South African War Memorial, Brisbane
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| South African War Memorial, Brisbane | |
|---|---|
 The Scout, 2020 | |
| Location | ANZAC Square, 228 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Coordinates | 27°28′00″S 153°01′36″E / 27.4666°S 153.0267°E |
| Design period | 1900–1914 (early 20th century) |
| Built | 1912–1919 |
| Architect | James Laurence Watts |
| Official name | South African War Memorial, Boer War Memorial |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600060 |
| Significant period | 1912–1939 (historical, fabric) (relocated 1939) 1912 (social) |
| Significant components | memorial – statue |
| Sculptor | James Laurence Watts |
  Location of South African War Memorial, Brisbane in Queensland  South African War Memorial, Brisbane (Australia) | |
South African War Memorial is a heritage-listed memorial at ANZAC Square, 228 Adelaide Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was sculpted by James Laurence Watts from 1912 to 1919. It is also known as Boer War Memorial and The Scout. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.[1]
The first overseas conflict in which colonial Queensland troops were involved occurred during Second Boer War (1899–1902) in South Africa. The Queensland Government despatched volunteer contingents of mounted infantrymen to the war to aid the forces of the British Commonwealth involved in the armed intervention. Eighty-nine Queenslanders died during the war. In the years after the war a public committee was established to erect a memorial to the fallen, but the funds raised were insufficient and the project lapsed.[1]
In 1912 James Laurence Watts, a Brisbane sculptor, was commissioned to provide "an equestrian statue in bronze" for the South African Fallen Soldiers Memorial Committee. His commission was conditional on his final design being scrutinised by a panel representing "no less than four areas of expertise", which included art, veterinary surgery, architecture and soldiery. The statue, which depicts a fully equipped mounted trooper of the Queensland contingents to South African war, was sent to England to be bronzed, but the outbreak of World War I delayed its return. Watts meanwhile was also commissioned to provide another memorial in London to Queenslanders who died in South Africa.[1]
Finally in 1919 the completed statue (known as The Scout) returned to Brisbane and was placed in a position of prominence atop the rise at the intersection of Turbot and Edward Streets, where it faced towards the City Botanic Gardens and dominated the street vista.[2] The pedestal on which the statue sat was constructed by local firm Lowther & Sons. Queensland Governor, Sir Hamilton Goold-Adams unveiled the memorial in December 1919. The African War Veterans Association of Queensland organised annual marches to the statue on 31 May, Anniversary Day, the anniversary of the signing of the peace Treaty of Vereeniging in South Africa. The marches were followed by commemorative services on the site.[1]
After creation of Anzac Square in 1930, the African War Veterans Association made a number of approaches for the memorial to be moved to the square. This was done in early April 1939 in time for the Anzac Day ceremonies of that year, Lowther & Sons reassembling the pedestal.[1]
The memorial still stands in Anzac Square, fronting Adelaide Street. In 1991 restoration work was carried out on behalf of the Returned Services League.[1]
Description
The life-size bronzed statue depicts a Queensland Mounted Infantryman. Uniform and accoutrements show meticulous attention to detail, such as the Queensland hat-badge and emu plumes affixed to the slouch hat, and even the horse on which the trooper sits marked with the Queensland Government "QG" brand.[1]
On two sides of the trachyte pedestal large bronze plaques contain the names of the eighty-nine Queensland soldiers who lost their lives in the South African war.[1]
