Albert Park South African War memorial

Premier Richard Seddon, fresh from the coronation of King Edward VII, insisted on removing the Union Jack first as he unveiled the memorial to fallen troopers of the 5th New Zealand Contingent in Auckland’s Albert Park. His actions demonstrated the relationship between national pride and imperial loyalty that underlaid South African War memorial ceremonies.

Lieutenant Bosworth of the 5th Contingent then described in great detail the manner of each of the trooper’s death.

The main carved feature of the marble memorial is a trooper at ease with his rifle at his side standing over a cannon. There is a strong secondary carving of a fanged gargoyle poking out amidst the inscribed dedication to the dead above the bowl for the monument’s water fountain.

The memorial was created in Italy and erected and inscribed by the Auckland firm of W. Parkinson.

Further information

•  Heritage New Zealand List page for this memorial, includes modern images
• Chris Maclean and Jock Phillips, The Sorrow and the Pride: New Zealand War Memorials, GP Books, Wellington, 1990