President Ken Flack said Wimmera soldiers who died in battle are memorialized at Sawyer Park’s new cenotaph but those who returned were less recognised.

He said apart from a few honour boards many soldiers who risked their life and then returned to life in the Wimmera were buried in unmarked and unrecognised graves.

Mr Flack said the group have identified 401 service personnel’s graves in Horsham Cemetery, 68 of which are unmarked. 

He said these days, and names suggested from the public and verified, would be a part of a proposed monument at the cemetery.

“They’ve come home and died and there’s nothing to say who they were or what they did,” he said.

“These men and women made sacrifices and came back home.

“There are prominent men who were mayors or councillors and there were men who were farmers and worked the land – that’s the Wimmera.

“They’ve come home, maintained their relationship with Horsham and made it what it is today.

“It’s important we recognise that.”

Mr Flack said the memorial would remember the contribution of the men and women who faced war and returned to help shape the region.

“Of these 401 individuals buried in the Cemetery, there are quite a number of decorated soldiers along with some who served in the Boer War as well as World War One and quite a number who went on to serve in World War Two,” he said.

“There are also 3 nurses identified, one of which is buried with her husband who was also a returned soldier.”

He said the group has worked hard to identify as many soldiers and nurses buried in Horsham as possible, but said they needed the public’s help to ensure no one was missed. 

“We might have missed someone,” he said.

“We want people to see the list an let us know, we’ll ensure they served and then their name will go on.”

Mr Flack said burial records and maps from the time were a bit worse for wear making the task of locating every person extremely difficult. 

He said the memorial to those who enlisted and served in World War One comes as a part of the four year centenary commemoration of the war. 

Mr Flack said the group looked into putting identifying markers on the unmarked graves but found permission from a living relative was needed, making the task impossible. 

