Death and Mourning

The Great War changed the way Australians grieved. The elaborate rituals of Victorian mourning were quickly discarded, seeming inappropriate and self-indulgent in the face of death on such an enormous scale. Personal grief became more private and community remembrance more prominent.

With only one exception, no bodies of fallen soldiers were returned from the Great War to Australia. Distance and cost prevented most from visiting overseas war graves.

Novocastrians began building public memorials as early as April 1916, inscribed with the names of those killed, these memorials became a focal point not just for community remembrance, but personal grief as well.
 
Newcastle's first war memorial - completed September 1916 - Newcastle Region Library