Canon David John Garland, Toowong
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Wednesday Night News ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- ----- A newsletter for those members who can attend the Wednesday night meetings with with toowong history group Phon e: 3870 9538 (Marilyn); 3870 3886 (Prue). Mail to: P O Box 808, Toowong, Qld. 4006. Check our website www.toowong.org.au For our meeting on 15 August we met at Christ Church at Milton and Dr Hilda Maclean gave us a wonderful talk about Canon Garland who worked with our WW1 returned soldiers. Some of her talk along with a few pictures from her powerpoint are reproduced in this newsletter . Canon David John Garland, Toowong Cemetery and the commemoration of ANZAC Day. Dr Hilda Maclean Canon David John Garland was no stranger to Christ Church, Milton or Toowong Cemetery. He had officiated at many civilian burial services there from 1910 and was present at the translation of the remains of Bishop Webber from the cemetery to the still-under-construction St John’s Cathedral in the same year.1 Garland was appointed senior army camp chaplain for Brisbane in 1915 and served in this role until his embarkation to the Middle East 1 in 1917. He was also Secretary of the Queensland Recruiting Committee and in this role Garland preached at Christ Church on Sunday night 16 May 1915, just one month after the disastrous Gallipoli landing, on the topic 'every man wanted.‘1 On Sunday 17 September 2016, Garland preached at Christ Church again on the subject of Conscription. He was an ardent supporter of conscription, co-founded the Compulsory Service League, and served on the Executive of the National Council for the Referendum.1 As part of his chaplaincy, Garland conducted a number of military burial services at Toowong Cemetery. The placement, marking and care of soldiers’ graves at the Toowong Cemetery had started to become an issue as early as mid-1915. A number of enlisted men died of diseases such as measles and pneumonia while either in transit or serving with the 1st Depot Battalion. In addition, wounded soldiers were starting to return from Gallipoli only to succumb from the effects of their injuries in Brisbane. Originally soldiers were buried in different portions throughout the cemetery according to their religion or in which ever the portion was operating as general burial space at the time. Around October 1915, it was suggested to the Brisbane General Cemetery Trustees (conceivably by Garland) that the burial of soldiers should be clustered together and a “soldiers corner” be created. This needed to be in an available, easily accessible, unconsecrated portion of the cemetery. The only land available was a corner of portion 10; half which had already been opened for general burials and the other half was under sweet peas and garden beds. The first military burial in portion 10 was in October 1915. Sixteen year old stockman Henry Norman King raised his age to 18, and enlisted in Townsville. Six weeks later in Brisbane he was dead of double pneumonia.i After six months he was joined in the grave by his 32 year old eldest brother George Henry King who also died of disease.ii The devastated parents erected a memorial incorporating the symbolism of the broken column for the lives that had ended prematurely, surmounted by a rifle and ammunition belt. Portion 10 was to fill rapidly so that by Anzac Day 1920 there had been 215 burials.iii Garland returned to Brisbane from the Middle East in September 1919.iv One of his early initiatives was to commence a trust to use money raised from the sale of Anzac Day badges for the care of soldiers' graves at home and abroad. Garland had silk lavender blue badges embossed in gold leaf with the lion of St Mark and motto “Their Name Liveth for Evermore” prepared for each Anzac Day. The proceeds helped fund several of Brisbane’s memorials including St Columb’s at Clayfield and also graves of soldiers killed in action overseas.v On the morning of Anzac Day 1920, the first since his return from his war service, Garland went to visit the soldiers’ graves at Toowong Cemetery. He found many people there on the same mission and asked them whether they would like him to perform a service, to which they agreed.vi The service contained the elements of the non-denominational requiem, the liturgy of which Garland would codify the next few years. It had the objects of acknowledging the sacrifice of Australians in war, mourn the dead and console the bereaved. Garland had decided that there would be no prayers offered to the souls of the dead and no references to the Trinity. He devised the “minutes silence” allowing people to pray or not to pray depending on their own conscience or denominational sensitivity.vii As