Statue to honour local war hero

Otago Daily Times

31-05-2025

An Oamaru war hero killed at the Battle of the Somme may finally take pride and place in his hometown.
The New Zealand Remembrance Army (NZRA) plan to honour Victoria Cross recipient, Sergeant Donald Forrester Brown with a life-size bronze statue.
Sgt Brown was the first VC recipient for heroism on the Western Front, and the only man from North Otago to be honoured out of 23 New Zealand VC medal winners.
New Zealand Remembrance Army member Barry Gamble, who initiated the project, said the plan to build a statute of Sgt Brown was to pay tribute to a local and national hero.
"It's all about recognition, honouring this man, who is a true blue Kiwi farmer, who spent most of his short life working the land and then bravely fought for his country."
On the opening day of New Zealand's Somme campaign in France, on September 15, 1916, Brown charged and captured key enemy machine-gun positions, helping New Zealand forces to push through German lines.
During another attack two weeks later, on the Somme front, Brown told his men to take cover and took two trenches on by himself, chasing the enemy down before he was killed by machine-gun fire at the age of 26, Mr Gamble said.
The 1916 Somme offensive was one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the First World War (1914-18).
The posthumous VC award for gallantry was presented to his father, Robert Brown in Oamaru by the Governor-General, Lord Liverpool in 1917.
Mr Gamble said the statue would provide educational, cultural and commemorative value to the Oamaru community and visitors and preserve Sgt Brown's legacy for generations to come.
"All the other towns have honoured their Victoria Cross winners with statues and paintings, why not Oamaru ... it's something that we can be really proud of."
A former student of Waitaki Boys' High School and a Totara farmer, Sgt Brown was born in 1890 in Dunedin and moved to Oamaru with his family in the mid 1890s, where his father set up a successful drapery business and department store which was eventually named the Polytechnic.
Making early sacrifices to enlist with the army, Brown sold his farm on Waiareka Rd in Totara, and gave away his dog, and his horse "and away he went", Mr Gamble said.
Your Loving Son, Don, a book of letters he wrote home to his father from the war, was published in 1998 by Sgt Brown's niece Eunice P. Brown.
In April, 1916 while stationed in Egypt he wrote about the comfort of his fellow soldiers from the Otago Infantry Regiment in the 10th North Otago Company and their plan to return home.
"Its just great the number of Oamaru boys one finds here, and one and all are certain, old Oamaru is quite good enough for us in future."
Mr Gamble said despite a photo of Sgt Brown in the Waitaki District Council chambers and his name on the honours board at Waitaki Boys' High School he had "largely been forgotten by Oamaru".
"It's quite sad because we've got a proud heritage of buildings, and we've got some of the best memorial statues in the country, like the Hall of Memories."
Mr Gamble has driven many projects to honour soldiers, including helping to restore the graves of former military personnel in the Waitaki district. He is also the Oamaru RSA local support adviser.
The costing for the monument would be about $160,000, he said.
Bob Brown, of Rakaia, the great-nephew of the war hero, was thrilled to be involved and donated $10,000 towards the project, Mr Gamble said.
"They were really, really stoked that someone was wanting to do this and they're right behind me."
Former New Zealand Army artist Matt Gauldie will be commissioned to create the statue.
Gauldie produced a miniature paying close attention to details, at $2000 for the purposes of fundraising.
"He's very clever ... a lot of work has gone into this to make sure that he's got all the right war equipment on," Mr Gamble said.
NZRA put $1500 towards the concept plan and the Waitaki District Council are in support of the project, he said.
Mr Gamble said they estimated the project would take a year and a half to complete and he will be seeking donations from the public and organisations.
A final site for the public statue is yet to be determined.
The Victoria Cross is the highest award in the British decorations system and is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British and Commonwealth armed services.