The Fremantle War Memorial is a war memorial located on Monument Hill, an 11-acre (4.45-hectare) public reserve and hill in Fremantle, Western Australia. The memorial itself comprises a large obelisk, the Fallen Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial, surrounded by eight smaller memorials.
The site, located on High Street near the centre of Fremantle, overlooks Fremantle Harbour, and was established by the Fremantle Town Council in 1928 to commemorate the losses of the First World War, having been used as a public reserve since the early 19th century.
Location
The War Memorial is located on Monument Hill in the suburb of Fremantle, approximately 43 metres (141 ft) above sea level. The hill overlooks Fremantle Harbour, Garden Island, and Rottnest Island to the west, and the Darling Ranges to the east, and is the highest natural point of elevation between the Indian Ocean and the Darling Ranges. Monument Hill was identified early as one of the best vantage points in Fremantle. The reserve is surrounded by residential properties immediately to the north, south, east, and west, although Fremantle Prison, CBC, and John Curtin College of the Arts are less than 500 metres (550 yd) away to the south-west, north-west, and north, respectively. Four roads – Bateman Street, High Street, Knutsford Street, and Swanbourne Street – border the reserve, and Solomon Street runs through the centre, allowing vehicular access.Under the name "Monument Hill Memorial Reserve", the land comprising the memorial has been designated a Class-A reserve under the Land Administration Act 1997, which means that the purpose of the reserve cannot be changed except with the consent of both State Houses of Parliament. Under the name "Monument Hill & War Memorials, Fremantle", the site was listed on the Register of Historic Places on 28 August 2001, with the Register Listing noting: "the complete panorama (and the view of Fremantle and Gage Roads in particular) afforded from the place, its urban parkland containing mature trees and open spaces, and the open character and almost constant breeze at its summit (particularly in the warmer months) are all aesthetic characteristics of the place that continue to attract visitors and locals alike and contribute to the community's sense of place".
History
Uses
Commemorative services are held yearly on Anzac Day (25 April) and Remembrance Day (11 November). The Fallen Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial is designed so that at dawn 1914 is illuminated, and at sunset 1919 is illuminated, alluding to a line in the "Ode of Remembrance": "At the going down of the sun and in the morning/We will remember them". On Anzac Day, the shadows are exactly aligned.
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