A corporate contribution towards "a land fit for heroes"
The Boan Brothers Employee's Honour Board for World War One records the names of members of Boan’s staff who volunteered for service between 1914 and 1918. Of the 98 men on this board, 15 died, 18 received wounds and one was reported missing in action. The Honour Board weighs over one ton and was hung in a prominent position on the ground floor. The Board was executed by Mr G Stirzaker of the West Perth Cabinet Works. The original gilt lettering was by Meston and Walters.
In the refurbishment of the Wellington Street store after the sale to Meyer in the late 1980s the Board was stored in a Cannington warehouse, having received some damage in its removal from the store. In 2004, the Cannington Districts Historical Society, who had been storing the board for some time, successfully applied to the state government for a renovation grant. This work was carried out by Talbot Walsh & Company of Welshpool and was completed in May 2005. In 2009, the Board was donated to the Army Museum to a purpose designed space in the Entrance Gallery.
It was the policy of the Boan brothers, that there would be a job for any employee who volunteered for service on their return after the war. The blue dots on the Honour Board indicate the large number who availed themselves of this offer. The same policy was applied to returned workers after World War Two and there are many reminiscences of the one-handed lift operator in the Wellington Street store. Sadly, it is believed that the World War Two Honour Board is now lost.