to heroism of Anzac troops

hospitals, with Colwell House in School Street, Weymouth serving as one such treatment centre during the war.

The first troops to be accommodated there arrived on May 31, 1915, following action at the famous Gallipoli engagement.

Over the next three years, an unbelievable number of Anzac troops would pass through these establishments – some 90,000 between 1915 and the end of the Great War, with some remaining until 1919.

Whilst in Dorset many troops formed friendly relationships with the local populace, with several local girls later marrying

Antipodean troops and emigrating to Austrailia. Sadly, some of those

Anzac troops would never leave the county, with some 72 servicemen now laid to rest at Melcombe Regis cemetery. The construction of Weymouth’s Anzac memorial was publicly funded, with cash raised by the Weymouth and Portland Residents’ Association. The monolith’s design and execution was the work of master stonemason John Sellman CF (Churchill Funding) – a post-war apprenticeship scheme promoted by Winston Churchill to help rebuild the country. n This year’s Anzac Day service will take place at the seafront memorial at 11am on Tuesday, April 25 and all are welcome to come and pay their respects.