All Saints' Nowra lych gate forms unique war memorial

Have you seen the quaint little structure out the front of the All Saints Anglican Church in Nowra?

We've probably all driven past it hundreds of times and thought nothing of if.

It's actually called a lych gate, a style designed to allow a coffin to be rested prior to being brought into the church for a funeral service.

But in this case the gate has been designed as a war memorial, providing a rare example of where these two mortuary forms have been combined.

The gate, designed in an 'Arts and Craft' manner, was been built from rough sawn timber with a sandstone base and slate tiled roof.

A bronze plaque set in the sandstone base at the right of the gate lists 12 members from the local parish who died in the First World War.

A similar plaque on the left bears the dedication.

Construction of the gate was advertised for tender in the magazine, Building, on February 4, 1921, and the successful tender was accepted the following month.

The structure was designed and constructed by Seward Elliott, Snr.

The gate was completed later that year.

The memorial includes the names of two brothers who died in the Great War, (Trooper) John Campbell who enlisted July 19, 1915 and served at Gallipoli and (Private) Harry Campbell.

This article featured in the South Coast Register on 27 July 2012. Continue reading the full article by Robert Crawford