the Brisbane Anzac Day Commemoration Committee comprised both the Anglican and Catholic Archbishops, representatives of protestant religions and the Rabbi, so the commemoration service had to be truly ecumenical.viii In 1921 a suggestion was received by the Anzac Day Commemoration Committee that the laying of flowers on the graves of soldiers in Toowong cemetery should be included as part of the Anzac Day commemoration.ix Acting on this suggestion, Garland, suggested that persons who are able to be present at the cemetery and lay flowers on the graves were requested to meet at the main gate not later than 9 o'clock on the morning of Anzac Day. Returned soldiers were present to act as guides to the graves. A short service was conducted by Garland at 9.15am and the Last Post was sounded. It was realised by the Anzac Day Commemoration Committee that there were people who were anxious to provide flowers but unable to attend at the cemetery. Alternative arrangements were made where the flowers were received in the central square of the old Town Hall up to 8.30 am when they were collected in cars provided by the Returned Soldiers' Transport Corps, and taken to the cemetery.x Garland pursued a campaign for Anzac Day to be one of solemn recognition through the Anzac Day Commemoration Committee. He stressed that the large attendance at the morning services which are held by churches of every denomination throughout the State has become one of the most notable features of the commemoration, and did not intend that the giving of floral tributes should in any way take the place of the attendance at these services. For this reason the hours were arranged so that a visit could be made to the cemetery leaving ample time to attend the morning services. The laying of flowers on the graves of Australian soldiers in France was widely practiced by the French people so at the least Garland believed that it should be performed here. It should be noted that in the early 1920s, the Dawn Service was not yet a fixed as part of the Anzac Day proceedings with the ode and two minutes silence held in the evening.xi With the Anzac Day services at the Toowong Cemetery growing in size and significance, a badge selling campaign commenced supported the Lady Mayoress’s committee to raise the funds to construct a Cross of Sacrifice and Stone of Remembrance of the same design as British architect Sir Edward Lutyens had created for the British War Cemeteries. The Anzac Day Commemoration Committee ratified the idea and a subcommittee was established in July 1923 to plan construction.xii The appeal was greatly assisted by a gift to the Anzac Day Commemoration Committee from the Queensland Government of a ten ton block of Helidon sandstone which was brought down by rail, apparently the largest stone ever conveyed to Brisbane on a flatbed railway wagon.xiii It was then pulled along Sylvan Road by a team of at least eight horses.xiv It was inscribed with the words "Their Name Liveth for Evermore” chosen by author Rudyard Kipling whose only son was killed on the Western Front.xv From The Daily Mail, 26 February 1924. On Anzac Day 1924, over 3000 people witnessed the dedication of the stone and the unveiling of the cross by the Governor General of Australia Lord Forster. Amongst the dignitaries were the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane (Dr Gerald Sharp) Moderator of the Presbyterian Assembly (Rev. S. Martin) and Canon Garland (in his role as joint honorary secretary of the Anzac Day Commemoration Committee). By the end of the day the Stone had been so completely covered by flowers, it was scarcely visible. One wreath was even dropped from an aeroplane which circled the ceremony.xvi From 1925 the memorial became the focus of the commemoration at Toowong Cemetery with flowers continuing to be laid on the graves after the service conducted by Garland at the Stone of Remembrance.xvii Until the dedication of the Shrine of Remembrance in Anzac Square in the heart of the city of Brisbane on 11 November 1930, the memorial at Toowong was the most significant in Brisbane and the focus of much activity, including numerous international visitors invariably accompanied by Canon Garland. For example, Bishop of London, Dr Ingram and Lord Mayor William Jolly paid their respects.xviii To demonstrate the non-denominational nature of the memorial, in September 1928, Cardinal Cerretti, the Papal Legate accompanied by Premier W. McCormack and Canon Garland placed a wreath at the Stone of Remembrance.xix Between the wars the number of servicemen who died as a result of their injuries continued to rise. Soldiers’ Corner had reached its capacity so in 1934 the sweet peas and gardens were taken up and a pavilion demolished to allow its expansion.