All Saints Church Memorial Windows, Matamata

All Saints Church Memorial Windows, Matamata

Memorial window Memorial window Memorial window Memorial window Memorial window Memorial window

The present All Saints Anglican Church building in Hohoia Street, Matamata, was dedicated in February 1962. It incorporated a five-light stained glass window in the Lady Chapel as a memorial to parishioners who died in the two world wars. Made by W.A. Raffills & Sons Ltd. of Dunedin, the window includes portraits of a soldier, a sailor and an airman along with a range of related symbols. The three central panels were presented to the church by the parents of Ronald and Peter Bell, who had been killed in action during the Second World War; the two flanking panels were presented by the parish Ladies Guild. 

Another stained glass window, designed by the Māori artist Fred Graham, was installed in the nave on 12 February 1984. This honoured John Tregonwell Davison (1914-1981), who had served in in the RAF during the Battle of Britain. The window included the figure of the 19th century Māori statesman, Wiremu Tamihana, sometimes known as ‘the peacemaker’.

Sources: Historic Matamata, comp. S. Duxfield et al., Matamata, 1983, p. 33; Rhys Lewis and Joan Stanley, All Saints Anglican Church, Matamata: A Centennial History, Matamata, 2008, pp. 26-7, 56, 77-8. 

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