On Armistice Day, 2025, the Supreme Court of New South Wales commemorates the sacrifice and service of the legal profession during the First World War.
Supreme Court judges were stalwart public supporters of the British Empire. In 1915 Chief Justice Sir William Cullen, with both his sons serving at Gallipoli, declared the conflict to be a ‘righteous war’, while Lady Cullen became a leading figure in the local Red Cross. Justices Street, Ferguson, and Simpson each lost a son, while others were wounded in action. In January 1917, the Weekly Times wrote, ‘In proportion to numbers, no trade or profession in Australia has suffered more bereavement in the war than have the judges in the higher tribunals.’ In 1924 a memorial honouring 363 members of the NSW legal profession who had served in the First World War was unveiled by Chief Justice Cullen. The memorial stands in the King Street Court Complex.
On 17 May 2024 the court celebrated the bicentenary of its founding under the Third Charter of Justice and its ensuing successes over two centuries.
