Australian War Memorial’s Oldest Wreath to Return on Remembrance Day
Governor-General Sam Mostyn will lay the Australian War Memorial’s oldest wreath at the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Canberra. The scarlet poppy wreath, first placed in 1934, has been preserved by memorial staff and will return to public view for the first time in decades.
Governor-General Sam Mostyn will lay the Australian War Memorial’s oldest wreath at the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Canberra on November 11, bringing the scarlet poppy back into public view for the first time in decades.
The wreath was first laid in 1934 by the then governor-general, the Duke of Gloucester, while the memorial was under construction. Staff have carefully preserved it.
The ceremony will take place on the memorial’s parade ground from 10.45am. It will be broadcast on television and streamed live on the memorial’s Facebook page.
The wreath last honored 61,727 Australians who died serving in World War I when the Duke of Gloucester placed it, the memorial said.
The return comes as the Australian War Memorial marks 85 years as a permanent memorial to Australians’ sacrifice and experiences in conflicts. It officially opened on November 11, 1941, while World War II was underway.
After that global conflict, the annual observance became known as Remembrance Day, commemorating Australians who served and died in all wars. It marks the end of fighting on the Western Front in World War I at 11am on November 11, 1918.
Australians and people in other Commonwealth nations observe one minute of silence at 11am local time on November 11. The red poppy is the best-known symbol of remembrance.
Australian War Memorial Director Matt Anderson said the day offers a solemn reminder of the human cost of conflict.
“We need to acknowledge the horrendous nature of war and what we ask our men and women to do,” he said.
Anderson said the memorial was created to serve as a memorial, archive and museum, while urging people to say “never again to war.” He attributed those words to then governor-general Lord Gowrie at the memorial’s 1941 opening.
The memorial’s National Collection holds almost two million artefacts. Among them is a commemorative cloth poppy worn by World War I veteran Stanley Mason and displayed when the memorial opened to the public 85 years ago; it is now fragile.
Shane Casey, the memorial’s senior curator of military, heraldry and technology, said the poppy and wreath connect generations through remembrance.
“These two items, a poppy from the official opening and the AWM’s oldest wreath, show the continuity of tradition in expressing commemoration,” Casey said.
The national ceremony will include the customary observance of a minute’s silence at 11am, followed by the playing of The Rouse.
