Historical information
The Bendigo East Primary School was opened in 1915. In 1916 it was decided to plant an ANZAC Avenue of trees and this was completed on 16 June 1916. The plaques were placed after WW1. The school was closed in 1998 and the plaques were relocated to the nearby White Hills Secondary College in Napier Street on this board. In the early 2000's the Honour Board was donated to what is now called the Bendigo Military Museum. One hundred years after planting, later in 2016 the trees were removed in controversial circumstances.
On the board 8 never returned, there is 1 x "DCM" winner, 1 x "MC" winner and 1 x "MM" winner. There are 3 x Wright Brothers of which 2 never returned.
The plaque states that the soldiers attended the school which is obvious they could not have due to the opening date. The following Heritage report suggests that the names were of individual soldiers who lived in the area.
EXTRACT FROM HERITAGE COUNCIL VICTORIA 2016 SUBMISSIONS HEARING
“The Bendigo East School (‘the school’) was officially opened by Mr Frank Tate, Director of Education, on 7 April 1916. Approximately two months later, on 16 June 1916, Arbor Day was celebrated at the school with the planting of an ‘Anzac Avenue’ along a path from the front gate on Strickland Road (‘the pathway’) to commemorate the landing of soldiers at Gallipoli. The school’s ‘Anzac Avenue’ was one of an estimated 37 known to have been planted by school children throughout Victoria during mid-1916 as part of a program led by the Education Department, which included a recommendation to schools on 18 May 1916 that commemorative avenues be planted (‘the 1916 plantings recommendation’). At around this time, avenues of honour were also planted across Victoria to commemorate fallen WWI soldiers (‘the wider commemorative plantings phenomenon’). There were other commemorative plantings at the Place away from the pathway (‘the other commemorative plantings’). Anzac Day was celebrated at the Place in the years subsequent to 1916 and on 11 December 1920 the school’s ‘Anzac Avenue’ was officially opened. Embossed copper plates, mounted on wood, were fixed in front of the trees in memory of individual soldiers from the district who had seen active service in WWI. There is evidence that as many as 32 plaques may have been made and affixed (‘the name plaques’). Plaques were removed from their locations at some stage before 1964, mounted on a board and displayed in the school building. These are now located and displayed at Bendigo Sub - Branch of the Returned Services League.”
EAST BENDIGO HONOUR BOARD – COPPER PLAQUES (27 PLAQUES in total).
1. 2441 CPL G.V. LE KIM 60th BATT. M.M.
(George Vincent LEE-KIM, born in Bendigo, Awarded Military Medal. RTA.
NOK Father’s Address: C/- Strickland Rd, Bendigo).
2. 3821 PTE. E.B. HEM 20TH BATT.
(Edward Bert Hem born in Bendigo. RTA.
NOK Mother’s address: White Hills Post Office).
3. 3513 PTE. C.A. FOLEY 57th BATT.
(Charles Albert Foley born in Bendigo. RTA.
NOK Father’s address: Wilkie Street, Bendigo).
4. 5241 PTE. G. E. WRIGHT 6th BATT. †
(George Edwin Wright born in Bendigo. KIA 8/12/1916.
NOK Father’s address: 55 Charleston Rd. Bendigo).
5. 2663 L.CPL. N. E. DAVIS 60th BATT.
(Norman Edward Davis born in Footscray. RTA.
NOK Mother’s address: 193 Strickland Rd. Bendigo).
6. PTE. A. MOOG 16-6th BATT. †
(5143 Adolph Moog born in Bendigo. Died of wounds received in action 8/12/1916,
NOK Father’s address: Municipal Yards, Bendigo.)
7. 6515 SGT. W.A. BIRCHMORE DCM 11TH BATT. FIELD ARTILLERY
(William Albert Birchmore born in Bendigo. Awarded DCM. RTA.
NOK Mother’s address: Butler Street, California Gully)
8. 3924 PTE. J.P. NEWMAN 5TH BATT. †
(392 (NAA) James Pausey Newman. Born in Bendigo. KIA 25/7/1916.
NOK Father’s address Strickland Road, Bendigo)
9. 4865 PTE. H. T. NUGENT 5TH PIONEER BATT. †
(also 4765 Hector Thomas Nugent born in Bendigo. KIA 26/11/1916.
NOK Mother’s address: 65 Charleston Rd Bendigo).
