Eternal Flame
Cenotaph
The Cenotaph in the forecourt stands at 12.5 metres in height. The sculpture on the Cenotaph is made up of six large stone fi gures bearing their fallen comrade on a bier (stretcher). The Army, Navy and Air Force are each represented by two stretcher bearers.
The… sculpture… was conceived as a simple, powerful composition intended to convey the emotions of sacrifice freely given to a great cause… In order to give full import to the emotional content of the composition… all irrelevant detail has been excluded.
Dedication by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, 28 February 1954, official souvenir booklet
The names of the theatres of war where each of the services fought in the Second World War are inscribed on the pillar.
The statutory weighs more than ninety tons and is carved in Footscray basalt.
Shrine of Remembrance Second World War Cenotaph
Eternal Flame
At the foot of the Cenotaph sits the Eternal Flame, which was lit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the dedication ceremony in 1954. The inclusion of the Eternal Flame in the forecourt design was inspired by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Belgium.
For all time after being lit by Her Majesty, this flame will burn, bearing witness to the heroism of those who gave their lives for the freedom of the world’s people during the years of the Second World War.
Dedication by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, 28 February 1954, official souvenir booklet
Eternal Flame
Cenotaph
The Cenotaph in the forecourt stands at 12.5 metres in height. The sculpture on the Cenotaph is made up of six large stone fi gures bearing their fallen comrade on a bier (stretcher). The Army, Navy and Air Force are each represented by two stretcher bearers.
The… sculpture… was conceived as a simple, powerful composition intended to convey the emotions of sacrifice freely given to a great cause… In order to give full import to the emotional content of the composition… all irrelevant detail has been excluded.
Dedication by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, 28 February 1954, official souvenir booklet
The names of the theatres of war where each of the services fought in the Second World War are inscribed on the pillar.
The statutory weighs more than ninety tons and is carved in Footscray basalt.
Shrine of Remembrance Second World War Cenotaph
Eternal Flame
At the foot of the Cenotaph sits the Eternal Flame, which was lit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the dedication ceremony in 1954. The inclusion of the Eternal Flame in the forecourt design was inspired by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Belgium.
For all time after being lit by Her Majesty, this flame will burn, bearing witness to the heroism of those who gave their lives for the freedom of the world’s people during the years of the Second World War.
Dedication by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, 28 February 1954, official souvenir booklet