“What substitute I wondered is a name on a gate and a sprig of rosemary for a father or a brother.”
This poignant reflection was made by Tauranga resident Phoebe Norris as she attended the official opening of the Memorial Gates at Tauranga Domain on December 11, 1921, honouring the lives of young Tauranga men who were killed in the First World War.
One hundred years later, Tauranga City Council is commemorating these men again with a new interpretation panel at the Memorial Gates and a collection of posters in the CBD – ‘More than a name’ – which puts faces to the names of some of the men who lost their lives serving their country.
There is also a ‘Together we remember’ display in the Ngā Wāhi Rangahau research room at Tauranga Library, which provides more details about the memorial and showcases items connected to the gates and the men.
Commission chair Anne Tolley says the Memorial Gates recognise that not only is the loss of these men’s lives meaningful to their loved ones, but also to their community, and they continue to be significant to this day.
“The contributions these men made on behalf of our nation are still important more than 100 years on, and the new interpretation panel will ensure we continue to recognise them long into the future.”
The Memorial Gates feature the names of 90 men, and there are another 22 fallen heroes who have since been identified as being either born in Tauranga or had left from the town to go to war.
The stories of 26 local soldiers are currently shared on posters throughout the CBD, including those of Reginald Watkins and Samuel Tanner.
Reginald’s poster is in Red Square, the very spot from where he left by horse and cart to travel to Trentham to train to go to war.
The story of Samuel Tanner, a merchant marine whose ship was torpedoed and sunk, is located near the water on The Strand.
For Fiona Kean, Curator of the Tauranga Heritage Collection, the project has been a labour of love.
“I started researching the First World War and its impact on Tauranga in 2008, so it’s quite emotional for me to say goodbye to these boys.”
Reginald’s family have entrusted an archive of his life to the Tauranga Heritage Collection and some of his belongings make up part of the ‘Together we remember’ display at Tauranga Library.
“We are the kaitiaki for them and the community. It’s a very special project to have been a part of,” Fiona says.
The Memorial Gates were last restored in 2014 and the display also includes a piece of one of the original pillars that could not be saved.
The Tauranga Historical Society, which has been working with Fiona to identify the names not listed on the Memorial Gates, has welcomed the new interpretation panel.
“The addition of the new interpretation panel serves to honour, in this small way, those who had no idea that their ‘big adventure’ would mean the end of their lives and years of heartache for their families,” says historian and Tauranga Historical Society Committee member Debbie McCauley.
The ‘More than a name’ posters will remain in the CBD until early January and the ‘Together we remember’ display in the Tauranga Library until February.
The new interpretation panel outside the Tauranga Domain Memorial Gates.
The ‘Together we remember’ display will be at Tauranga Library until February.
The stories of 26 our fallen heroes are featured in these ‘More than a name’ posters on display in the Tauranga CBD until early January.
