The War Memorial in Springs

The derelict war memorial in Springs

When I originally visited Palmietkuil in 2007 I saw that there was a war memorial in Springs on my streetfinder. When I finally got to Springs I could not find it, but then I was expecting something like a plaque or small plinth. However, there was one odd structure that I took a few photographs of that I was not too sure about. That was on an traffic island on the intersection of Boksburg Street and 1st East Ave, almost on the edge of the town, and that structure was a mess. I finally was able to confirm that this is the "War Memorial", although it's totally unrecognisable as being anything like a memorial. I believe that underneath the dome there was a tripod of rifles, the interior of the dome having "Their Name Liveth Forevermore" inscribed on it. Concrete panels lined the pathway to the dome, and on these were the lists of names of the fallen. A fountain burbled in the background and Remembrance Day Parades were regularly held there. That was in the past.
Today, only the basic structure remains. The rifles are long gone, the names are long gone, the fountain hasn't burbled in years and the promise inside the dome can be vaguely read as dim outlines on the walls. Homeless peope have made this their new home and litter abounds. In between Nov 2007 and Dec 2011 apart from gardening nothing has changed or been improved. Its too late for the memorial, but I would have thought the town council would have at least done something with this derelict structure. Sadly, this memorial is now extinct.



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