Temple of Peace

Temple of Peace is a heritage-listed memorial in the Toowong Cemetery at the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed and built in 1924 by Richard Paul Carl Ramo in memory of his four sons, three of whom were allegedly killed in World War I. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. History Located close to the main entrance to the cemetery, the Temple of Peace was erected in 1924 by Richard Ramo as a memorial to his four sons, three of whom had died in the First World War (1914–18). They were: Victor – killed at Messines in August 1915 Henry – Died of wounds in Belgium in October 1915 Gordon – killed at Gallipoli in November 1915 (foster son) Ferdinand Christian (Fred) Borell – died on 28 November 1923 in the rear of Richard Ramo's store at 180 Roma Street, Brisbane, as a result of a gunshot wound. Such was Richard Ramo's grief at these losses that he designed and built the temple as the last resting place of Fred's body and the ashes of two of his soldier sons. The body of Ramo's dog, which had been poisoned, also was interred in the memorial. The temple was more than just a personal memorial, it was an expression of revulsion of war, containing many pacifist and anti-war inscriptions. A dedication ceremony was conducted on 6 December 1924 and was attended by several thousand people, many of them socialists, pacifists, and members of the Industrial Workers of the World. A band played "The Red Flag" as a coffin was placed in the memorial.