Summary
First World War memorial to three crewmen of HMS E30 who died in 1916, and a crewman of HMS Trident who died in the same year.
Reasons for Designation
The Blyth Submariners’ War Memorial, which stands in Blyth Cemetery, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on this local community, and the sacrifice it has made in the First World War;
* Architectural interest: an unusual variant of the broken column type of grave marker, using a broken mast and nautical symbols appropriate to the commemorated men.
History
HMS E30, a British E-class submarine built by Armstrong Whitworth, was commissioned in November 1915. E30 had a complement of 30 crew members. They all died when the submarine hit a mine and sank off Orfordness, Suffolk, on 22 November 1916.
Details
The memorial stands in the north-eastern part of Blyth Cemetery, consistent with the traditional practice of burying shipwrecked sailors in the northern side of a burial ground. The stone monument comprises a broken ship’s mast rising from a rocky plinth. The plinth, raised on a two-stepped base, is ornamented with a lifebuoy and anchor carved in relief, and with a rope twisting around the mast. At the base of the mast is inscribed SACRED/ TO THE/ MEMORY/ OF.
End of official list entry
