5th Australian Division Memorial

The 5th Australian Division Memorial stands as a solemn tribute to the officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the 5th Australian Division who served in France and Belgium during World War I. The division was formed in February 1916 and served on the Western Front until the end of the war in November 1918.The memorial is located on the Butte at Polygon Wood, a pre-1914 firing range south of Zonnebeke. Polygon Wood was the site of fierce battles, changing hands multiple times throughout the war. On September 26, 1917, the 5th Australian Division captured the Butte at Polygon Wood, turning an Allied defeat into a major victory. The memorial was unveiled by the Prince of Wales on May 10, 1932, although records suggest the obelisk was already in place by 1921, potentially making it the first memorial in Zonnebeke.The memorial itself is a stone obelisk. The dedicatory plaque on the front lists seventeen battle locations in France and Belgium. Beneath the memorial lies the Buttes New British Cemetery, containing 2,108 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War.