W GREEN
- C J HALL
- J HANDLEY
- S HARTNELL
- E HAYWARD
- G HAWKINS
- H HEALE
- E HEINMAN
- H HENDERSON
- F HINDMAM
- F HILL
- W HILL
- W HILL
- J HOGG
- J HOPE
- T H INNES
- H JAMIESON
- L JAMIESON
- H JENKIN
- H O JENKIN
- A JENKIN
- P JOHNSTON
- W JOHNSTON
- W R S JOHNSTON
- E JOBE
- A JONES
- Wm JONES
- L JURY
- N JURY
- Hira KAREWA
- E KEOGHAN
- L KILGOUR
- R KILGOUR
- C KING
- R KINGHAM
- W KINGHAM
- H LANG
- J LANGDON
- Dr LAPRAIK
- A LOMAS
- J LOMAS
- A J LOWRY
- D MACKIE
- L MADDERN
- J MANGAN
- A MARTIN
- H MARWICK
- A S MAXWELL
- E W MAXWELL
- R MAYO
- J K McLEAN
- W W MEIKLE
- A MENZIES
- K MERRIMAN
- A MILLAR
- D MILLAR
- F MILLAR
- G MILLAR
- N MILLAR
- J MILNE
- L MITCHELL
- W MITCHELL
- T MORGAN
- R MORRISON
- W MOYLE
- A MUDGWAY
- C MUDGWAY
- H MURRAY
- MacMILLAN
- J McCONNELL
- W McCORMICK
- E McDONALD
- J McDONALD
- K McDONALD
- O McDONNELL
- P McGREGOR
- R McGREGOR
- H McGUINN
- J McGUINN
- N McMILLAN
- H McNEIL
- P McNIECE
- G McONIE
- E McPIKE
- S McPIKE
- R McROBERTS
- A NEWLAND
- F NEWLAND
- H NICHOL
- J NOEL
- W O’HARA
- J OLIVER
- J OSBORNE
- J O’SULLIVAN
- O;SULLIVAN
- A PAGE
- H PARSONS
- W PARSONS
- H PEARCE
- E PENNO
- W PENNO
- C PERRY
- L T PETERSON
- A PHILLIPS
- W G PHILLIPS
- A PLUMMER
- C PLUMMER
- G POOLE
- T E POWDRELL
- Gren PREECE
- G PREECE
- E PRICE
- J L PRICE
- W G PRICE
- H PRICE
- B PULFORD
- C QUINN
- W J QUINN
- C RABE
- C J REED
- W REID
- M RICHARDS
- E RICKITT
- R P ROBERTS
- G RODGERS
- J RODGERS
- J P ROWE
- H ROYAL
- G RYAN
- J RYAN
- L RYAN
- F SARICH
- M SARICH
- E SAUNDERS
- J SAWYER
- T SENIOR
- A SHAND
- J A SHAND
- W SHAW
- E SHERLOCK
- W SIMPSON
- T SMITH
- W R SMITH
- E STEVENS
- R STEVENS
- J STEWART
- L STEWART
- M STEWART
- E STRANGE
- W STRANGE
- W STRATTON
- A STRONG
- L SUTCLIFFE
- G TAYLOR
- H THOMAS
- L TILSLEY
- E TINGEY
- L THOMAS
- Len TOWERS
- Laurie TOWERS
- R TROTTER
- F VEDDER
- E WAITE
- N WAITE
- E WALTERS
- J WATSON
- W WATSON
- L WHITE
- E WHITEHEAD
- H WIGGINS
- W WILLETTS
- P WILLIAMS
- M WILSON
- E WILTON
- S WIND
- J WYATT
- Frank ROBINSON
- R M RHODES
- W J JENKINS
- W H SPARKES
- R H NICHOLLS
James OSBORNE - Leslie LOMAS
- Henry LOMAS
- Percy LOMAS
- S T SPARK
- E C MORGAN
- T H GRAHAM
- B C SMITH
- R H SMITH
- H J SAWYER
- Jo seph ROSS
- H CLINKER
- I A HOLDEN
- V W HOLDEN
- A E HOLDEN
- A E MOYLE
- L A SHERLOCK
- F W ROBINSON
- A G PRICE
- Alexander JENNINGS
- R T HENDERSON
- A CAMPBELL
- M SIMMONDS
- J HOFFMAN
- G HOFFMAN
- D HOFFMAN
- W H SCOTT
- G R NIGHTINGALE
- K CASEY
- J W DOBOSN
- R H McDONALD
- R R LAW
- M W DUNBAR
- Tau MATIU
- R FORD
- A B HUDSON
- C R HUDSON
- R L HUDSON
- R R LAW
- G P SHAND
Find out more about the people listed on this memorial on Auckland Museum's Cenotaph website. See also the The Treasury website.
Community contributions