Figure 1

THE SHRINE OF REMEMBRANCE

Myth, Legend and History

The Shrine of Remembrance has been apart of the city of Melbourne’s landscape for nearly 86 years
now, but how much do you really know about it?

Despite coming to represent all men and women that have served from Victoria, much of its
background can be traced back to World War 1, the war it originally commemorated. War memorials
such as the Shrine of Remembrance stand as symbolic reminders, of not just the tragedies that
occurred during the first world war, but also of those that served during this time.

Within this project, I will explore the various ways in which the Shrine of Remembrance engages us
with the events of the past through culture, history, as well as the hidden elements of ancient Greek
myth. The combination of all three work together to shape a new way in which we as visitors to the
Shrine, will be able to experience and engage with the history it symbolizes.

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T he Shrine of Remembrance that stands
on St. Kilda Rd, Melbourne, is Melbourne’s
most iconic war memorial. With this shrine
standing for nearly 86 years, it is an
understatement to say that there is a little
history behind this symbolic war memorial. As
there is a lot that could be touched, I will
choose to focus on bringing to light some
possibly unknown aspects to try and enable
individuals to engage with the history and
memories of the past in a more in-depth
manor. 1 As the idea for the Shrine of
Remembrance was pitched after World War 1,
it is still evident that the cultural and historical
significances still reflect this period of
Australian history. In many ways, the cultural
and historical meaning that the Shrine
represents are closely related. The memorial
not only reflects the importance that World
War 1 played in shaping Australia’s cultural Figure 2 – Virtue of Sacrifice - – 1 of 4
identity, but also, the historical meaning it has
placed at each corner of the Shrine
in terms of the symbolic connection that the
Shrine provides to those who fought during

World War 1. The cultural and historical

Figure 3 – Virtue of Justice – 1 of 4
placed at each corner of the
Shrine
background to the memorial is by far the most
renowned. However, anyone who has seen
any classical Greek architecture will instantly
recognise the classic Greek style. The
architecture only highlights one dimension of
how the Shrine and World War 1, relates to
ancient Greek myth which adds to the
landscape of Homeric epic, embodied in
World War 1’s Gallipoli campaign. Despite
historical and cultural significances being the
most prominent backgrounds to the
memorial, by understanding them in relation
to its mythical roots, adds a unique way of
engaging with the memories of the past. By
combining both cultural, historical and
mythical elements that surround the Shrine of
Remembrance, I hope to provide not only a
more in-depth background to this iconic
Melbourne building, but also other ways in
which to experience and understand the
history it represents.

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 The Shrine of Remembrance - Symbol of Australian Identity

The significance of the Shrine of Remembrance can be partially attributed to both the cultural and
historical significance it provides to Victorians and the rest of Australia alike. As the memorial was
built following World War 1, much of what this monument means and adds to Australian identity
can be seen to stem from this era.

As is demonstrated every Anzac

Day and Remembrance Day,
conflicts that Australia has been
involved in especially the First
World War, make up an
important piece of Australia’s
cultural identity2.

Figure 4 – 1934 - Dedication ceremony of the

Shrine of Remembrance.

The cultural significance

that the Shrine of
Remembrance has,
originates from the fact
that it is a place that
provides a space for
individual, as well as
communal
contemplation and
reflection.3 The cultural
significance only makes
up a fraction of the
importance to national
identity, embodied in
the shrine. The feeling
that shrouds the Shrine
even today can be seen
to originate from
Figure 5 – Zoom in of relevant paragraph
before its construction,
section from Figure 5. “…The only thing
as highlighted by this
Figure 6 – 1924 Herald that really matters…when it does come,
1924 Herald newspaper
article detailing what the should be the embodiment of all that is
clipping.
Shrine will stand for. See best in us…”
Figure 4.

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Figure 8 – Books of Remembrance Aside from the Figure 7 – Books of Remembrance
importance to
Australian cultural
identity, the history
that the Shrine of
Remembrance
commemorates
through symbolic
representation, adds
another dimension
to the background of
this monument.
With the main
emphasis of its
existence being
commemoration,4
the Shrine’s
symbolic connection
to World War 1 history, is embodied in the names of those who served from Victoria during this
time. Exemplified in figures 8 and 9, their names will be forever encapsulated in the Books of
Remembrance.

In many ways, Figure 9 – Inscription on the wall of the Shrine honouring those who served in WW1
the men and from Victoria
women who
served in this time are
as much a part of the
history as the history
itself.5 That there is
demonstrated in figure
9. Therefore, being
mindful of the history
that the Shrine of
Remembrance
embodies, adds an
important perspective and unique element when engaging with the history of this memorial.

With the Shrine of Remembrance having this rich cultural and historical background, it is easy to see
how other hidden aspects of this memorial can remain concealed. With cultural and historical
elements still providing an important part to how we as the public, engage with the Shrine of
Remembrance, engaging with the esoteric myth and legends that exist within World War 1, adds to
our understanding to this memorials background. This in turn provides additional methods in which
we can absorb World War 1 history.

