Soon after the war ended in 1918, a movement to build a memorial began, with the funds raised in two years. The Brooklyn Returned Services Association (RSA) chose as a monument a carved marble statue depicting a soldier with hat in hand, looking towards the harbour heads through which sailed the troopships bearing those who would not return. Colonel George Mitchell, DSO MP unveiled the memorial on 22 September 1922.
For around 16 years, a board of trustees maintained the memorial, before passing it over to Wellington City Council. In 2003, a nine-month restoration took place, which involved re-securing the structure to the concrete pads that it stands on as well as cleaning, restoring plasterwork, removing rust and replacing parts that had gone missing.
The inscription on the pedestal reads: "The motherland called and they went and these men died for their country."
The cache is a clear tube with a green lid.
