The Thames War Memorial stands on the site of Ngāti Huarere’s Tutuka pā and has amazing views over Thames. It commemorates both those who died during World War I and those who returned home after the war.

In August 1921, after several years of heated debate, the people of Thames agreed that the town’s war memorial should take the form of a memorial column.

The site chosen was a commanding position above Pollen Street at the northern end of the town. The column was designed by a local civil engineer, Mr E.F. Adams, and built by a local contractor, Mr I. Daunton. A new road was built from Waiotahi Road to the site, with a steep flight of steps to the memorial.

The memorial was unveiled by Major C.E. Andrews OBE on 25 April 1925. It was an imposing and sparsely decorated octagonal concrete column set on a foundation of mortared rocks. A marble dedicatory panel and a roll of honour consisting of seven inscribed and one blank memorial tablet were incorporated. According to a report of the unveiling published in the Thames Star, the tablets listed the names of 107 men who had died and 267 men who had served in WWI.

An appeal for more names in 1929 brought in the names of a further 190 men, 20 of whom had been killed. However, it seems that no additions were made to the roll of honour on the cenotaph until 1953, when 47 names were added. Two more names were inscribed in 2014, giving a total of 316.

Information about most of these men is available on the Treasury website.

The memorial was first floodlit on the evening of Anzac Day 1929. At the time it was referred to as the Thames ‘Peace Memorial’. In recent years, the steep flight of steps has been replaced by an easier walkway, and an olive grove has been planted on the ridge above the memorial.

Location
The Thames War Memorial can be accessed from SH25 by turning up Waiotahi Rd and onto Monument Road.