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 From Ancient Greek Myth to St. Kilda
Figure 10 – Entrance to Shrine resembles that of the
From one glance at the Shrine of Remembrance, Parthenon
you would be able to draw parallels with ancient
Greece through the classic architecture.
However, this only makes up one small part of
how the Shrine of Remembrance embodies
ancient Greek myth which encompasses the
World War 1 Gallipoli campaign. To fully
understand the significance of what the Shrine
symbolizes, highlighting the mythical elements
that is entailed in its background makes up an
important part of its cultural and historical
context.

Whether or not architects Hudson and Wardrop intended

for the Shrine of Remembrance to continue the
ancient Greek mythical narrative by basing it on the
Parthenon and the Tomb at Halicarnassus, or it was
for another purpose,6 nonetheless, the architecture
of the Shrine fits the ancient Greek narrative
perfectly.

Gallipoli

Gallipoli peninsula
Figure 11 - Photograph courtesy of the Department of Archaeology,
Boston University, Saul S. Weinberg Collection

The Gallipoli campaign had especially strong

connections to ancient Greek myth, specifically
the Trojan War due to the proximity of Gallipoli
to where archaeologists believe the ancient city Dardanelles
of Troy stood.
Ancient city of Troy
The soldiers were aware that the Trojan War
was not fought on the Gallipoli peninsula, but it
was fought within a very close region. The
chance to fight where the great heroes of
Homer’s epic had become the topic of stories
still being told and read about 3000 years later
was too great an opportunity for some soldiers Figure 12 - Map showing Gallipoli peninsula in relation to
to miss. alleged location of ancient city of Troy

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Comparisons between the Anzacs and the Trojan War
were made after the campaign, most notably by Sir
Ian Hamilton in a commemorative speech to the
Anzacs.

“You will hardly fade away until the sun fades

out of the sky and the earth sinks into the universal
blackness. For already you form part of that great
tradition of the Dardanelles which began with Hector
and Achilles. In another few thousand years the two
stories will have blended into one…”

Homer’s Iliad was such an important part of the

Gallipoli landscape as Hamilton and the soldiers were
aware. This comparison between the Gallipoli conflict
and Homer’s epic made by Hamilton provided a
means of dealing with the suffering that occurred in
World War 1 by elevating it to take on an epic Figure 13- Sir Ian Hamilton
mythical element.7

Other myths strongly connected to the Gallipoli landscape, and of which the soldiers that were
deployed to Gallipoli were aware of, was that of Hero and Leander. The myth of Hero and Leander is
an ancient love story which tells the story of how a priestess of Aphrodite, Hero, fell in love with a
man, Leander, who lived across the Hellespont, today’s Dardanelles. Each night, Leander would swim
across the Hellespont to be with Hero, guided by a light lit in Hero’s tower. However, one night,
there was a storm that blew out the light that guided Leander. Thus, he was lost during his journey
and drowned.

When the English poet Lord Byron retraced Leander’s swim in 1810, he wrote about it in his book,
Don Juan.8 Byron’s writings were very popular such that years later when soldiers were deployed to
Gallipoli, they carried with them copies of Byron’s writing as a romantic notion of the journey they
were undertaking.9

With the myth and legends of the Gallipoli landscape playing an important role in shaping the
narrative of not only World War 1 but also those who served, the appropriately suited architecture
of the Shrine of Remembrance embodies these myth and legends and elevates the events of World
War 1 to a mythic scale worthy of a Homeric epic.

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 The Shrine of Remembrance – A Memory of the Past

Without a doubt, when you visit the Shrine of Remembrance, you can tell that it is a place where
history, culture and memory meet, thus creating an experience that is rarely found elsewhere. When
you visit the Shrine of Remembrance, your experience is likely to be very personalized as your
perception of this memorial will be influenced by your own history and experiences.

As I said in the beginning, the hope I had when undertaking this project was to explore the various
ways in which we as the public, experience and engage with the memories of the past that lay
embodied in the Shrine of Remembrance. By bringing to the foreground the cultural, historical and
mythological backgrounds that is signified by the Shrine, the understanding of what World War 1
means to Australian cultural and historical landscape will hopefully be gained.

A big part of what makes the Shrine of Remembrance culturally and historically significant is the
space it provides for social bonds to be formed through the sharing of feelings and experiences.10
The most notable examples of this occurring are of course Anzac and Remembrance Day, and in
more recent years, school trips, all of which underline the significance of the Shine in understanding
and commemorating the past.11 The mythological elements that I have touched on is something
that may or may not have been previously known to visitors to the Shrine, but nonetheless it still
makes up an important background. With those that were deployed at Gallipoli knowing and
embracing the landscapes mythological past, in addition to that campaign being compared to the
Trojan War, elevates the perception of this events to something that could only occur in a Homeric
epic.

