Eastern Adelaide Teacher resource.pdf - Army Museum of South ...

Memorial Burnside Council Chambers – Honour Rolls
Address Within the Mayoral Chambers, Greenhill Road, Tusmore
Background Information
Over 2,000 men and women from the Burnside Council
district served their country during World Wars I (Great War)
and II. Following the First World War, the people of the
district commenced fundraising in order to provide suitable
memorials to honour those who served in the Great War. As
in many other Australian communities, wooden honour rolls
were constructed listing the names of local citizens who
served, and those who died, during what was believed would
be the war to end all wars.
Perhaps the best known soldier commemorated on the
Burnside Council Honour Rolls is Lieutenant Colonel William
Charles Nightingale (W.C.N) Waite, DSO, MC, VD who
served in the Boer War, World War I and as Director of Recruiting in South Australia
during World War II. This lean and tough man was known affectionately by many as
"Mr Anzac" because he led Adelaide's Anzac Day parade twenty nine times on a
dashing white charger (horse). He also served a term as the Mayor of Burnside and
the Colonel Waite Oval, at Kensington Gardens Reserve, is named in his honour.
Perhaps his greatest exploit was during World War I at Gallipoli. As the officer in
charge of the 8 th Battery, he received the order to ceasefire at 1700hrs (5pm) on
December 19 1915, the day before the evacuation of Gallipoli. However, as Colonel
Waite later recalled, “I determined to have something special to remember it (the
evacuation) by, (so) at 1705 hrs (5.05pm) I ordered crew of No. 4 gun to fire again. I
risked a Court of Inquiry, I suppose, but none was ordered. So we fired, without
challenge, the last shot from Anzac”. He retained the shell case, which he mounted
and inscribed and kept on his mantelpiece following his return to Australia.
Teachers note: As the Mayoral Chambers are not open to the public you will need to
ring the Burnside Council Offices on 08 8366 4229 and speak to the Communications
Officer to organise access.
Student Activities
On Site
(1) Where are the Burnside Council Honour Rolls located within the Burnside
Town Hall?
Do you think an alternate location might be more appropriate given their
significance to Burnside’s history?
They are located near the Mayor’s chambers on the south west side of the Burnside
Town Hall, in an area that does not have public access for reasons of security. They
were initially easily accessible to the public. Students could argue that their original
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