The names so far:- 

AITKEN Oswald Roy, ALCOCK William Henry, ALDRIDGE Leslie Ernest, ALLAN Leslie Findlay, ANDERSON Oliver Malcolm, ANDERSON Samuel, ANDERSON Thomas, APPLER Fritz Adwin, APPS John Arthur, ARNOTT George Edward, ARNOTT Gilbert Allan, ATKINS William Henry, AVERY Charles Sydney, AVERY John Kenneth, BALE James, BALLINGER Walter James, BARKER Harry, BARNES James, BARNETT William Leslie, BARRETT Robert Maldon, BARTLETT Frank Feare, BAUDINETTE George Allardice, BAULCH George Henry, BEAGENT Harold John, BECKER Harold Joseph, BELL Henry William, BENNETT Arthur George, BENNETTS Albert Edward, BERRY James Robert Wright, BINDER Harold Arthur Lancelot, BLEAKLEY Nixon Hughie, BLEAKLEY Thomas, BLOOMFIELD Francis William, BLYTH Ernest Albert, BOLGER Patrick, BONNELL Francis, BOOKER Charles Edward Mason, BRAUNE Frederick Wilhelm, BRAY Arthur James, BRAY Robert Edward, BRENNAN Alfred William, BRITTEN George Henry Arthur, BRODRIBB Robert Hebden, BROWN Edward John, BROWN Sydney Hall, BROWN William Henry, BUCHANAN Charles, BURTON George Alfred, BUSHBY Charles Ernest, BUSHMAN John Charles (BUSCHMANN), BUTLER Thomas Edward, BYE Herbert James, BYRNE Clarence John, CALDER Robert, CALLABY Thomas, CAMPBELL Neil Lamont, CARINE Henry Daniel, CARINE John William, CARMICHAEL Duncan McPherson, CARMICHAEL Malcolm, CARR Matthew William, CARTER Alexander Lambruk, CARTER Thomas Leslie, CASTLES Roy Maxwell, CAURAH Arthur Leslie, CHANDLER James Victor, CHAPLIN Alexander Ephraim, CHARLES Robert Edward, CHEQUER Ralph, CHRISP Noble, CLARK Clement Victor, CLARK Horace Reginald, COCHRANE Gerald Walter, COCKROFT Charles Henry, COLLINS John George, COLLINS Leslie Heathcote, COLLINS Walter, CONABERE William John, CONROY Francis Martin, COULTON Patrick, COUSTLEY Aaron, COUTTS Leo William, COX David Aubrey Herbert, CRAFTER Frank Stanley Harrison, CRANAGE Leslie William, CREEK Herbert, CROSTHWAITE Isaac Stanley, CROUCH William John, CULLIVER Edward Charles, CUNNINGTON Walter Sydney, CURRAN Gerald Patrick, DALEY Thomas Joseph, DALTON John Chester, DAVIS Charles Henry, DAWSON Victor Edward, DE AMYAND Harold John, DELANEY Gerald Ignatius, DENHOLM William Percival, DEVLIN David, DEVLIN Robert, DONOVAN James Francis, DORE Leonard Victor, DOWER Eric Royston, DRUMMOND John Alexander, DUNCAN Robert Travers, DUNN William Patrick, EAGLE Clifford Alexander, EAGLE Percy Alexander, EASSON James Hislop, EDMONDSON William John, ELLIOTT Albert Gordon, ELLIOTT William George, ELTZE Conrad Frederick, EXELL Henry, EXELL William, FARR Frederick Gordon, FAUX George, FISCHER George Frederick, FISCHER Gustav Herman, FISHER Nathaniel Edmond, FITZGERALD William, FORBES Veevers, FRANCE Samuel Ernest, FRANCIS Albert Edward, FRASER John William, FREEMAN Daniel Calder, FREEMAN Frederick Leslie Gordon, FREEMAN Horace McKinley, FREEMAN Robert Claude Stanley, FREEMAN Thomas, FREWIN Frederick Leslie, GATES Clarence Bruce Taylor, GEYER Melvell, GILLIES Harry, GLENISTER Percy James, GODDARD George Eric, GODDARD James Thomas, GODFREY George William, GRAHAM Henry, GREEN Thomas Henry, GRIMBLE Charles Frederick, HALL Robert Henry, HAMILTON Henry Arthur, HAMILTON Robert Stanley, HAMMOND Edgar John, HANDBY John Edmund, HANN Alfred Charles, HARDERS Norman Leslie, HARDINGHAM Archibald Fleming, HARDINGHAM James Dennis, HARRISON Henry Joseph, HARTIGAN John Valentine, HARVEY Leo Francis, HATFIELD Gilbert Allen, HAWKINS Thomas Leslie, HAYMAN Charles, HEALEY Maurice, HEARD John Thomas Bromell, HEARD Thomas Arscott, HENNESSY Thomas Basil, HENSTRIDGE Charles Henry Howard, HESLOP Alexander, HILL William George, HIRST Alfred William, HOLMES Robert Francis, HOLMES Walter Henry, HOMER Thomas, HOOD Walter Cossar, HOSKIN John Polkinghorne, HUGHES Charles Joseph, HUNTER William Birchell, HUTCHINSON George Cecil Harold, HUTCHINSON Leonard Roy, HUTCHINSON Robert, HUTCHINSON Sydney, INGLETON William John, JAKOBI Ernest Karl, JEFFRIES Charles Albert, JENKIN Janet (nee Ross), JENKIN Richard Arthur, JOHNSON Raymond Francis Lyell, JONES Cyril Herbert Beaumont, JULIAN Percy Walter, KEENAN Terrence John, KEIG Robert Leslie, KELL James Campbell, KELLICK John, KIDGELL Percival John, KIEFEL John Amil, KIRSOPP Gilbert Ronald, KLAUSS Charles Henry, KLAUSS Frederick James, KUBE Walter Benjamin Gordon, LACEY Thomas, LADLOW Albert, LAMPARD James, LANE Charles Edgar, LANE Charles Henry William, LANE Charles Russell, LANE George