Today, the Shrine of Remembrance is not what it once was in terms of what it means, and what its
purpose is. With exception to twice a year, this incredible symbol of Australian history and identity is
merely considered a place to take the perfect photo or the perfect vantage point to view the city of
Melbourne. But for some, it is a sacred place, a place dedicated to the memories of loved ones who
sacrificed their lives so that we may live in freedom and peace.

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SOURCES AND BIBLIOGORAPHY

1
Gaynor Kavanagh, ‘Making Histories, Making Memories’ in Kavanagh, Gaynor (ed), Making Histories in Museums, London,
Leicester University Press, 1996, pp. 1-11.
2 W.B Russell, We will remember them, Victoria, The Dominion Press, 1980.
3 “The Shrine of Remembrance”, Victorian Heritage Database, 2005, p. 4.
4 W.B Russell, We will remember them, Victoria, The Dominion Press, 1980, p. 18.
5 See figures 8 and 9
6 Taylor. William, “Lest We Forget: The Shrine of Remembrance, its redevelopment and the heritage of dissent",

Fabrications, Vol. 5(2), (2005), p. 101.

7 Midford. Sarah, “Earlier myths and legends from the Dardanelles region”, Gallipoli, Anzacs and the Great War, (2017), pp.

11-12.
8 Byron. G, Don Juan, (Penguin Classics, London), 2005, canto II, stanza 105
9 Smith. Matt & Mackie. Chris, “History of Gallipoli before 1915”, Interview with an expert”, [podcast], (La Trobe University,

2017), https://soundcloud.com/latrobeuni/a-history-of-gallipoli-before-1915, accessed 10/10/18.

10 Annis. Sheldon, “The museum as a staging ground for symbolic action”, Museum International, Vol.38(3), (1986), pp.

168-171
11 Gaynor Kavanagh, ‘Making Histories, Making Memories’ in Kavanagh, Gaynor (ed), Making Histories in Museums,

London, Leicester University Press, 1996, pp.2-3

- Figure 1 – Photo taken by William McClean, Shrine of Remembrance, 05/05/2017
- Figure 2 - Photo taken by William McClean, Shrine of Remembrance, 07/10/18
- Figure 3 - Photo taken by William McClean, Shrine of Remembrance, 07/10/18
- Figure 4 – Image courtesy of State Library of Victoria, The National War Memorial of Victoria Aerial View of
Dedication Ceremony, 1934, in (www.slv.vic.gov.au) [database], accessed 29/09/18
- Figure 5 - 1924 'WAR MEMORIAL PLEBISCITE', The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.: 1861 - 1954), 12 February, p. 1.,
viewed 15 Oct 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243749285
- Figure 6 - 1924 'WAR MEMORIAL PLEBISCITE', The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.: 1861 - 1954), 12 February, p. 1.,
viewed 15 Oct 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243749285
- Figure 7 - Photo taken by William McClean, Books of Remembrance, 07/10/18
- Figure 8 - Photo taken by William McClean, , Books of Remembrance, 07/10/18
- Figure 9 - Photo taken by William McClean, Shrine of Remembrance, 07/10/18
- Figure 10 - Photo taken by William McClean, Shrine of Remembrance, 07/10/18
- Figure 11 - Photograph courtesy of the Department of Archaeology, Boston University, Saul S. Weinberg
Collection
- Figure 12 – Google, Gallipoli Peninsula, 2018, Google Maps, [database], accessed 13/10/18
- Figure 13 – Image courtesy of Australian War Memorial, Portrait of General Sir Ian Hamilton, supreme
Commander in Chief of the British and Allied forces during the Dardanelles campaign, (A03549).
- Background picture taken by William McClean, Shrine of Remembrance, 07/10/18
PRIMARY SOURCES
- Byron. G, Don Juan, (Penguin Classics, London), 2005, canto II, stanza 105.
- Figure(s) 5&6 - 1924 'WAR MEMORIAL PLEBISCITE', The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.: 1861 - 1954), 12 February, p. 1.,
viewed 15 Oct 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243749285
SECONDARY SOURCES
- Gaynor Kavanagh, ‘Making Histories, Making Memories’ in Kavanagh, Gaynor (ed), Making Histories in Museums,
London, Leicester University Press, 1996
- W.B Russell, We will remember them, Victoria, The Dominion Press, 1980.
- “The Shrine of Remembrance”, Victorian Heritage Database, 2005.
- Taylor. William, “Lest We Forget: The Shrine of Remembrance, its redevelopment and the heritage of dissent",
Fabrications, Vol. 5(2), (2005).
- Midford. Sarah, “Earlier myths and legends from the Dardanelles region”, Gallipoli, Anzacs and the Great War,
(2017).
- Smith. Matt & Mackie. Chris, “History of Gallipoli before 1915”, Interview with an expert”, [podcast], (La Trobe
University, 2017), https://soundcloud.com/latrobeuni/a-history-of-gallipoli-before-1915, accessed 10/10/18.
- Annis. Sheldon, “The museum as a staging ground for symbolic action”, Museum International, Vol.38(3), (1986).

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