10. 835 PTE. C.J. WRIGHT 7TH BATT. †
(825(NAA) Charles Julian Wright. Born in Bendigo. KIA at Gallipoli 25/4/1915
NOK Father’s address 55 Charleston Rd Bendigo)
11. 5242 PTE. T.S. WRIGHT M.M. 6TH BATT.
(Thomas Stanley Wright born in Bendigo. RTA.
NOK Father’s address: 55 Charleston Road, Bendigo).
12. 13111 PTE. R.I. LEE 5TH FIELD AMBCE
(19111 Robert Irwin Lee. Born in Kilcunda, Vic. RTA.
NOK Wife’s address C/- Barnard Street, Bendigo)
13. 3731 DRIVER T.S. BROWN 5TH BATT.†
(Thomas Sheridan Brown born in Bendigo. Died in the Field in France of Heart Failure.
NOK Father’s address: Mundy Street, Bendigo).
14. 60999 PTE. J. SPENCE 5th BATT.
(John Spence born in Bendigo. RTA.
NOK Father’s address: 99 Talbot St, Brunswick)
15. 5127 PTE. S.A. LOY 7TH BATT.
(Samuel Arthur John Loy. Born in White Hills, Bendigo. RTA Medical discharge.
NOK Wife’s address C/- Hargreaves St Bendigo.)
16. 1649 PTE. A.M. HUTCHINSON 60TH BATT.
(Alexander Morton Hutchison. (Note different spelling) born in Bendigo. RTA.
NOK Mother’s address Wilkie Street, Bendigo).
17. 3035 PTE. R.J. FLACK 10TH – 7TH BATTs. †
(Robert John Flack born in Bendigo. KIA France 17/8/1916.
NOK Father’s address: Strickland Road, Bendigo).
18. 4558 PTE. J.J. O’BRIEN 60TH BATT.†
(John James O’Brien born in Glenalbyn, Vic. KIA 28/9/1917.
NOK Father’s address 68 Strickland Rd. Bendigo).
19. 5233 CPL. G. WHITTING MOTOR TRANSPT. COY.
(George Whitting born in White Hills, Bendigo. RTA.
NOK Mother’s address: 46 Baxter Street, Bendigo).
20. 5203 PTE. A.J. TATTERSALL 6TH BATTALION
(Arthur James Tattersall born in Mandurang, Vic. RTA.
NOK Wife’s address “Thornwell”, Bendigo East PO.)
21. 2ND LIEUT. K.G. EMONSON M.C. 38th BATT.
(Keith Glanfield Emonson born in Sydney NSW. RTA – Medical discharge/ GSW head.
NOK Father’s address: Strickland Road, Bendigo).
22. LIEUT. A.J. HAMPSON RAILWAY UNIT
(Alfred John Hampson R/N 2300. Born in Bendigo. RTA.
NOK wife’s address: 76 Addison St. Elwood, Vic).
23. 216 SIGNLR R.P. BROWN 38TH BATT †
(Raymond Patrick Brown, born in Bendigo. KIA 28 May 1917.
NOK. Mother’s address: 138 Mundy Street, Bendigo).
24. 15118 STAFF SGT. A. EMONSON 3RD L. H. F. AMBULANCE
(Harry Allen Phipps Emonson born in Sydney NSW. RTA.
NOK Father’s address Strickland Road, Bendigo, Vic).
25. 1724 CPL. L.J. CHAPPLE 5TH BATT.
(Leslie John Chapple born in Bendigo. RTA.
NOK Father’s address: Nolan Street, Bendigo)
26. 4557 PTE. E. O’BRIEN 60TH BATT.
(Edward Charles O’ Brien, RTA.
(NOK Father’s address: Strickland Rd, Bendigo).
27. 3557 SIGNLER F. H. LYALL 5TH BATT.
(Francis Hubert Lyall born in Bendigo. RTA.
NOK Father’s address: Strickland Rd, Bendigo).
Physical description
Honour Board, Bendigo East Primary School, timber backing with a white timber edging. At the top is a silver Rising Sun Badge with the dates in white "1914 & 1919".
There are 27 bronze plaques, each has the Soldiers Regt Number, Name, Rank and Unit, for those that did not return there is a Cross added, if the Soldier won an award it is also added. At the bottom left hand corner is a brass plaque with details.
Inscriptions & markings
On the brass plaque, “These plaques were placed on the Avenue of trees at the school entrance on 20 December 1920. They were a memorial to those who enlisted from the Bendigo East School in the 1914 - 18 War. Mr R. J. Lee a Returned Soldier was Principal at this time”
