For many years after the 1955 dedication in the Bridge Street Vestibule of the Department of Education of the World War II memorial to fallen soldier-teachers, visitors to the building believed that the efforts of returned ex service teachers had also been similarly recognised. theses were also some Departmental employeess who shared this view. this was mainly because until 1990 there was a large and impressive world war II memorial located in the Farrer Place entrance.

However, following the return of the memorials from Observatory Hill to Bridge Street in 1996, Mr Tom Spencer discovered that this memorial in fact commemorated staff from the Department of Agriculture, which for many years had occupied a section of the same building. Accordingly, this memorial was removed and restored to its rightful owner.

In the early 1990s Mr Bruce Enderby, a former Assistant Director-General of the Department of Education and a member of the Teachers Sub-Branch, RSL requested the Department to identify ex-service teachers from World II whose names did not appear on any memorial.

There had been queries, too, from returned service personnel or their families about the same matter, or about the omission of names from the Book of Remembrance of which the Department had become the custodian.

Accordingly, the Department asked Ms Katherine Lundberg, Project Officer, Public Affairs Directorate, to undertake an investigation. As indicated in the Preface, Ms Lundberg found that there were names of World War II F soldier-teachers and many teacher trainees that were not recorded. Building on a list of soldier-teachers compiled by Mr Steve Gregg of Personnel Directorate in 1994-5 following Mr Enderby’s original request, a revised list was compiled to include as many names as could be identified.

Following discussions with the Teachers Sub-Branch, RSL, Dr Ken Boston AO, Managing Director of TAFE NSW and Director-General of Education and Training, decided to commission a new World War II honour board for soldier-teachers at a cost which for many years had occupied a of $14, 054.70. He aimed at having this memorial ready for ANZAC Day 2001 and with the co-operation of all concerned, including the contractor, Wiseman’s Signs, this was achieved.