North Borneo War Monument

The North Borneo War Monument (Malay: Tugu Peringatan Perang Borneo Utara) is a monument that was erected on 8 May 1923 by the North Borneo Chartered Company in Bond Street, Jesselton, British North Borneo. Originally, it was a memorial for the fallen British soldiers during the World War I but later extended to include the Australian soldiers in World War II. The monument stands today in the city park of Kota Kinabalu, the capital of the Malaysian state of Sabah.

North Borneo War Monument
Tugu Peringatan Perang Borneo Utara
Coordinates5.9816656°N 116.017773°E / 5.9816656; 116.017773
LocationKota Kinabalu
TypeObelisk
MaterialStone
Dedicated toThose fallen British soldiers during World War I and Australian soldiers during World War II

History
Inauguration of the monument on 8 May 1923

The monument was originally erected in Bond Street (now Gaya Street). Due to the shifting of the KK City Park in the 1970s, the monument had undergone changes in form and height. In addition, the bronze plaque on the obelisk and a plaque at the site of previous gun were extended.

Original shape

The monument originally consisted of an approximately 2.5-metre-high (8.2 ft) obelisk of granite and a cannon that were placed each on their own narrow rectangular base with semicircular ends. Both bases were mounted on a second common base.

Today's form

The shape of the obelisk was not changed, but the original unit of the base plate is no longer given. The cannon base was placed about 3 metres from the obelisk, but without a gun. There is now a plaque instead of the gun.

Original inscription
Marble plaque with the names of the 13 fallen British soldiers in World War I
The monument in 1923

The original decoration included a carved in the stone relief in the form of a laurel wreath with the inscription, To The Glorious Dead 1914–1918[note 1] and a marble slab in the second pyramid stone. The marble plaque lists the names of 13 fallen of the First World War to:

ROLL OF HONOUR
M.T. Buckley
A. Craigh
H.W. Chalmers
F.H. Davies
S.J. Gooding
H.S.H.H. Hall
A.M. Kennedy
L.A.Prior
B.D.R. Sherbrooke
E.N. Savage
R.R.M. Tabutea
N. Thomson
H.M. Woolley

Extensions

On the opposite side of the marble slab (west) was a bronze plaque mounted with the following inscription:

In Memory Of Those Men
– of –
THE AUSTRALIAN ARMED FORCES
Who Gave Their Lives In the Defence Of
SABAH (BRITISH NORTH BORNEO)
During The Second World War 1939–1945

Presented By
The Returned Services League
Of Australia

The identical text is in gold lettering on a black plate on the earlier cannon base.

On the north side of the obelisk is a memorial plaque to the victims during the time which was Confrontation attached.

Inauguration

As of 8 May 1923 by 10 o'clock in the morning, the ceremony of the inauguration of the monument was held by Major-general Sir Neill Malcolm. The presence of HMS Hawkins and a guard of honour, consisting the members of the Royal Navy, veterans of the First World War and the British North Borneo Armed Constabulary gave the event a military context. Among the guests were the Governor Sir William Rycroft, Admiral Arthur Leveson, the Bishop of Labuan and Sarawak and Ms Stotter.[1] Bishop Danson dedicated the obelisk and made a speech of greetings on behalf from the representatives of the Catholics, Muslims and Sikhs, along with the speech from Sir Neill Malcolm.[2]

As a remembering to the former site of the monument in Bond Street, There was an exhibition been held in 2012, with the theme "Bonding with Gaya Street (BGS)".[3]

Perhaps due to the establishment of the De Fontaine Memorial in 1912, the shape of the North Borneo War Memorial was very similar with it.

References
  1. "B. N. B. War Memorial". The Straits Times. National Library of Singapore. 10 April 1923. p. 10. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  2. "Borneo's War Memorial". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884-1942). National Library of Singapore. 9 May 1923. p. 7. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  3. "Bonding with Gaya Street". Arkitrek. 22 January 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2014.

Notes
  1. Translation: The Glorious Dead 1914–1918.
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