In 1945 the people of Te Rore decided to establish a Second World War memorial on a triangular plot of land between the local hall and the school. Trees were planted there in honour of local men who had given their lives and eight rose beds were established radiating from a centrally placed memorial flagpole.
The Te Rore War Memorial Rose Garden was opened in July 1946, although it is unclear whether the full development of the site had been completed by then (the ornamental fence and a cast iron entrance gate may have been added at a later date).
The trees have since grown to overshadow the memorial but the rose garden has long gone. The area is usually referred to today as the Memorial Triangle. The flagpole plinth is inscribed as DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF / THOSE WHO FELL IN WORLD WAR II. A chrome plaque (either a replacement or a later addition) lists their names and ranks: Sergeant L.R. Baxter, Pilot Officer, R.D. Ferguson, Private H. Grant, Signaller S.G. Lorimer, Private M. O’Conner, Private R. Scott, Private K.S. Siflett and Sergeant W.N. Ward.
The nearby community hall dates from 1934. It houses three rolls of honour. One is a brass tablet listing the seventeen names of the OLD BOYS OF TE RORE SCHOOL & DISTRICT / WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES / FOR / GOD AND EMPIRE / IN THE / GREAT WAR / 1914-18. The others are wooden tablets listing other old boys of the school who also served in the First World War (27 names) and both the eight men honoured on the flagstaff and 30 others from the district who also served in the Second World War. The school closed down in 1986.
See: J.D. Smith, Te Rore School 90th Anniversary: History of the District, Te Rore, 1970, pp. 122, 137-8; Te Rore School: 90th Anniversary, 9th May 1970, comp. O Verhoef et al., 1970, pp. 13-15; Te Rore School: Centennial Celebrations, 1880-1980, 1980, pp. 22-3.
Community contributions