The moving and evocative story of Napier Waller’s masterpiece – the Hall of Memory – the spiritual heart of the Australian War Memorial.

Melbourne artist Napier Waller, OBE CMG (1893-1972) created the Hall of Memory at the Australian War Memorial. Waller died in 1972 without knowing that, twenty years later, his greatest work would be the place for a tomb that would be central to Australia’s remembrance of war dead.

Waller left school at the age of 14 to work on the family farm, before moving to Melbourne in 1913 to study drawing and painting. He enlisted in August 1915 and served with the 111th Howitzer Battery, 4th Division. In May 1917 at Bullecourt he lost his right arm. During his convalescence, he learned to write and draw with his left hand: 'an artist draws with his head, not his hands', he said.

In 1937, Waller was chosen to create the decorative elements in the Hall, and began designing the stained-glass windows, which were installed from 1947 to 1950. The 'ancestry' window would include a stained-glass cricket ball and stumps, symbolising recreation. He worked on the mosaics from 1955 to 1958, creating one of the largest single mosaics in the world.

The Glass Cricket Ball is the story of Waller’s life, and the story behind his greatest artwork.

Details: Non-fiction, published 2022.

Format: Soft cover, illustrations (photographs), 250 pages.

Dimensions: 21.0 cm (h) x 14.0 cm (w) x 1.4 cm (d) / 316 grams.