St Thomas', Moonee Ponds, Harriers, circa 1914

This photo shows St Thomas' Harriers, Moonee Ponds, just prior to the outbreak of the Great War in 1914.  Many of these young men enlisted.    We can identify some of them, have tentative identifications for others, and would appreciate some assistance in identifying others, and confirming our tentative identifications.  Click on the photo for a larger version. See the names on this page.

St Thomas's Church of England Roll of Honour

The very beautiful Roll of Honour at St Thomas's Church of England, Mt Alexander Rd, Moonee Ponds, is an example of what is called 'optus sectile', which is a work in tiles.  A series of tiles contain the names of the members of the church who volunteered for the Great War.  At the top of the list are those who died. 

The list is strangely personal, in that it does not list ranks, but first names, unlike many which give initials only.

It is a beautiful piece of art, and well worth a look if you are in the vicinity of the church. 

The full list of names on this Roll of Honour has been placed on the Empire Called website, and I am working through linking each name to a personal record.

Other examples of opus sectile were discussed earlier on this blog.

St Thomas' Church Soldiers' Memorial Hall

The congregation of StThomas;s Church of England in Moonee Ponds determined to establish a memorial to the men of the parish who lost their lives in the Great War.  The Soldiers' Memorial Hall was opened in October 1920 and was intended to provide for billiard facilities for young men, and a kindergarten space on Sundays.  The young men are long gone, but the hall forms part of a kindergarten.

The hall also housed an honour board naming each of the men who had died.  This can now be seen in St Thomas's Anglican Church, Mt Alexander Rd, Moonee Ponds.  Further information about the hall can be found here

St Thomas Grammarians and Carlton Collegians Honour Board

This board records the "Old Boys" of St Thomas' Grammar and Carlton College.  It is now located in the junior school of Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School, Raleigh St, Essendon.   The names on the board are listed here, and identifications are being made progressively.

St Thomas' Anglican Church, Essendon, Roll of Honour

An example of the opus sectile style of Honour Roll at St Thomas' Anglican Church, Essendon.

Other examples can be seen at the Maffra Library, and also the former Teachers' College, previously discussed here.