A total 920 names are carved in a quiet, reflective corner of Saint Saviour’s Cathedral.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They’re the names of men killed in World War One from across the then Anglican Diocese of Goulburn, which included 41 parishes, and Royal Military College, Duntroon.
The ‘corner’ is known as the Chapel of Saint George and Saint Michael, or more commonly, the Soldiers Chapel.
On Saturday at 11am, several hundred people gathered to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of their country. The commemoration, led by Bishop Trevor Edwards, featured representatives from each of the parishes who carried lit candles from the Soldiers Chapel to the main altar. Goulburn woman Kerry Knowlman performed the duty remembering the 115 parishioners from this city who died.
Bruce Hammond was among the congregation. He was honouring his great uncle, Jim Hammond, who died on the Western Front on October 17, 1918, just weeks from the war’s end. His 100th anniversary is on Wednesday.
“It was a very moving service,” Mr Hammond said afterward.
President of the Friends of Saint Saviour’s and historian Diana Body said the chapel was unique for its reverence and craftsmanship.
Bishop Bradford came up with the idea in 1916 and commissioned architect John Burcham Clamp to design the chapel. James Turner of Goulburn was the builder and Phillip Henry Norse, also of Goulburn, was enlisted to carve the men’s names. Ms Body said Bishop Burgmann later described Norse as Australia’s most gifted craftsman. In 1922 Bradford Bradford dedicated the chapel, to which friends and family of the servicemen had heavily donated.
“It is total Australian craftsmanship with Marulan marble on the sanctuary floor, altar and altar railings. The furniture is Queensland maple and the floor is tallow wood, ” Ms Body said.
“People here today have come from parishes where a lot of the men lived and worked.”
She and fellow Friends of the Cathedral member Judith Langfield have been researching the men’s service history using Australian War Memorial and National Archives records. They were butchers, bakers, bushmen, engine drivers and farmers. There was even an “expert stud breeder,” thought to be CEW Prell of Goulburn district property, ‘Gundowringa.’
Bishop Edwards said Australia’s casualty rate in the Great War was the highest in the British Empire at 61,700. Two-thirds of them were buried in a line between Villers Bretoneux and Passchendaele
He told the congregation that war touched every facet of Australian life, cut short promising lives and affected families deeply.
“The cost is multi-dimensional and massive and today we gather to remember their sacrifice and the cost,” he said.
While you're with us…
Did you know The Goulburn Post is now offering breaking news alerts and a weekly email newsletter? Keep up-to-date with all the local news: sign up here.