Auckland RSA

9 June 1916
AUCKLAND RSA BECOMES THE FIRST RSA TO INCORPORATE

The story continued ... 5/5

By 1922, Anzac Day was a close holiday but even more so a holy day, held at a temporary Cenotaph outside the Auckland Town Hall.

With the provincial war memorial museum project, decided in 1920, taking the rest of the decade to complete, former Auckland RSA president Mayor Gunson suggested that the RSA establish a Soldiers’ Memorial at Waikumete Soldiers’ Cemetery, which was unveiled on Anzac Day 1921.

Auckland RSA also ran a schools essay competition with the winning school awarded the Anzac Banner — Lest We Forget.

By the end of the decade the Auckland War Memorial Museum was nearing completion but the rising cost called for the abandonment of the planned Cenotaph and Court of Honour. It was only because of Auckland RSA mounting a strong campaign to ensure these significant commemorative features were completed and the No. 8 wire efforts of the architect and ANZAC veteran, Malcolm Draffin, who drafted the Whitehall Cenotaph from the opening scenes of newsreels at his local picture theatre, that ensured The Cenotaph and Court of Honour was opened on 28 November 1929 at the same time as the Auckland War Memorial Museum.



PHOTO CREDITS:

The Court of Honour and the Auckland Cenotaph in front of the War Memorial Museum in the Auckland Domain, opened 28 November 1929. Photo James Douglas Richardson. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 4-07100

A large crowd of people around a decorated cenotaph at the front of the Auckland Town Hall, corner Queen Street and Greys Avenue (at right), during Anzac Day. This was a temporary, movable cenotaph, used for Auckland's Anzac Day service during the 1920s. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections 755-ALB18-02-3

Unveiling of the war memorial erected at Waikumete Cemetery by the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association on Anzac Day 1941 Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19210505-33-01

Belmont School students with Auckland RSA Anzac Day banner, 1926. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections T6736

9 June 1916
AUCKLAND RSA BECOMES THE FIRST RSA TO INCORPORATE

The story continued ... 4/4

Apart from comradeship, the Auckland RSA provided returned soldiers with advocacy, operating an employment bureau to find jobs for returned soldiers and a land and property bureau aimed to assist them onto the land and into homes, as well as putting together war pension claims for disabled soldiers and war widows. From 1922, Auckland RSA provided its own welfare as well with the introduction of first Poppy Day Appeal on the day before Anzac Day.



PHOTO CREDITS:

An original Poppy made in France that were sold on the first Poppy Day on 24 April 1922. Private Collection

Poppy Day, 1923. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19230503-48-05