Five hundred University of Otago students and 17 staff members served in the First World War, 97 of whom did not return. Their names are listed on the University of Otago roll of honour, a framed memorial plaque unveiled at the university by the Reverend Hector Maclean on 11 August 1923. This was at first located in the vestibule of the Student Union building but was later moved to the Clocktower Building’s main staircase.
In 1924 the University Council also agreed to the construction of a memorial walk. A grass walk was laid along Leith Street, from Union to St David Streets, and a row of European beech trees was planted. The memorial walk was dedicated on Anzac Day 1928, when a commemorative tablet was unveiled at the north-east corner of the Union Street Bridge. The inscription reads: THIS MEMORIAL WALK IS / DEDICATED TO THOSE MEMBERS / OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO / WHO SERVED IN THE GREAT WAR / 1914 - 1918
See: [untitled item], Evening Star, 13/8/1923, p. 6; 'News of the day', Auckland Star, 26/4/1928, p. 6; 'University at war', University of Otago Magazine, no. 38 [n.d.]
Images: Bruce Ringer, 2014; Gina Clouston-Cairn, University of Otago, 2021
Text: Bruce Ringer, 2021