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Statue stands in tribute to the fallen

Bare-headed, with an open shirt and a bayoneted rifle, the digger at Boulder's war memorial stands as a symbol for the Goldfields' fallen. Picture: Paul Simpson

Bare-headed, with an open shirt and holding a bayoneted rifle, the digger at Boulder's war memorial stands as a symbol for the Goldfields' fallen.

The story behind the statue is as poignant and touching as any from World War I.

It was paid for by Dave Donaldson, the owner of the Boulder City Hotel on Piesse Street.

The hotel is no longer there, but the statue will forever look with a steely gaze at where it used to stand.

Mr Donaldson asked the statue be made hatless and with a partly unbuttoned shirt.

When plans were first discussed for the monument in 1916, initial plans were for it to be a soldier in full kit.

However, a change was requested by Mr Donaldson two years later.

The reason was because his son, also named David, was killed on May 9, 1918, at the age of 18, near Ypres in northern France.

When his comrades came to his aid, he was found without a helmet and the top buttons undone on his shirt.

He was buried hastily the next day on what was a moving battlefront.

The record of his death sent on to the Australian Government by his company commander stated: "Pte Donaldson was killed instantaneously by a bullet through the heart during a night operation in the vicinity of Moolenacker on May 9, 1918.

"He was buried near C Company headquarters, but as no map of that sector is available at present, the map location of his grave cannot be given."

When the war was over and the grim task of consolidating all the Anzac fallen began, David's grave could not be identified.

His name is listed on the Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France.

The Kalgoorlie Miner reported the following:

"Word was conveyed on Saturday, to Mr and Mrs D Donaldson of Boulder of the death of their son Pte Dave Donaldson, aged 18 years and five months.

"The young soldier enlisted in July, l916, as part of the 11th Battalion reinforcements.

"He celebrated his 17th birthday on the voyage to England. David was a former pupil of the Boulder Central School and a member of the Senior Cadets.

"After leaving school, he was employed at the Boulder electric light station for some years."

In March, 1919, David Sr and his wife sailed to England.

Their declared reason was for a holiday, however they also told friends they would try to go to France.

It was left unsaid, but likely thought by all, they wished to see where their son had died.

Sixteen months later on July 27, 1920, the impressive Loopline memorial was unveiled.

At its base are the words: Their bodies are buried in peace, but their names liveth for evermore.

The sculptor who made the monument, Italian maestro Pietro Porcelli, began work on the Kalgoorlie memorial soon afterwards.

The model for both statues was Pte, later Major, Bill Hackfath, the army's crack shot in WWI.