Honour Board : Employees of Wunderlich Ltd

Three panel honour board. The taller central panel features a cast aluminium design combining the crests of all three arms of the services, under which are the words, 'IN HONOUR OF / THE EMPLOYEES OF / WUNDERLICH LIMITED / WHO SERVED IN THE / WORLD WAR 1939 - 45', set in a background of blue enamel. There are 554 names in total. The left panel is entitled 'NEW SOUTH WALES' with a list of 288 names, nine of which are marked with a cross, denoting killed. 'VICTORIA' occupies the lower part of the central panel, with 70 names and no deaths. Underneath this panel is the key to the cross, viz: '+ Made the supreme sacrifice'. 'SOUTH AUSTRALIA' (92 names, six deaths), 'QUEENSLAND' (99 names, three deaths) and 'TASMANIA' (five names, no deaths) occupy the right panel. All the panels are rivetted together and to a supporting frame; the name panels are bordered in brass; the State names and the 'Made the supreme sacrifice' legend are in polished aluminium.

This honour roll was created and cast by Wunderlich Ltd, in Sydney, and mounted in their Smithfield window frame factory at 312 Woodpark Road. Wunderlich's catalogue from the late 1940s offerered various honour roll styles (cast or stamped bronze, oxidised finish) so it was logical for the company to create their own Honour Board for those of their employees who had enlisted for service in the Second World War. Those marked as killed are: (NSW) Cormack, IC; Gomes, LC; Johnston, WG; Laing, JC; Lopez, JA; Romey, N; Smith, L; Tolhurst, HJ and Tracey, JM; (South Australia) Brown, AW; Lee, SF; McIntosh, JA; Parker, KA and Stevenson, NL; (Queensland) Briggs, AH; Dittman, GW and Parkinson, J. While no deaths are recorded for Victorian ex-employees, the name 'Wunderlich, R' listed for this state is of note. This is Robert Wunderlich, grandson of the company's founder, Ernest. There also appear to be a number of related names among the lists (eg D and L McLennon; L and N Tortice from Victoria; BJ and EC Challans; D and TA Thalbourne from South Australia and C and R Mole; AT and PV Kyte from Queensland), lending credence to Wunderlich's claim that it was a family based firm which nurtured its employees. During the Second World War Wunderlich temporarily ceased production of metal ceilings and building materials and concentrated on military contracts. Their installation of titling furnaces and expansion into aluminium during the late 1930s prepared them for this work. American as well as Australian contracts were undertaken and included aluminium alloy components for Mosquito aircraft, engine cowlings for Wirraway aircraft, powder and magazine cases, ammunition boxes and metal funeral caskets for the Americans.