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- By the Franklin Historical Society
At the unveiling of the original Roulston Park War Memorial Gates in 1921, concern was
expressed that the panel did not represent a Kiwi soldier.
The Franklin Times on August 27, 1924, reported:
“The figure at the Memorial Gate of Roulston Park has called forth much comment. Some
people, including many returned men, are not satisfied with the uniform shown on the
soldier. It is said to be more like an Italian than a Digger.”
Moves were already well underway to rectify the situation.
The Franklin Times of November 13, 1925, reported:
“The work of substituting the stock figure on the War Memorial at the entrance to Roulston Park, Pukekohe, for that of a New Zealand Digger with full trench equipment up, has been
completed, and one cannot help notice the wonderful improvement. The present figure is
eight inches thick as against the original, which was only five inches. The new one certainly
stands out much more prominently.
“To obtain the modern figure, it was necessary to have a local returned soldier photographed with full fighting kit on, and the photograph forwarded to the sculptors in Italy.
“The alteration cost £37, and the money was found by voluntary subscription and a football match promoted by the Pukekohe Rugby Football Sub-Union. Returned men who inspected the memorial a few days ago expressed entire satisfaction with the memorial as it now stands.”
The replacement sculpture was modelled on a photo of a local man, Sergeant William Joseph Short, in full uniform. McNabb & Mason of 100 Symonds Street, Auckland, were tasked with obtaining the new marble panel from Italy, and it was duly installed at the Memorial Gates along with the addition of one of the side panels of further names of men from the area who had lost their lives in the war.
Finally, as originally intended, the Roulston Park War Memorial Gates were complete and a
fitting memorial for the men who sacrificed their lives, having been “erected by public
subscription at the entrance to Roulston Park to perpetuate the memory of men from
Pukekohe who fell in the Great War.” (Franklin Times, December 16, 1921).
Sgt Short, known as Bill, was very involved in community activities, namely the Lodge,
rugby (holding national positions), bowls, billiards and the RSA and was Secretary of the
Franklin Racing Club for a time.
He also served on the Pukekohe Borough Council and was a Justice of the Peace. In 1983, he was awarded an MBE for services to Sport and the Community.
One of his sons became the Mayor of Pukekohe.
