Road name change honours Hamilton hero

A Gallipoli soldier, teacher and artist who tragically died while trying to save others in the 1922 Hamilton Hotel fire will be recognised with a city road being renamed Sapper Moore-Jones Place in his honour.

Hamilton City Council’s Statutory Management Committee yesterday (15 August) agreed to rename Marlborough Place, off Victoria St, where the former hotel stood, in honour of the noted hero Horace Moore-Jones.

Horace Moore-Jones, who joined the Forces for WW1 as a sapper and saw service at Gallipoli is also recognised as New Zealand’s best known war artist, with his Gallipoli series of paintings “The Man with the Donkey” most well known.

The application to have him formally recognised in the city where he lived and taught in the latter part of his life taught, before dying trying to save the lives of others, was lead by Campbell Smith, Bill McArthur and Margaret Evans.

Public notification of the application for name change was carried out with owners and occupiers in the present Marlborough Place. Their views and those of the applicant, along with the 13 letters of support received as part of the application for name change were considered by the Committee as part of agreeing to rename the road.

The name change and new road signage will take effect after two months, to allow property owners, occupiers and businesses to make the necessary changes to their address details.