St. Margaret's Anglican Church, Mildura was built in several programs and memorial windows also installed in at least two separate cycles. When the stone church was enlarged to plans by Melbourne Anglican Diocesan architect Louis R. Williams in the 1930s, Canon Horner arranged in 1933 for Brooks, Robinson & Co. to prepare designs for east window of the sanctuary. Several more windows were installed during 1959 by Archdeacon Hardingham, the last being the Crucifixion in 1960. The Warrior's Chapel was added around the early 1960s and the remains of Archdeacon James Hardingham were interred under its floor in 1962.
Melbourne stained glass artist John Ferguson (1923-2010) prepared a series of windows that symbolised service and sacrifice, in keeping with the object of the sacred space.
James Hardingham was an 18 year-old student in Melbourne when he enlisted on 30 November 1914. He went to Gallipoli with 7 Battalion where he was wounded with a gun shot wound to his right calf and evacuated to Malta and then later to Egypt. He returned to Gallipoli but was soon suffering deafness and dysentry which ultimately caused his return to Australia and a long convascence before discharge on 20 March 1916. As Reverend Hardingham, he took appointments as far afield as Beaudesert (1926), Port Pirie (1926-1932), Adelaide ((1933-1940) and became Archdeacon at Hay from 1940. His son Malcolm Pritchard Hardingham, with 8 Division Ammunition Sub Park AASC in the Second World War, died of illness in Thailand on 20 December 1943. His father installed an aumbrey light in the sanctuary of St. Margaret's in his memory.
References & Acknowledgements
AWM First World War Embarkation Roll; NAA: B2455, Hardingham J; NAA: B883, SX9197.
