Hobart’s Soldiers Memorial President reveals costs of replacing plaques in ‘sacred place’

A Soldiers Memorial organiser has revealed the identities and hidden costs of the stolen plaques at a Hobart ‘sacred place’ targeted by vandals.

John Wadsley president Friends of Soldiers Memorial Avenue at the site of one of the stolen plaques. A significant number of plaques have been stolen from the Soldiers Memorial Avenue on the Queens Domain to commemorating soldiers who died in World War I. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

It is unknown when exactly Charles Willing died.

The 12th battalion soldier, who grew up on Liverpool Street in Hobart, was just 22 when he enlisted in the army.

He was tragically killed in action between April 6 and 10, 1917 in France, with a plaque in Soldier’s Memorial Avenue on Hobart’s Queens Domain erected in his memory.

His was one of 24 brass plaques brazenly vandalised and stolen from the memorial in what has been the latest in a string of metal thefts across the city.

For Friends of Soldiers Memorial Avenue President John Wadsley, the thefts were deeply troubling.

John Wadsley president Friends of Soldiers Memorial Avenue at the site of one of the stolen plaques. A significant number of plaques have been stolen from the Soldiers Memorial Avenue on the Queens Domain to commemorating soldiers who died in World War I. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“We call this a sacred place,” he said.

“It is a place where families who would never have had the chance to travel to Europe could come to, to have a tangible connection with someone who died, to see or be here on (Mr Willing’s) birthday.

“It’s just really disappointing.”

The plaques were reported missing by the Hobart City Council on Wednesday.

Mr Wadsley said a number of families had contacted him in recent days to ask if theirs were targeted, with each plaque anticipated to cost around $600 to replace.

“537 trees we’ve had here over the years, and we’ve had direct contact with about 200 families,” he said.

“Those families, they’ve contributed money to this and if we’ve lost 20-odd, that’s a lot of money.

“We still have some money that we’ve raised overtime but not enough to do all this, so we’ll have to look for grants as well.”

A Tasmania Police investigation to identify the vandals and recover the plaques is currently underway.

Hobart Division Acting Inspector Danny Jackson said he was hopeful the public had more information.

A significant number of plaques have been stolen from the Soldiers Memorial Avenue on the Queens Domain to commemorating soldiers who died in World War I. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“It’s appalling that someone would come and take those plaques from here,” he said.

“While these plaques don’t have significant monetary value, they have significant value to the families of the people who have been memorialised here and we are very keen to locate the people responsible and have those plaques recovered.”

Friends of Soldiers Memorial Avenue has worked for more than 24 years to promote the restoration and preservation of the site – a rewarding albeit, challenging task for historians like Mr Wadsley.

“You have to remember during the Great War, 80 per cent of men that served were single, so to try to track families down is really hard,” he said.

Anyone with information about the theft of the plaques is asked to contact Tasmania Police on 131 444 or report it anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 or crimestopperstas.com.au. Quote OR778508

Mr Wadsley said as the investigation continues, more information for concerned families would be posted to the organisation’s website and social media pages.

Originally published as Hobart’s Soldiers Memorial President reveals costs of replacing plaques in ‘sacred place’