Memorial Way No. 6

This week in Memorial Way we are travelling to the top of the Blackbutt range north, north-west of Brisbane, Queensland to the timber town of Blackbutt – named after the famous blackbutt tree cut from the surrounding forests for the timber industry.

Blackbutt War Memorial stands at the intersection of the D’Aguilar Highway and Hart Street (GPS 26°53’6.83″S, 152° 6’3.83″E).

Photo: Blackbutt War Memorial [Salute the Brave]

The sandstone monument features a life-sized Australian Infantry soldier standing at ease and resting one hand on the tree trunk support.

The memorial was made by Lowther and Sons. The Blackbutt Memorial was carved by one of the sons, Charles Lowther who served with the 11^th Australian Light Horse in Palestine. On his service record Charles Lowther states his occupation as ‘marble carver’. After returning to Australia in 1919, Charles worked in the family firm which was the largest supplier of stone and marble in the southern hemisphere during World War 1.

The inscription on the front plaque reads:

Their name liveth for ever more

Below are inscribed the names of 16 soldiers killed and one who died of illness. Three other plaques around the memorial list the names of 81 World War 1 soldiers, of which 3 have a K scratched beside them, bringing the total killed to 19 for a small community.

The slide show below features all the panels of the Blackbutt Memorial.

 [slideshare id=1129199&doc=blackbuttmemorial-090310213156-phpapp02]