Reasons for Designation
The World War II war memorial in St George's Park is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural Interest: It is a well-designed, evocatively shaped monument, incorporating several carefully designed decorative details, which survives intact.
* Historic Interest: It is a poignant reminder of the tragic impact of world events upon an individual community. The monument commemorates men and women from the borough of Great Yarmouth, who lost their lives fighting in World War II and as a result of Luftwaffe bombing. The later addition of the memorial to Gurkha soldiers gives the monument further interest.
* Group Value: It stands in a prominent location within St. George's Park and has group value with the World War I war memorial directly to the east of it.
The World War II war memorial in St George's Park is recommended for designation at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
History
The architect of the World War II war memorial was Mr Francis R B Haward of Olley and Haward, a local architectural firm. The memorial is positioned in the central-western part of St. George's Park, a municipal park that was opened in 1866. The World War II War Memorial was unveiled by the Mayor of Great Yarmouth and dedicated by the Bishop of Norwich on 12th November 1949. The monument was erected to commemorate the people of the Borough of Great Yarmouth who had lost their lives during World War II, both servicemen as well as civilians. During World War II, Great Yarmouth suffered severely from Luftwaffe bombing and parts of the old town, in particular many of the Rows and St Nicholas Church, were destroyed.
Details
839-1/0/10020 ST GEORGE'S PARK
06-SEP-10 World War II Memorial
GV II
War memorial, 1949, by F R B Haward in the style of the WWI war memorial opposite.
MATERIALS: The memorial is constructed from Portland stone opposite.
DESCRIPTION: It takes the form of a three-sided, walled enclosure with its open side to the east, facing the main entrance to the World War I war memorial. Two steps lead to a central area, paved with grey stone with a decorative band of knapped flint at its margins. The rear wall contains a central pier, with a tapered upper section and a shallow pyramidal cap on top. Similar, but lower piers are placed in both corners and at the end of each side wall. The central pier bears a dedication on a large bronze plaque with a depiction of the Great Yarmouth coat-of-arms in colour. There are small swords of sacrifice (bronze swords on stone crosses) at the end of each arm, and a bronze wreath above the central dedication plaque.
The names of the fallen are inscribed on 22 bronze vertical panels: six are placed to either side of the central pier, and five on each side wall. There are two separate lists of names: those of the 619 servicemen on the east- and south-facing walls, and those of 162 civilians on the north-facing wall. A further plaque has been added on the north-facing side of the terminal pier of the southern wall, recording the six local citizens who have died subsequently in active service. A memorial has been added to the monument at the foot of the central pier, consisting of a bronze plaque on a grey granite slab. This is dedicated to Gurkha soldiers. Originally placed in a disused church in 1982, this memorial plaque was moved to its present location in April 2009.
The main dedication, placed on the central pier of the back wall of the monument reads:
COUNTY BOROUGH OF
GREAT YARMOUTH
1939 - 1945
(Depiction of Great Yarmouth's coat-of-arms)
THIS MEMORIAL
IS ERECTED IN PROUD
REMEMBRANCE OF THE
MEN WOMEN & CHILDREN
OF THIS BOROUGH
WHO LOST THEIR LIVES
AS THE RESULT OF
ENEMY ACTION
AT HOME & ABROAD
IN THE WORLD WAR
THIS MEMORIAL WAS UNVEILED BY
HIS WORSHIP THE MAYOR OF GREAT YARMOUTH
ALDERMAN F KRUBER AND DEDICATED BY
THE RT. REVEREND THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH
ON THE 12 NOVEMBER 1949
The Gurkha War memorial, placed underneath the main dedication, reads:
To the Gurkha Soldier
True friend and comrade
(Depiction of Gurkha knife)
THIS GARDEN AREA COMMEMORATES
WITH APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE THE
SERVICES RENDERED BY MANY THOUSANDS
OF GURKHA SOLDIERS IN OUR ARMIES
BEFORE AND DURING BOTH WORLD WARS
AND UP TO THE PRESENT TIME, AND
RECOGNISES THE REMARKABLE COMRADE-
SHIP WHICH HAS ALWAYS EXISTED BETWEEN
THE GURKHA SOLDIER AND THE BRITISH
SOLDIER.
DONATED BY EX. GUNNER E. WILLIAMS MAY 12-13TH 1982
The bronze plaque, placed on the inside of the terminal pier of the southern wall, reads:
BOROUGH OF GREAT YARMOUTH
THIS PLAQUE HAS BEEN AFFIXED
TO THIS MEMORIAL IN PROUD
REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE
MENTIONED BELOW WHO LOST
THEIR LIVES AS A RESULT
OF ENEMY ACTION IN CONFLICTS
SINCE THE SECOND WORLD WAR
DEDICATED ON 12TH. NOVEMBER 1995
(The names, location of service and year of the six men killed in action).
SOURCES:
Boorman, D, For Your Tomorrow: British Second World War Memorials, York (1995), 67-68
Brodie, A and Winter, G, England's Seaside Resorts, English Heritage (2007)
Conway, H, People's Parks. The design and development of Victorian Parks in Britain, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1991), 230
Dictionary of British Architects 1834 -1914, British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects (2001)
Edwards, M, Great Yarmouth War Memorial, Retrieved on 02 February 2010 from www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/GtYarmouth.html
Ferry, K, Powerhouses of Provincial Architecture 1837-1914, The Victorian Society (2009), 45 -58
Martin, J, Cockrill-Doulton Patent Tiles, Retrieved on 19 February 2010 from www.buildingconservation.com
Pearson, L, People's Palaces: Britain's Seaside Pleasure Buildings (1991), 53-65
Pevsner, N and Wilson, B, The Buildings of England: Norfolk 1 Norwich and the North-East (2nd ed 1997), 488-529
United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials: Ref 19924, retrieved on 02 February 2010 from http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/
War memorials Trust, Retrieved on 02 February 2010 from http://www.warmemorials.org/
This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 20 January 2017.
