Bronze plaque from the base of wooden memorial cross Pozieres : 1 Division, AIF

Bronze plaque with raised edge and raised lettering 'IN MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS, NCOs, & MEN OF THE 1ST AUSTRALIAN DIVISION WHO FELL IN THE TAKING OF POZIERES July 1916'. Plaque has an irregular shield like shape with straight upper and lower edges, angular upper sides and curved lower sides. There appears to be shrapnel damage on the left side at the junction of the upper angle and lower curve.

This plaque was attached to the base of the large memorial cross erected to commemorate the men of the 1st Division who died at Pozieres in 1916. The cross was unveiled on 8 July 1917. It was located in the Pozieres British Cemetery near the centre of the ruins of the village of Pozieres itself. In 1932 the cross and its plaque was shipped to Australia to become part of the Australian War Memorial's collection. The cross was in the form of a white Celtic cross, 15 feet high and four and a half feet wide. It was inscribed '1ST AUSTRALIAN DIVISION AIF'. The plaque attached to it bore the inscription 'IN MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS, NCOs, & MEN OF THE 1ST AUSTRALIAN DIVISION WHO FELL IN THE TAKING OF POZIERES July 1916'. By the time the cross arrived in Australia the wood was in a very fragile condition, with pieces missing and full of dry rot. It eventually disintegrated but the bronze plaque remained in good condition, apart from what appears to be shrapnel damage on the left side, and was retained for the collection.