As the world gears up to mark the centenary of the war to end all wars, The Great War (1914-18), research at Talana Museum has revealed the extent of local involvement in the war.
The magnificent cenotaph, which stands in front of the Civic Centre, was officially opened with great fanfare on August 25, 1923.
The official opening was conducted by Brigadier General Sir Duncan McKenzie, and was clearly one of the biggest events to take place in Dundee at that time. There are 52 names listed on the memorial of men from our district who died in World War I, but it only lists deaths.

392 men and one woman went to war 
“Our research currently shows a total of 392 men and one woman went to war from the Dundee district. This was from a population (1912 statistics) of 3 447 Europeans in the Dundee district,” said Pam McFadden of Talana Museum.
Funds were raised by public subscription, with grants from the mines and the municipality to erect the memorial, known as the ‘Dundee, Mines and District War Memorial’.

See the full story in the new Great War Exhibit, which will open at Talana Museum on August 4 – 100 hundred years to the day that the war started.
If you have a family member who went off to the war, and have a story to tell about him, then please contact the museum. We want to put a face and story to each of the 393 people, so they are not just names but people.
If you want to check if you had a member of family who went to war from the Dundee area, phone the museum on 034 212 2654, or e-mail info@talana.co.za, and we will provide information whether or not he went to war, and whether he survived or not.