THE WAR memorial in Dangarsleigh is one of the most unique in the world, with the family who built it buried in the garden.
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Now, it has an interesting new addition.
Christine Perrott, wife of the late Roy Alfred Haroldston Perrott has commissioned a stonemason to build her burial plot beside his.
“Other people think it’s really strange but to me it’s not,” Mrs Perrott said.
“I want to be here largely because of my husband, but it’s something where you do get very keen about the importance of the historical factors.
“I just wanted to make sure that my children would realise I wanted to be here, sometimes you write these things down in wills and everyone ignores it – but this has sort of got to happen doesn’t it?”
The significance behind the memorial:
- The large circle surrounding the monument represents the world.
- Due north is marked into the circle with points of the compass, on the southern side a groove indicates where the shadow of the monument falls at noon on midsummer’s day.
- Five pillars, each with five sides represent the children of the British Empire – Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa.
- The three-sided obelisk represents ‘Mother England’ with Ireland and Scotland.
The stones in each grave marker are from a property called Nilbrook, the same stones used to build the monument, fence and gateway.
The son of the man who built Mrs Perrott’s husband’s parent’s markers also created hers.
Built by Alfred Haroldston Perrott in 1921, a memorial park of 1600 trees were planted around his property Chevy Chase.
It’s a dedication to the workers on his property who he convinced to enlist in World War I.
“There was such importance the family gave to this monument,” Mrs Perrott said.
“He had talked some chaps that were working on his property into going, they didn’t want to join up, but he told them if they did he would never forget it and put up a memorial to them.”
The same man lost his own eldest son, also named Alfred, in the war.
The final design of the memorial was drawn up by Mr Perrott, architect Mr Hickson, shire engineer Mr Montague Smith and the builder Mr Mark Roberts.
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Legend has it over the seven and a half months of construction, Mr Roberts worked from sun up to sun down each day – except Sundays and Christmas.
On Friday, Minister for Veterans David Elliott and Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall announced $10,000 to improve vegetation at the memorial.