Avenue of Honour transformed with carvings when trees were removed
Faithe JonesThe Avenue of Honour was planted on Saturday 7 September 1918. The trees, Atlantic Cedars, commemorated 60 World War One servicemen & nurses from the Dartmoor District. The seedlings were planted simultaneously, & along roads from the main corner recognizing the direction from where the enlisted personnel or their relatives lived. Original name plates for the trees disappeared over time, so in 1994 a plaque listing the names and respective tree locations was placed on the wall of the Dartmoor District Memorial Hall.
The Passage of Time
Though the Avenue was planted with the concept of a `perpetual memory`, trees are not eternal. In 1993 arborists identified many trees that were unhealthy & unsafe. The Dartmoor District Progress Association began a consultative process with relatives of the remembered veterans and local residents, with a view to having a section of the avenue lopped & carved with suitable images & themes. (A similar vision had been made a reality at Lakes Entrance, Victoria.) Boards milled from the trees were to be kept for other public purposes : a carved timber memorial - mural & picnic tables & benches.
The Wooden carvings comprise of various subjects such as The Nurse, Bad News, At Arms, The Game, Parting, Three Services, The Boy, Over the Top.
