Category: Sculpture

Sphinx Memorial Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

Located near the North Turramurra Gate and the Lady Davidson Private Hospital, the Sphinx Memorial commemorates the fallen soldiers of World War One. Restored and rededicated in 1995, the memorial now has had a new lease of life.

Made from local sandstone by 5756 Private W. T. Shirley as a memorial to fallen A.I.F. comrades, the Sphinx is approximately 1/8th the size of the Great Sphinx, located on Egypt’s Giza Plateau. William Shirley was a patient of the Lady Davidson Convalescent Hospital for returned World War One Australian veterans. Not only suffering from gassing, he had the complication of tuberculosis.

Only able to work one to two hours a day due to his condition, the Sphinx took one and a half years to complete. William Shirley laboured at creating his personal memorial to his fallen A.I.F comrades from 1926 to 1928.

What did We Think?

This was a very interesting monument to visit, because it is a personal tribute to fallen comrades. The subject of the sphinx is also unusual but relevant to all the servicemen who fought in the desert.

Sydney Morning Herald Tribute To the Sphinx Memorial

Mr. William T. Shirley, creator of the rock carving, “The Sphinx,” in Kuring-gai Chase, died at the Prince of Wales Hospital on Tuesday. The carving stands as a permanent memorial to the skill and patience of a brave sufferer, who contracted tuberculosis, following on war service.

Mr. Shirley was a stonemason before he left for the war. At the Lady Davidson Home, Turramurra, which he entered for treatment, the ordinary hospital occupations did not seem to appeal to him. As he was not strong enough to return to his trade, it was suggested that he should carve a rock in Kuring-gai Chase on the model of the Great Sphinx of Giza, which guards the entrance to the Nile Valley. He had seen the Great Sphinx before he went to France, and eagerly set about carving one of much smaller dimensions. On account of his health, Mr. Shirley was not allowed to work more than a couple of hours a day, sometimes less, but he made excellent, progress in cutting down the great rock, and within several months the form of The Sphinx took shape.

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW), 29 August 1929

The Gosford Petroglyphs or Hieroglyphs

For another story about Australia’s connection to Egypt, read about the Gosford Glyphs. Located an hour’s drive from the sphinx the glyphs are interesting, along with the many other attractions around Gosford.

Mainmast of HMAS Adelaide

Sitting next to the Sphinx Memorial is the mainmast of HMAS Adelaide. It is dedicated to World War Two soldiers, sailors, and airmen who died as a result of tuberculosis. The nearby Lady Davidson Repatriation Hospital treated returned servicemen with this condition.

A dedicatory plaque and a plaque explaining the role played by HMAS Adelaide accompany the mast. The plaque makes the presence of the mast clearer as it provides interesting information.

The Ship’s plaque reads:

The IMPROVED TOWN Class light cruiser HMAS ADELAIDE was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on 5th August 1922. Built at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney, HMAS ADELAIDE was active with the Australian Fleet until paid off into reserve in 1928. During the ship’s first commission, HMAS ADELAIDE participated in the 1924/25 world cruise as part of the Royal Navy’s Special Service Squadron and in 1927 proceeded to the Solomon Islands on a peacekeeping cruise.

During 1938/39 the cruiser was modernised to meet the threat from more capable aircraft and recommissioned for service on 13 March 1939.

In the Second World War, HMAS ADELAIDE operated along the Australian eastern and western coasts. During September 1940 she proceeded to the French colony of New Caledonia to help in the transfer of formal control from Vichy to Free French forces and on 28 November 1942, the cruiser sank the German ‘blockade runner’ Ramses.

HMAS ADELAIDE provided gunfire support to landings in Ambon in 1944, before returning to Sydney for duties as a submarine depot ship. On 26 February 1946 HMAS ADELAIDE paid off from naval service and on 21 March 1947 was sold to be broken up in Port Kembla.

The ship’s mainmast was erected adjacent to the Sphinx Memorial in Ku-ring-gai National Park in about 1950.

To commemorate the end of the Second World war as part of the ‘Australia Remembers’ year, the mast was restored and on 9 November 1995, rededicated at an official ceremony.

The Ship’s Plaque

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To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.