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The Fremantle War Memorial is a war memorial located on Monument Hill in Fremantle, the port of Perth, Western Australia. The site, comprising an 11-acre (4.45-hectare) reserve, was originally established by the Fremantle Town Council in 1928 to commemorate the losses of the First World War, having previously been used as a public reserve since the early 19th century.

Prior uses
The memorial is located on Monument Hill in the suburb of Fremantle, overlooking Fremantle Harbour and Rottnest Island. The hill itself was made a public reserve in the latter half of the 19th century. An obelisk at the hill's summit was used as a trig point by surveyors and navigators, giving rise to the name "Obelisk Hill".

Conception: 1921–26
The Fremantle Town Council established a Fremantle War Memorial Committee in 1921, to work towards "the erection of a fitting monument in memory of the men who enlisted from the Port". The initial proposal was for a 65-foot (19.8-metre) obelisk, costing between £4,000 and £5,000. A meeting of the committee in April 1922, presided over by the Mayor of Fremantle, Frank Ernest Gibson, MLA, tentatively accepted the design of Messrs. Wilkinson and Ross, of Claremont, with second place going to Mr. S. Rosenthal, of Perth. A separate citizens' committee was formed in February 1922, and reviewed plans by Messrs. Crossland and Harvey for the grounds. Fundraising for the monument began in earnest on Anzac Day (25 April), 1922, with the organisation of a flower show, button days, and the selling of local produce. Approximately £1,600 had been raised by October 1922. The main committee also referred a proposal for an improved roadway to the hill to the works commitee, pointing out the road was necessary for "the carting of material to be used in the construction of the memorial".



Further fundraising continued throughout the following year, with the memorial committee, now headed by Gibson and William Watson (pictured together at left), the federal member for the seat of Fremantle, commencing a campaign to exploit the mercantile community of the town, which had "not yet been properly canvassed", in March 1923. A meeting of the committee in November 1923, presided over by Mrs. F. Instone, recommended that tenders be called for the construction of the monument, after a discussion in which the idea was raised that only a portion of the contract be proceeded with, with the object of "shaming people into contributing towards the fund of having the memorial completed". A further special meeting was held in April 1924, again presided over by Gibson. J. W. Bateman, who had previously resigned from the committee in protest at the poor response of shipping and commercial interests, was present at the meeting by invitation. The decision was made to proceed with the erection of the memorial "as far as the funds collected would permit", despite the "apathy of the citizens in the matter of subscriptions". The committee also moved to approach the architects Allen and Nicholas, who had gratuitously undertaken the role of supervisors in the construction of the monument, to secure estimates for the cost of the memorial. Three estimates were received in September 1924, with the highest for £11,700, and the lowest for £6,450. One of the architects, Mr. Allen, altered some of the specifications of the monument in order to save money, substituting concrete for steel for certain work, and removing a spiral staircase and stone seats at the base of the hill.



An article, accompanied by a sketch of the proposed memorial (pictured right) in The Sunday Times in February 1925, noted the height of the monument would be 85 ft "from top to bottom", comprising a 60-foot tower, and an 18-foot base, giving a total height above sea level of 244 ft. The noted Italian-born sculptor Pietro Porcelli was placed in charge of the construction, having previously designed the Explorers' Monument and a statue of C. Y. O'Connor in Fremantle.