Memorials to First World War diggers in Victoria have become something of an obsession for Clayton Tremlett.

The Castlemaine-based artist specializing in art conservation has spent the last six years traveling across Victoria, documenting the craftsmanship and condition of more than 60 memorials erected to honor fallen servicemen and women in each district.

“Many memorials, in the 100 years since their dedication, have suffered what appear to be war wounds, in the sense that they have a chipped nose or missing ears, or a crack somewhere on the face” , said Mr. Tremlett. ABC of Victorian Mornings Statewide.

The artist’s initial interest in these memorials began during trips “taking his son to play football in remote locations across the state”, and quickly developed into a contemporary art project making the subject of in-depth research.

This involved taking photos, usually at dawn, often on a very high scale or via drone, to capture the human faces depicted in marble or stone.

“So I try to get the best light and soft light.”

After taking about 80 photos of each memorial, he then chose the best image and used a process, including Photoshop, to produce screen-printed portraits on paper.

The resulting exhibition, Immortals, is currently on display at the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance.

Highlight regional war memorials

The centerpiece, with the 66 screen-printed portraits, is a disused memorial that once stood in the small community of Korong Vale, 230 kilometers northwest of Melbourne.

He is on loan from Wedderburn and Korong Vale RSL.

Wedderburn and Korong Vale RSL president Roger Paterson said the decommissioned statue spent several years with a Castlemaine stonemason after using it as a reference for the replacement statue installed in 2017.

The original Korong Vale memorial was moved from the Main Street T-intersection to nearby Borella Park after it was struck by a vehicle, causing it to break at the legs.

“Around 2011 it was noticed that the statue had been damaged again, and it is not known whether it was deliberate or not, but the hands and the rifle were missing,” Mr Paterson said.

Nicknamed “Jack” when the Immortals exhibition was on display at the Bendigo Military Museum last year, Mr Paterson said the RSL was happy to see him included in the exhibition.

“We certainly don’t claim ownership; we’re just custodians of it,” he said.

“But he wasn’t going back to the stonemason.”

The art and craft of commemorating the dead

The exhibition also highlights the work of sculptor August Reitman, a pacifist of Swiss-German origin, who contributed significantly to the image of the quintessential Australian digger.

Mr. Tremlett said he attributes at least 15 monuments to Reitman, who carved the ears in a particular way and added a small patch with an “A” on his work.

While the majority of memorials are marble imported from Italy and made by Italian artisans, Mr Tremlett said his favorite was one that stood atop an Australian sandstone arch at Murtoa, 25 minutes from road north-east of Horsham.

“Many memorials have seen rifles broken – some because of protests and others because of footballs being kicked on the high street,” Mr Tremlett said.

“(This one) had a fiberglass replacement rifle, painted khaki green, and it’s been painted so many times that it has a whole new life, a whole new character.”

Mr Tremlett said the memorials were still extremely important to regional communities who were forever changed by this war.

“The Nhill memorial has around 300 names…none of these soldiers and nurses returned, during or after the First World War.”

Before the First World War, the population of this town in western Victoria was around 900.

“A small community like Mitiamo has basically nothing there now, or Ultima, it’s just a crossroads today, but they used to be thriving wheatbelt towns, so that change over time inspired me to do further research,” Mr. Tremlett said.

Immortals is on display at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne until April 13, 2025.

“Immortals provides a window into our nation’s history through the lens of regional memorials,” said Dean Lee, executive director of the Shrine of Remembrance.