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Soldiers' Memorial Hall is a heritage-listed community hall at 63 Nicholas Street, Ipswich, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by George Brockwell Gill and built by F.J. Lye from 1920 to 1921. It is also known as Memorial Hall. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. == History == The Ipswich Soldiers' Memorial Hall is a three-storey brick building opened in 1921. It was designed by George Brockwell Gill and built by F.J. Lye. Brickwork was by A. Mansfield, plastering J. Jamieson and joinery Arthur Foote Ltd.〔 The Returned Soldiers and Sailors Imperial League of Australia (RSSILA) was formed in 1916 and a branch opened in Ipswich in September 1917. As the end of World War I approached in 1918, the Ipswich branch requested land suitable for a building which could be a recreation hall and war memorial. Land in the Central Gardens was provided by the Department of Lands and construction of the hall was funded by a £6000 loan to the Council from the government, £1250 from the RSSILA and £500 from the Patriotic Committee. Further fundraising was carried out by community groups including Train Tea Ladies (a group which had met troop trains during the war), suburban Comforts Funds and Red Cross. The total cost of the building was £12000, representing a considerable community fundraising effort.〔 The foundation stone was laid in May 1920, coinciding with a visit by General Birdwood and the building was completed in November 1921.〔 During discussions with the RSSILA, Ipswich City Council had raised the possibility of combining the Memorial Hall with a new town hall for the city. Although this idea was rejected, a compromise was reached and the Ipswich School of Arts Library, managed by the Council, was moved from the overcrowded Ipswich Town Hall to occupy the entire upper floor of the Memorial Hall; it remained there until 1947.〔 The basement level contained a billiards room, games room, refreshment room, showers and bath while the ground floor contained the memorial hall, assembly room, secretary's office and lounge.〔 Following the opening, further fundraising was carried out and a memorial window was commissioned for the upper floor. It was designed by William Bustard and carried out by R.S. Exton and Company, Brisbane under the supervision of C.H. Lancaster. The window was unveiled in November 1922. When a new RSL Services Club was built at North Ipswich in 1979, the window was removed to the new premises.〔 The building has been a popular venue for many community organisations including billiards club, dancing classes, dances, Red Cross Blood Bank and the Bush Book Club. During World War II, a temporary "All Services Hut" was erected in the park adjacent to the hall to serve as a recreation venue for servicemen; it was removed at the end of the war.〔 The Memorial Hall is used as the headquarters of the Ipswich sub-branch of the RSL and as meeting rooms for the RSL Women's Auxiliary, Legacy and other service organisations. It is the focal point of annual Anzac Day ceremonies in Ipswich.〔 Two additional monuments have been erected in the gardens to the north of the hall - a general memorial in grey granite dedicated in 1986 and a column in grey granite erected by the Incapacitated Service Men's and Women's Association to honour service in all wars, specifically including Borneo and Vietnam. Both were carved by sculptor Tom Farrell.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Soldiers' Memorial Hall, Ipswich」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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