Stained-glass windows act as important commemorative objects. They are often used in religious and memorial contexts. Memorial windows show images of duty, remembrance and sacrifice. In Australia, one of the best-known examples is the set of windows in the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial.
Historical use
Stained-glass windows have a long history in religious settings. Places of worship around the world have such windows. They show religious people and symbols and share meaningful stories. The images in the windows present these stories in a way that is easy to understand. Other buildings, such as town halls and libraries, sometimes feature stained-glass windows.
In Europe, stained glass has commemorated war service for centuries. In the 19th century, everyday people had their names inscribed on the windows for the first time. This type of memorial window was first seen in Australia during the South African (Second Boer) War of 1899 to 1902.
In Australia, sailors, soldiers, airmen and nurses often replace images of saints. Some windows show commemorative symbols, such as crosses, war medals and poppies.
Australians continue to use stained-glass windows as objects of commemoration. This film, Let the Light Shine: Memorials in glass for military service from the Boer War to Afghanistan, was funded through our Saluting Their Service commemorative grants program.
Hall of Memory in Canberra
The Australian War Memorial in Canberra has a well-known set of stained-glass windows. They’re installed on 3 sides of the Hall of Memory. Completed in 1958, the hall opened to the public in 1959.
Australian artist, Napier Waller CMG OBE, designed the hall's mosaics and windows. Waller had a personal connection to the armed services. He served in the Australian Imperial Force during World War II. Waller lost his right arm at Bullecourt in 1917, while serving on the Western Front.
In the style of medieval tomb effigies, each of the 15 tall panels represent the qualities displayed by Australians in wartime:
- south window – resource, candour, devotion, curiosity and independence
- west window – comradeship, ancestry, patriotism, chivalry and loyalty
- east window – coolness, control, audacity, endurance and decision, to convey enterprise and youth.
Our education books in the Century of Service series explore the qualities portrayed in the Hall of Memory.
Early memorial windows
In 1903, one of Australia’s first commemorative stained-glass windows was installed in St Paul’s Church in Euroa, Victoria. It commemorated South African War veteran, Private John Charlton of Castle Creek. The window featured the helmet of St Paul superimposed over a sword of sacrifice and a shield.
Replaced in the 1920s by another with a ‘more figurative design’, the original Charlton window was stored in the church for 60 years. Finally, it was gifted to the Euroa Historical and Genealogical Society in 2012. The John Charlton Memorial Committee finished restoring the window in 2016 and donated it to Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance.
First Nations window
The town of Raukkan near Meningie in South Australia has a unique connection to commemorative stained glass.
The church at Point McLeay Mission Station (renamed Raukkan in 1982) appears on Australia's $50 note. It also held the first window in Australia to be commissioned by First Nations Australians.
The Raukkan church window honoured the World War I service of the district’s First Nations veterans. The local community raised money to install the window in 1925. The original window was replaced in the 1980s. Then in the mid-2000s, glaziers reconstructed the original window using a very old black and white photograph as a guide.
War in Afghanistan window
The Mother’s Window is a modern example in St Augustine’s Anglican Church in Hamilton, Queensland.
The church was dedicated in 1920, after World War I, as a ‘thanks-offering for victory’ and ‘in memory of the men, mainly army, who perished’. The windows of the bell tower at St Augustine’s are dedicated to the men and women of Australia's armed forces.
The newest of these memorial windows commemorates Corporal Cameron Baird VC.
Baird was killed in action in 2013 during the War in Afghanistan. Baird's parents accepted the Victoria Cross (VC) on his behalf in 2014. Unveiled in 2015, the Mother’s Window shows the hand of then Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce placing the medal in Mrs Baird's hand.
Other interesting examples
You can find stained-glass windows relating to the armed services around Australia.
A curious example is the St John's battlefield window in St John the Baptist Church in Canberra. The window is made of glass fragments brought home from the Somme.
Another is the stained-glass triptych (a scene across 3 panels) at St John’s Anglican Church in Forbes, New South Wales. It’s dedicated to World War I veteran Padre Arthur Ernest White, often called the ‘originator of the Dawn service’.
Australian War Memorial’s Places of Pride website lists over 200 stained-glass windows in Australia.
Glossary
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