The first Greenhithe war memorial was dedicated outside the Greenhithe community hall in 1948. It consisted of a concrete wall and archway incorporating plaques honouring five local men who had given their lives during the First World War, and three who had given their lives during the Second World War.
The Greenhithe Reserve in Roland Road, which had been established in 1929, but neglected for some years afterwards, was then redeveloped and renamed Greenhithe War Memorial Park. This was formally opened by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr S.W. Smith, in November 1957. The new memorial gates at the entrance to the park incorporated the plaques from the old memorial, which had been demolished.
Sources: ‘Memorial Park Opened’, NZ Herald, 11/11/1957; R.E. King, Tauhinu: A History of Greenhithe, 1984, pp. 130-7; Phillip D. Jackson, North Shore War Memorials, Takapuna, 1991, T15/1-T16/4, T15/P1-A2.
Images and text: Bruce Ringer, Auckland Libraries, 2015. Additional images (plaques): Marie Parsloe, 2010.