Montgomery had designed the three-light window for St. Stephen's in 1916, however only the central light, Christ Our Saviour, was completed at that time. Correspondence on the other two windows, to be installed in memory of former Sunday school scholars, began in May 1919 and Montgomery confirmed an instruction to proceed in June 1919. The church's Honorary Secretary, Robert Phillips Esq., was invoiced £25.0.0 on 24 December 1919. All three windows were dedicated on Sunday 9 May 1920 by Archdeacon Hindley, after an unveiling by Brigadier-General Smith. The images of two martyrs of the Church, St. Paul and St. Stephen, on either side of Our Saviour, symbolised the young soldiers' honourable sacrifice for God, King and country. Montgomery prepared a series of three-light windows to fill the other openings in the church, but these were not realised, and the old building was replaced with a modern A-frame church in the late 1950s. The three-light soldiers' memorial survives in the west wall, a reminder of the former edifice, as well as tribute to the young men.
Ewart William Davis was born in England and was one of a large family. He served four years with the Queen's Own Volunteers in South Africa and was discharged at his own request, prior to enlistment in Geelong on 6 March 1915, aged 34. He embarked on HMAT Ulysses with 22 Battalion, 6 Brigade on 8 May 1915 and joined the battle at Gallipoli where he was killed in action on 17 October 1915. Chaplain TP Bennett conducted the burial at Shrapnel Valley.
Charles Francis Harold Arnold was a 27 year old slaughterman when he enlisted on 22 July 1915. He left Melbourne on HMAT Ulysses on 27 October 1915 and served in Egypt and then France with a number of different units. He was awarded the Military Medal for 'bravery in the field' on 17 June 1917, when serving with 5 Division Trench Mortar Brigade. He was killed in action on 1 October 1917 while on detachment to 14 Field Artillery Brigade and is remembered at Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium, along with more than 54 000 other Commonwealth servicemen with no known graves.
References & Acknowledgements
AWM Roll of Honour; NAA: B2455, Davis EW; NAA:B2455, Arnold CF; http://www.cwgc.org; Church of England Messenger, 9 February 1917; 2 May 1919; 16 April 1920;11 June 1920;Letterbooks 1/569-70, 1/574, 1/585 National Gallery of Australia Research Collection, Canberra ACT; Folio 92, Montgomery ledger, William Montgomery Collection State Library of Victoria.
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