Katanning Historical Society Museum
Taylor and Arbour Streets
Katanning WA 6317
The Museum at Katanning clusters around a church and a school, both of which are used for exhibition of the Katanning Historical Society's Collection. This collection includes several honour rolls and memorial plaques from schools, local government halls and community halls in Katanning and outlying districts. As in many places around Australia, the local historical society has taken on the responsibility of collecting and preserving important memorials to those who served in the Great War.
The first of the memorials in the historical society's collection are two marble plaques positioned on the veranda of the substantial, single-roomed brick building that was once Katanning State School, now a part of the museum precinct. One of the memorials is dedicated to Sergeant Robert William Wylie Adam, who the plaque records 'Fell at Pozieres in the Great War on 25 July 1916'. The plaque above records the death at sea of Sergeant Adam's father, William Keith Adam, BA, the 'First Resident Magistrate of Katanning'. William Adam died and was buried at sea between Colombo and Fremantle in 1902.
In the main museum display space are several other memorials. One of these is a large honour roll that lists the former pupils from Katanning State School who fought in the war.
Other honour rolls in the Katanning collection include several from schools that have closed. One of these lists the pupils of Marracoonda School, with an inscription that seems to suggest that all of those on the roll 'Died in Action'. The service records for DW Terlich and for BS and LT Quartermaine show that not all of those on the roll were killed. Walter David Terlich (5203), who was a member of the Cyclists Corps, died in the field in France on 24 June 1916. His initials have been reversed on the Marracoonda Honour Roll.
BS Quatermaine is Private Beven Quartemaine (3431), who enlisted in March 1917 and was repatriated after being seriously wounded. At least six men from Katanning named 'Quartermaine' went to France, probably children of a couple of families, and hence not all pupils of Marracoonda. (Two Quartermaines, for example, are included on the Moojebing School honour board.) LT is Louis Theodore (6320), who returned to Australia safely in 1919.
References
- Service Records of Augustus Pegg Farmer MM (4808), NAA: B2455, FARMER A P.
- Service Records of Larry Farmer (621), NAA: B2455, FARMER L.
- Service Records of Lewis Farmer (421), NAA: B2455, FARMER L.
- Service file of Kenneth Farmer (3373), NAA: B2455, FARMER K.
- Monument Australia: Katanning State School Honour Roll. http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/conflict/ww1/display/60679-katanning-state-school-honour-roll
Thanks to the Katanning Historical Society Museum.