Arthur, LANE Walter George, LANGLANDS John, LAWES Arthur Ernest, Le PLASTRIER Horace Howell, LEWIS Arthur Lewis John, LEWIS Percival David, LOCK Leslie Edwin, LOWE James Thomas Gordon, LUCAS Francis Norman, LUCAS Gordon, LYONS Stephen Patrick, MacINNES Malcolm Alexander, MACKLEY William John, MADIGAN John Joseph, MAKEPEACE Reuben Barry, MANNING Thomas Walter James, MARTIN Albert, MARTIN Arthur Reginald, MARTINEZ Leslie Andrew Hunter, MAY William Michael, McBAIN Daniel, McCANN Peter John, McCARLIE John Robert, McCLOUNAN David Moncur, McCLURE Robert Glasgow, McDONALD Andrew, McDONALD James Alexander, McGINNISKIN Alfred Charles, McGREGOR Joshua Judson, McGREGOR Walter Ernest, McGRICE John, McINNES Samuel Stephen, McINTOSH John Rupert, McINTYRE Farquhar, McKENZIE Angus, McKENZIE Leslie Harold, McLENNAN James Killeen, McRAE Allan John, McRAE Catherine Evelyn, McRAE John Thomas, McRAE Leslie Donald, McTAVISH Donald, McTAVISH Harold Dimingoes, MEWBURN William James, MILLER Henry, MILNE Frederick Thomas, MITCHELL William Matthew, MONSSEN Victor, MORGAN Leopold Francis, MORSON William John Hart, MOTT James Alfred, MOUNSEY Fisher, MULLER Ernest Alfred, MULLIGAN Albert Henry, MURPHY William Henry, NEIGHBOUR Roy Joseph, NEIL Robert, NELSON Gustav Frederick, O’CONNOR William Lawrence, O’FLYNN Arthur John, OGIER Edgar Powell, OSMOND Percy Samuel, O’SULLIVAN John Joseph, OVERALL Harry, PAGE John, PARISH William George, PARISH William James, PAULINE William Thomas Gordon, PEACOCK John William, PEARCE Stanley Edgar, PEARSON Lindsay Gordon, PERKINS William Herbert, PERRING George Cornelius, PERRY Bertram Harold, PETERSON Thomas, PIANTA James Peter, PLUNKETT Charles Henry, PLUSH Alfred Harold Gordon, PLUSH Henry William Charles, POTTER Edith (nee Carter), POTTER James Henry, POWER William, PRIESTLY Joseph Hinchcliffe, PRITCHARD Arthur, PURCELL William Henry, PURVIS William, RAND Reuben William, RANDALL Harold John, REEVE Ernest Samuel, RILEY William Bates, RISSMANN Albert, RISSMANN Edward, RISSMANN Otto Victor, ROBB Arthur John, ROBERTS James John, ROBERTS Richard Bassett, ROBERTS William Lawrence, ROBERTSON Loudan Thomas, ROBINSON Wilfred, RODAN James William, ROE Herbert Arthur, ROSS William George, ROUND Harold, ROWSELL Charles Walter, RUSHBROOK William Bygrove, RYAN James Thomas, RYAN Michael Francis, SACK Charles, SANDERS Allan Ira Eldred, SANDERS Harold Edgar William, SANDERSON Charles William, SANDERSON John Thomas, SAUNDERS George Albert, SAUNDERS John William, SAUNDERS William Henry, SAWYER Frank (aka WILLIAMS), SAWYER Robert Miller, SCHMIDT Francis Henry, SCHUMANN John David, SCHWARTZ Louis Oscar, SEMMLER William John, SHANAUGHAN Gratton Henry, SHARRY Thomas Michael, SHELLY Luke John, SIMPSON George Graham, SLEEP Ernest Joseph, SMITH Edgar Allan, SMITH Ernest Joshua, SMITH Frank Edward, SMITH Harold, SMITH John Powell, SMITH Robert Henry Berbridge, SMITH Sydney Francis, SMITH Sydney Linton, SMITH Thomas, SMITH William George, SPACEY Joseph William, STARICK Charles George Martin, STEWART James Thomson, STONE William John, SURMAN James William, SUTHERLAND Alexander James, SUTHERLAND Arthur Ewing, TAYLOR Charles Henry, TAYLOR Frederick Harold, TAYLOR Joseph, TEAGUE Halcot Sussex, THOMAS John Charles, THOMAS John William, THOMSON William, THORNLEY Wilfred John, TIMMINS Robert John, TINKER Ernest Stephen, TOWLER Fred, TROUNCE John Humphrey, TRUMP Donald Leslie (aka LEPPARD), TURNBULL Joseph Charles, TURNBULL Thomas Stephen, VARLEY Alfred Alexander, VARLEY Ernest Arthur, VOIGT Frederick Johann, VOIGT Johann Edward, WALDON Charles, WALKER Hector Norman, WALLIS Percy Victor, WARD Charles James, WARD Percival Thomas, WATSON Cecil Charles, WATSON John Percival Francis, WAY Osborne Cyril, WAYCOTT George Percy, WEIGHT William Henry, WHITE Albert Edward, WHITE Matthew Thomas, WHITESIDE Robert Charles, WHITFIELD Felix Teesdale, WHITMORE William Alfred Joseph, WHYATT Henry Francis Stewart, WICKS Albert Henry, WIGG Walter Warren, WILKINSON Leo Easton, WILKS Frank Gordon, WILLIAMS Arthur James, WILLIAMS James, WILLIAMS Leslie, WILLIAMSON Albert, WILLS Lyall Ernest Edward, WILSON Andrew, WILSON John William, WILSON Leslie Norman, WILSON Peter Gordon, WILSON Stanley, WILSON William James Arthur, WINDERLICH Frederick Adolph, WINDERLICH Gustav Albert, WINFIELD James Blackaby, WOOD William Oliver, WRIGHT Norman Henry, YEATES Ambrose, YOUNG Wilson Alexander