WHAT IS THE GUILDFORD ANZACS PROJECT?
The Guildford Anzacs Project is record of the impact of WW1 on a whole town in Western Australia. The project identifies the soldiers, by name and gives a military history of each man or woman. It records their association with the town of Guildford through church, organization or school membership. It records if they returned and in what condition ie invalided. The project identified surviving homes of these Anzacs and marked them with a brass poppy plaques. Information on the soldiers can be obtained through a detailed web site search or through walk trails on line and summary information for the ipad. This project gives people the opportunity to walk an historic town and experience the impact of WW1 in each street. It gives students of all ages an opportunity to research at varying levels of complexity the details of the soldiers and their homes.
WHY GUILDFORD?
Guildford is the most intact town of first settlement in WA dating back to 1829. It is probably the only town of first settlement in Australia not to have expanded beyond its early boundaries and has no buildings beyond the colonial 2 storey scale. The town is contained by the Swan and Helena Rivers on four sides and could not expand. These constraints limited development pressures over time and has resulted in the survival of many homes from this colonial, railway and pre World War 1 period and a largely intact township. Guildford can be visited by bus or train or online via the web site http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/ . The small town site contains just 160 hectares of which half the area is floodplain land. The footprint of the original 1829 townsite is unchanged and gives the visitor the opportunity to walk back in time and visit the world of the Guildford Anzacs.
Guildford was also a significant military centre in WW 1 being the home of the 10th Light Horse, the head quarters of the Artillery, the 13th Field Engineers, Signallers and Army Service Corps attached to the Remount Depot. The training area and bases were located to the south of the town at South Guildford.
WHO WERE THE GUILDFORD ANZACS?
The Guildford Anzacs project has identified over 700 men and women who served in WW1, from the Honour Rolls and War Memorials in the town and newspapers. These men and women lived, worked, studied or worshipped in the town of Guildford. Many of these Anzacs who attended Guildford Grammar School had families and homes outside the town and across the State of Western Australia, however, they all made up the complex fabric of social life in Guildford. All these men and women young and older are the Guildford Anzacs.
WHAT IS AN ANZAC HOME IN GUILDFORD?
An Anzac home in Guildford or South Guildford is the place where a World War 1 soldier or nurse resided prior to embarking for war (1914-18).
This may include a home of their childhood or where they boarded for school. It may also include a nominated address of a family member from their attestation papers or a recorded home of their wife or widow up to the end of the war in November 1918.
WHERE ARE THE HONOUR ROLLS?
Guildford has 7 Honour Rolls and 2 War Memorials in the town that commemorated the soldiers who fought or died in World War 1. The Honour Rolls are either timber boards or painted sheets listing the names of soldiers associated with a particular organization, community or interest group.
The Honour Rolls in Guildford include:
- St Matthews Anglican Church illuminated Roll listing those that fought and a Bronze Tablet listing those who fell.
- Wesley Chapel a timber Honour Board of the Sunday School children who served and a brass plaque of those who served and fell.
- Guildford Volunteer Fire Brigade an Honour Roll listing those who served and fell.
- Guildford Primary School a large timber Honour Board listing those who served and fell who had attended the school.
- Guildford Grammar School an Honour Board held in the Dining hall listing those students and staff who served and the stone obelisk War Memorial, listing those students and staff who fell.
- Guildford War Memorial a stone obelisk listing those from Guildford who served and a separate list of those who fell inWW1 and later wars.
It is important to note that that only those with family or friends who could request the record of a name are included on these commemorative boards and tablets. At Guildford Primary School a payment was required to cover the cost of painting the name of a student. The Roman Catholic church members are underrepresented on these Honour Rolls and memorials as the churches and convent schools have not traditionally held such boards or records.
WHERE IS GUILDFORD?
Guildford is located 13 kms east of the City of Perth in Western Australia. Originally established as an inland port town, it was once an outlying village. Today Guildford is village within a city. It is easily accessed by the Number 36 Bus from the Perth Bus Station or by rail from the Perth Railway or Fremantle Railway Stations.(Midland Line) The town is located 20 minutes from the International Airport and 15 minutes from the Domestic Terminals. It is sited at the southern entry to the noted wine growing district of the Swan Valley and makes a wonderful day trip.