Contributing to Beechworth’s history

Crosses placed every year for the Beechworth ANZAC Day Field of Remembrance have undergone an incredible remake with the project taking countless hours by an RSL Sub Branch member. RSL vice-president Alison Williams said almost 500 crosses set out around the cenotaph on ANZAC Day is believed to be the largest and one of only three Field of Remembrance commemorations left in Victoria. Alison said the background to the project began when the RSL rebuilt the cenotaph in 2015 for the Anzac Centenary. Pillars constructed at the front of the cenotaph had names of Beechworth people killed in action. Alison said her idea for the remake of Field of Remembrance crosses for uniformity and legibility began at the same time, with the Beechworth correctional community team helping to make them. “I wanted to find out who the veterans were and I had the chance when COVID hit and embarked on the project to research names on the crosses in 2020,” she said. Alison said the in-depth project, starting with only the surname and initials on each cross, included cross-referencing against records in the National Archives as well as honour rolls in Stanley, Wooragee and Beechworth. Among other records explored were Ancestry, electoral rolls, and the Victorian government’s birth, deaths, and marriage register. “I also cross-referenced against author Richard Patterson’s book ‘Beechworth at War', and visited cemeteries online and in person," she said. Alison said all cemeteries within Indigo Shire had been searched and in surrounding areas as well. “I now have a database of full names, enlisted services and service numbers and the last unit served with,” she said. “I also have occupation details when they lived in Beechworth, and where most of them died and have been buried. “It’s been a massive project and still a work in progress placing service numbers of every veteran on the back of their cross.” Alison said the field of remembrance guideline is veterans need to have been born or died in Beechworth. “It’s been fascinating to discover the lives of townspeople and what they did for their country,” she said. “I love history and Beechworth and wanted to contribute to the history of the town. “We now have most of the crosses with a name and a history including serial numbers. “On ANZAC Day anyone can take a photo of the serial number, look it up and find out the serviceman’s or service woman’s background. “The project has brought people to life, and you feel that you get to know them having delved into their history. “It’s been a very rewarding project, and I hope that in years to come, people will use it as a research resource or families can see that their veterans have not been forgotten.”

Contributing to Beechworth’s history

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