Citizens' War Memorial

Citizens' War Memorial
New Zealand
Citizens' War Memorial in Christchurch's Cathedral Square
For New Zealand dead of World War I
Unveiled	9 June 1937
Location	43°31′50″S 172°38′13″E / 43.5306°S 172.6369°E / -43.5306; 172.6369Coordinates: 43°31′50″S 172°38′13″E / 43.5306°S 172.6369°E / -43.5306; 172.6369
Designed by	William Trethewey (stonemason) George Hart (architect)
In grateful remembrance of the sons and daughters of Canterbury who fell in the Great War 1914–1918 Give peace in our time o Lord.

The Citizens' War Memorial (alternate: Soldiers' War Memorial) in Cathedral Square, Christchurch, is one of the two major memorials in the city to World War I. It is located immediately north of ChristChurch Cathedral. The annual Anzac Day service is held there. It is a Category I heritage structure registered with Heritage New Zealand.

The Citizens' War Memorial is located in Cathedral Square in Christchurch immediately north of ChristChurch Cathedral. The land on which it is built is owned by the Anglican Church. The heritage tram passes the memorial on the road that goes behind and around the Cathedral.

George Gould (1865–1941) was a successful businessman, farmer and stock breeder. He was a director of The Press from 1903 until his death with one brief interruption. He chaired the board through the years of the Christchurch newspaper war in 1934–1935. His company, Pyne Gould Corporation Limited, is these days listed on the New Zealand Stock Market.

After World War I, many ideas for a war memorial were put forward. Gould proposed a column opposite of ChristChurch Cathedral and by 1920, this was one of the three dominant proposals. The Bridge of Remembrance was adopted, while the hall of memories idea disappeared due to lack of support. Gould's idea received the support of the Canterbury Anglican elite. While the Bridge of Remembrance was unveiled in 1924, the Christchurch City Council opposed the Cathedral Square proposal and stopped it from going ahead. The argument was that the Cathedral would dwarf the memorial, and that the bustling nature of the Square was an inappropriate setting for a place of reflection. In 1933, the Godley Statue was relocated from its position just north of the Cathedral to its original location opposite it. Gould seized the opportunity and proposed the vacated site for the memorial, and the Anglican Church as the owner of the land agreed under the condition that a cross be incorporated into the design. Gould promoted the memorial as "an emblem of peace rather than ... war". While the original intention was to import statuary from England, the manufacturers' association wanted the work to be done locally and put Trethewey's name forward, but the Returned Services' Association opposed this as he had not gone to war.