The Papatoetoe First World War memorial consists of a stone arch and memorial gates located outside the Papatoetoe School (now Papatoetoe Central School) on the corner of St George Street and the Great South Road. The pillars and arch were built by Mr A.W. Larsen using stones from the Mt Eden quarry. The first occasion the gates were used was on Anzac Day 1922, when each of the school’s 350 pupils filed through the arch and laid a wreath or floral emblem alongside. However, the formal opening ceremony and the dedication were not held until 29 September 1922.
The school also had its own roll of honour, a set of four wooden display boards inscribed with the names of 86 former pupils, ten of whom had died. After some years, the boards became borer-ridden, and were transferred to the Papatoetoe RSA for restoration. The roll of honour is currently stored in the RSA clubroom’s library.
Sources: ‘Papatoetoe Memorial’, Auckland Star, 9/4/1921, p. 5; 'Papatoetoe War Memorial: Obelisk Favoured', Franklin Times, 1/4/1921, p. 5; '"Gone West": Obelisk to be Replaced by "Gates of Honour"', Franklin Times, 15/4/1921, p. 5; 'Papatoetoe Memorial: Design Approved', Franklin Times, 3/6/1921, p. 11; 'Anzac Commemoration', NZ Herald, 24/4/1922, p. 8, col. 1; 'Papatoetoe's Gates of Honour', Auckland Star, 22/9/1922, p. 6; 'War Memorial: "Gates of Honour" Opened: Ceremony at Papatoetoe', Franklin Times, 3/10/1922, p. 6; 'War Memorial Gates', Papatoetoe Historical Society Newsletter, February 2011, pp. 12-13.
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