The Feilding Soldier’s Memorial is prominently sited in Manchester Square at the centre of Feilding and has social significance as the focal point of ANZAC Day commemorations in the township since its unveiling on 3 October 1923. It is historically significant for reflecting the devastating impact of war on this rural community and has aesthetic value on account of its ornamental design and picturesque landscaped setting.
Manawatū was first settled by Rangitāne o Manawatū who migrated south from the Heretaunga area and trace their origins back to Kurahaupō waka. They settled around the Manawatū River and established settlements all along the river which was the main route for both transport and communication. Rangitāne o Manawatū were later joined by Ngāti Kauwhata and Ngāti Raukawa following invasions from Waikato tribes in the 1820s. The Crown acquired large parts of Manawatū during mid-1800s, some of which it aimed to sell to colonists. In December 1871 Colonel William Feilding, Director of the London-based Emigrants and Colonists Aid Corporation, purchased some 106,000 acres of mostly bush-clad land between the Rangitīkei River and Ruahine Ranges which became known as the Manchester Block. A natural clearing was selected as the site of the block’s first township, which was named in honour of Colonel Feilding. The first colonial settlers arrived in Feilding from England in January 1874 and by 1906 it was a ‘thriving market town’ numbering almost 3000.

When the First World War broke out many young men from the Feilding area answered ‘the call to arms’ and more than 90 died ‘making the supreme sacrifice’. After peace was declared, the local community turned their minds to a fitting memorial to remember their war dead. Discussions occurred for some time as to the form and siting of a suitable memorial, and the necessary funding for its erection. In July 1921 the Feilding community decided to raise £1000 by voluntary subscription for a memorial in Manchester Square, an appropriate choice due to its prominent location within the township. £1200 was quickly raised and architect Robin Hood assisted the organising committee in choosing an appropriate design. They decided upon a tapering obelisk which was the most popular design for First World War memorials, and it was to be topped by a winged angel ‘symbolic of victory’. The successful tenderer was stonemason F.J. Jones, with a tender of £1270. The memorial was officially unveiled by Governor General Viscount Jellicoe on 4 October 1923, in a ceremony attended by hundreds including local dignitaries, next-of-kin and 200 returned soldiers.

The granite obelisk sat upon an Australian bluestone base and the winged female angel atop the obelisk was carved from Sicilian marble. Her left hand was raised above her head holding a sword and there was a laurel wreath of victory in her right hand. Polished marble slabs were placed on the north-west and south-east faces of the obelisk listing the names of the fallen soldiers. The cross of St George was placed above each slab. Access steps up to the obelisk on the north-west and south-east faces enabled the laying of wreaths at its base.

A Second World War memorial slab was subsequently added to the south-west face of the memorial and unveiled and dedicated on ANZAC Day 1950 and in August 1995 a small plaque was placed beneath it to commemorate the 50th anniversary of V-J Day. A small plaque was also subsequently added to the north-east face to commemorate those who served in the Korean, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam Wars and United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. In 2006 the South African War Memorial was relocated just to the north of the Soldiers’ Memorial and on 30 November 2010 a granite plaque was added to the obelisk’s north-east face in honour of Lieutenant Tim O’Donnell, the first New Zealander to die while serving in Afghanistan.