The King George V Memorial has been located outside Old Parliament House, Canberra since the 1940s. Commissioned in 1936 and largely completed by 1941, it took until 1953 to officially unveil the monument due to delays to the final elements of its construction which resulted from the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The Memorial was originally located directly in front of the-then Parliament House, but was moved to its current location in 1968.

History

The memorial was commissioned by the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

in 1936 to commemorate King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

, who had been Australia's head of state from 1910 until his death that year. The Government sought submissions for the design of the monument, and a proposal submitted by sculptor

Rayner Hoff George Rayner Hoff (27 November 1894 – 19 November 1937) was a British-born sculptor who mainly worked in Australia. He fought in World War I and is chiefly known for his war memorial work, particularly the sculptures on the ANZAC War Memoria ...

and architect Harry Foskett was selected. However, Hoff died in 1937 before work began on the memorial, and John E Moorfield was selected to complete the memorial using Hoff's design. The memorial includes a bronze statue of King George V on one of its faces. A stone statue of

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

mounted on a horse is also located on the rear face, and commemorates George V's leadership of the British Empire during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The

Museum of Australian Democracy Old Parliament House, formerly known as the Provisional Parliament House, was the seat of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. The building began operation on 9 May 1927 after Parliament's relocation from Melbourne to the new capit ...

's website states that: Completion of the memorial was delayed by the Second World War. While it was largely complete by 1941, the casting of the statue of George V and bronze plaques to be mounted on the Memorial did not proceed as the models could not be shipped to the United Kingdom where they were to be cast. These elements of the memorial finally arrived in Australia in 1952. The King George V Memorial was officially unveiled on 4 March 1953. The memorial was originally located directly opposite Parliament House, with the statue of George V facing the Parliament and that of Saint George facing the

Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...

. This location had been selected by the Government against the views of Hoff and Foskett, who preferred a site away from the direct axis between the Parliament and the War Memorial. In 1968 the memorial was moved to its current location just off the axis so that the view of the Australian War Memorial from the parliament was no longer obstructed. The Minister of the Interior Doug Anthony, gained Prime Minister

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

' agreement to begin work on the project after convincing him that the memorial was "not ... good statuary" and spoiled the view from parliament. Menzies successor as Prime Minister,

Harold Holt Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party. Holt was born in S ...

, publicly spoke in support of moving the memorial in 1967, describing it as an "excrescence" and joking that he hoped it would be destroyed "if we are so unfortunate as to have an enemy attack". At the time the memorial was moved it was a popular tourist attraction. It was also often used as a meeting point by Canberrans. The King George V Memorial has been heritage listed since 2004. During 2015 it was restored at a cost of $326,000; these works included installing features to prevent it from being used by skateboarders. At this time, the ''Canberra Times'' reported that the memorial was a "revered site for the city's skaters and has even featured in promo videos for international pro skate teams as they toured Australia". Some Indigenous Australian residents of Canberra called for the memorial to be removed in 2020 on the grounds that it is inappropriate to have a British Empire-era monument adjacent to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.

References

{{coord, -35.30111, 149.12977, type:landmark_region:AU-ACT, format=dms, display=inline,title Military memorials in Canberra Statues in Australia World War I memorials in Australia Cultural depictions of George V

1953 sculptures 1953 establishments in Australia Equestrian statues in Australia Landmarks in Canberra Sculptures of men in Australia Stone sculptures in Australia Public art in the Australian Capital Territory Outdoor sculptures in Canberra