IMPRESSIVE MEMORIAL

Evening Star, Issue 22465, 9 October 1936, Page 9

IMPRESSIVE MEMORIAL

TO AUSTRALIA'S WAR DEAD EXPERTS PLEASED WITH NEW DESIGN Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, October 8. Memorial experts who have seen drawings of the memorial to the 10,800 A.I.F. missing which the War Graves Commission is erecting at Vilers Bretonneux says that it will be the gem of all the monuments on the French battlefields, even going so far as to - say it will be the crowning achievement of similar efforts by the designer. It will be in the form of a cemetery fronting the Vilers Breton-neux-Corbie road, with classic entrance gates flanked by twin pavilions. The design has hitherto not been seen in France. Immediately' inside will bo a war stone with Rudyard Kipling’s inscription, “ Their names live for ever.” In the centre of an expansive lawn fringed by the graves will be a traditional war memorial cross. The names of all the missing will be engraved on a wall, from the centre of which will rise a unique hollow tower of grey French stone 100 ft high. An interior stairway will give access to a height of 78ft, with twin exterior stairs leading to an observation chamber, from which there will be magnificent views of Amiens, Corbie, Peronne, and Villers Bretonneux. The whole memorial will dominate the landscape. Remembering the King’s interest in unveiling the Canadian memorial. Vimy Ridge, hopes are entertained that the A.I.F. will be similarly honoured.