Honour boards and rolls were erected in many local schools, halls, churches and offices as a means of acknowledging the commitment made by the community to the military forces. Wingham RSL Sub-branch has undertaken to “create, document and carry out a process to identify every person in the Wingham and Upper Manning locality who has completed military service in the Australian Defence Force and to recognise their service by placing their details on a military honour board at the Wingham Town Hall.“
The criteria used by the Wingham RSL Sub-branch Project Committee, and ratified by the Sub-branch Members, for inclusion of names on the Wingham Memorial Town Hall Honour Roll were:
- Those who were born in the Wingham and Upper Manning locality;
- Those who enlisted in the Wingham and Upper Manning locality;
- Those who were living or working in the Wingham and Upper Manning locality when they enlisted; or
- Veterans who became associated with the Wingham and Upper Manning locality after the war when the Honour Roll was being created.
Wingham RSL Sub-branch also defined military service as that defined for the award of the Australian Defence Medal (ADM). The ADM recognises service of current and former Australian Defence Personnel who completed an initial enlistment period, or four years’ service, whichever was the lesser. The criteria also include those who could not serve the four-year qualifying period or complete an initial enlistment period for one or more of the following reasons:
- The death of a member during service;
- The discharge of the member as medically unfit due to compensable impairment; and
- The discharge of the member due to a prevailing discriminatory Defence policy, as determined by the Chief of the Defence Force or his or her delegate.
Wingham RSL has documented a great number of Veterans deserving to be included on the various Wingham and Upper Manning locality Honour Rolls and Boards. The Honour Rolls and Boards that have been included in the Wingham RSL Sub-branch Project include: