Rahotu War Memorial (1922)

The gate was unveiled on 26 November 1922 by Archdeacon F G Evans. The architect was W N Stephenson and the builder G. Robinson of Rahotu, supervised by the Taranaki education Board architect, C.H. Moore. The total cost was £277/5/0. 

The large crown was donated by W. R. Wright, Chair of the Soldiers' War Memorial Committee.

In September 1923 the stonemason, W F Short of New Plymouth, took the Rahotu Soldiers' Memorial Committee to court to recover £20 he claimed was owed for the plans and associated costs for the memorial. The hearing was scheduled to continue later in the month, but the plaintiff decided not to call any further evidence. In early November the Taranaki Daily News reported briefly that the plaintiff had decided not to pursue the case (non-suit), although a formal judgement was delayed owing to the possibility of an appeal. 

1914 - 1919

Their Names Shall Live

[Left Side of Gateway]                                     [Right Side of Gateway]

Baker H                                                                 Lawn M
Billing A E                                                              Morrow J
Billing F R                                                              Morgan T
Byrnes R                                                               Phillips J
Corkery F                                                              Sharrock H
Gibson W                                                              Smith D D
Hall F R                                                               Stratton W
Hannah F                                                               Ward W
James S                                                              Looney W G
Harrison E                                                               Peters W

1939 - 1945                                                               1939 - 1945
Brewer P D                                                                   Farquhar T C
Dawson R G                                                                   Rangi W W

[Left Gate Post]                                                          [Right Gatepost]
2 NZEF (Japan)                                                                    Korea       
1946 - 1948                                                                    1950-1948

Malaya Malaysia                                                                  Vietnam
     Borneo                                                                         1964-1972
1955 - 1966                                                                                   

The two Billing brothers are also remembered on the Billing gravestone in Rahotu Cemetery:

22927 Billing, Frederick Rolland, Pte, Machine Gun Corps, Killed in action, France,
16/11/1916

10/3832 Billing, Ernest Alfred, L/Cpl, Wellington Infantry Regiment, Died of wounds,
France, 12/4/1918

There are also memorials to John Morrow, William Gibson, Thomas Quickenden (Opunake & Pungarehu Memorials) and Harold Smith (Opunake & Pungarehu Memorials) on headstones in the cemetery.

Related documents:

Rahotu Memorial Gates Heritage Entry, Opunake Heritage Inventory (2000).

The Rahotu War Memorial Committee, Rahotu School and Districts: 125 Years 1884-2019, Moyra Grey (2019)