Becoming A City: Commemoration

The RSL Hall in Nicholas Street is the most significant memorial erected in Ipswich to honour the soldiers who served in World War I. In Ipswich city, 750 men had volunteered out of a population of about 17,000 people; of these, 140 had been killed in action or had died of wounds or illness. Similar proportions of men had volunteered in country areas.

Many suggestions were made about the best way to pay tribute to these men but the eventual decision was that a Soldiers' Memorial Hall should be built. On May 4 1920, General Sir William Birdwood visited Ipswich. He lead a parade through the streets, presented military decorations at a function in Queens Park, and then laid the foundation stone for the Memorial Hall. The Governor Sir Matthew Nathan performed the official opening 18 months later. The building was designed by Ipswich architect George Brockwell Gill and was a two-storey brick building. The front facade bears the rising sun badge of the Australian troops and this is echoed by the circular front porch. Inside is a vestibule in marble and silky oak containing honour rolls of locally-enlisted soldiers.

The Memorial Hall has served as a meeting place for returned service personnel and still remains a focal point for Anzac Day ceremonies in Ipswich. After the Hall was built, residents including the Ladies' Train Tea Society continued to fundraise to provide a memorial window. This was designed by W. Bustard and made by R. S. Exton of Brisbane. [1]

Community builds Anzac Cottages
Returned soldiers tended to be treated as heroes in the community.

Queensland’s first “Golden Casket” lotteries were held to raise money for projects to benefit war veterans – the name was selected because the first prize was a box or casket containing gold. One of the early projects it funded was the construction of “Anzac Cottages” to house the widows of fallen soldiers. Land for the cottages was usually donated by a generous member of the community. The Government provided materials for the cottages and the community gave voluntary labour to erect it. The first two Anzac Cottages built locally were in View Street Goodna and were named Jellicoe Cottage and Beatty Cottage. They were occupied by Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs .Coogan. A third cottage was built shortly afterwards in William Street for Mrs. Hiller. Later cottages were built at New Chum and Silkstone. The widows were able to live in the cottages and were asked to pay only a nominal rent. [2]