In a document prepared in 1991 on the Department’s rolls of honour existing at that time, Mary McPherson, the Department’s History Information Officer, wrote among other things that:

The Department was keen to recognise, and by recognising, to encourage the war service of its employees. In World War I the Department made up the difference between an employee’s military pay and his normal salary.

In addition, every school, even the smallest and most remote, was encouraged to make and hang its own roll of honour listing ex-pupils and teachers who had gone to the war.

The Public Instruction Gazette of July 1915 listed the names of the first teachers killed, with the comment that “We are proud of the part our troops are playing in the great struggle and thrilled when we read of their courage and heroism in the Dardanelles.”

These first two teacher casualties, whose names
can be found among the many who died in World War I, were:

• Captain Charles Edward Leer, aged 43, who had been teaching at Watsons Bay school when he enlisted and who was killed in action at the Dardanelles between 25th and 28th April 1915.
• Harry H Wharton, aged 25, who had been teaching at Groses Creek school when he enlisted and who died of wounds received at the Dardanelles on 10th May 1915.

Another randomly selected teacher serviceman whose name can be found among the war dead on the 1914-18 roll of honour is Alfred N Shipp, aged 22, who had entered the Department’s service as a pupil teacher in 1912.

Another randomly selected teacher serviceman whose name can be found among the war dead on the 1914-18 roll of honour is Alfred N Shipp, aged 22, who had entered the Department’s service as a pupil teacher in 1912. Shipp was a promising young junior assistant teacher at Mount Kembla school where he had taught for three years when he enlisted. He had exercised good influence over the boys he taught. His teacher card, like many others, which differ only from the date and place of death, had as its last entry “Killed in action at the Dardanelles, 21st May 1915”.

The Department of Education Enlistments for Overseas in the 1914-18 war were:

Teachers: 755
 (including 240 who had trained at Hereford House, Glebe)

Officers: 109

In all, 171 employees of the NSW Department of Education died on active service before the end of World War I.²  [Of these 153 were teachers.³] 

Honours were awarded to 59 teachers.⁴

The following extract from Education, the journal of the NSW Teachers Federation, reveals that early in the war thought had been given to memorials for the soldier-teachers:

On 10th November, 1915, the Council of the Teachers Association issued a circular over the names of F T Berman, President, S A Kenny, General Secretary, and A Cousins, Treasurer, notifying members that 284 fellow teachers had gone to war, and that the following commemorative arrangements had been decided upon:

• The erection by the Department of an Honour Board recording the names of all teachers who enlisted.
• The erection of a memorial to teachers who fell, form and location to be decided later.
• A valedictory in the Turner Hall to soldier-teachers about to leave.⁵

The Soldier-Teachers Memorial Committee (World War I)