The Sydney Cenotaph is located in Martin Place and is one of the oldest World War I war monuments in the Central Business District.
The word Cenotaph means empty tomb, a monument in honour of a person whose body is elsewhere. It comes from the Greek 'Kenos' - empty and 'Taphos' - a tomb.
On the southern side, facing the General Post Office it states "To Our Glorious Dead" and on the Northern side, facing Challis House are the words "Lest We Forget."
It is used on a regular basis for ceremonies and is the centre for the Anzac and Armistice Day dawn service ceremonies held in Sydney, regularly drawing thousands of participants and observers
Martin Place was the location in which the majority of Sydney based soldiers enlisted in the Army for World War I. The adjacent Sydney GPO was also the main source of news information regarding World War I.

On the 8th March, 1926, the Premier of NSW, Jack Lang, announced the State Government would provide a sum of £10,000.0.0 to commission the design and erection of a Cenotaph in Martin Place by Sir Bertram Mackennal to be completed for Anzac Day 1929. It was completed ahead of schedule and is made of 20 tonnes of granite from Moruya on the south coast.

The memorial is a granite plinth with life-size bronze statues of World War I servicemen, a soldier at the east end and a sailor at the west. The figures stand at ease and each holds a bayoneted rifle. The soldier wears a steel helmet rather than a slouch hat. A bronze wreath sits on top of the plinth. There is a flagpole at either end and the area is enclosed by a chain and post fence.

The model for the statue of the soldier was Private William Piggot Darby of the 15th Infantry Batallion and 4th Field Ambulance AIF who died in Brisbane on the 15th November, 1935 at the age of 63.
The model for the sailor was Leading Seaman John William Varco. He enlisted on the 3rd June, 1913, served on HMAS 'Pioneer' 1914 - 1916 in German East Africa and on HMAS 'Parramatta' 1917 - 1919. He was awarded the DSM in 1918 and died in October 1948, aged 61.

Construction of the memorial was undertaken by the British engineering firm of Dorman Long, which was then building the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The completed memorial was unveiled on 21 February, 1929, the anniversary of the day the Australian Light Horse entered Jericho during the Palestine campaign. Sir John Monash, who had planned the successful offensive in Flanders of 8 August, 1918, addressed the crowd.