Newquay War Memorial

Summary

First World War memorial unveiled on 24 May 1921 with Second World War and later additions.

Reasons for Designation

Newquay War Memorial 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 community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Architectural interest: an impressive composition of an elegant and striking Latin cross set upon a towering granite cairn, occupying a dramatic cliff-top position.

History

The aftermath of the First World War saw the biggest single wave of public commemoration ever with tens of thousands of memorials erected across England, both as a result of the huge impact the loss of three quarters of a million British lives had on communities and the official policy of not repatriating the dead, which meant that the memorials provided the main focus of the grief felt at this great loss.

One such memorial was raised at Newquay as a permanent testament to the sacrifice made by the members of the local community who lost their lives in the First World War.

The memorial was sited as a prominent landmark on the headland, constructed on the site of an earlier structure, a Napoleonic lookout, the remains of which are likely to exist in the foundations of the memorial. A watchtower is recorded on the 1840 Tithe Map and the site is enclosed by a curvilinear earthwork seen on aerial photographs taken in 1966.

The memorial cost £1000 and commemorates 89 fallen local men. It was unveiled on 24 May 1921 by HRH Prince of Wales KG, Duke of Cornwall. He stated that he knew what the memorial meant to the district, recording as it did the sacrifice of Newquay men who gave their lives in the war. The memorial was dedicated by the Bishop of Truro. Historic photographs show that the memorial was sited within a small enclosure defined by low granite posts and chain link fence.

Following the Second World War, an inscription dedicated to 59 men who lost their lives in that war, was added. Further names have since been added for one who fell at Aden (1964), one during the Falklands Conflict (1982) and one in Afghanistan (2006).

Details

The memorial is located in a prominent position on the headland overlooking Newquay Bay to the north and the town to the east and it comprises a cairn of granite blocks surmounted by a Latin cross on a two-stepped base. The memorial stands some 8m high.

The east face of the memorial bears the main inscription in incised, black-painted lettering on two smooth-polished rectangular panels edged with carved knotwork.

The inscription reads: NEWQUAY/ ERECTED THIS CROSS TO BEAR LASTING WITNESS/ TO HER SONS' SUPREME SACRIFICE IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918/ (NAMES)/ "AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER THEM"/ TO THE LASTING MEMORY ALSO OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN/ THE WORLD WAR 1939 – 1945/ (NAMES)/ THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE.

A further inscription tablet on the north face reads: THIS MEMORIAL WAS UNVEILED BY/ H.R.H. PRINCE OF WALES, DUKE OF CORNWALL/ ON TUESDAY MAY 24TH, 1921.

On the west face an inscription reads: THE OLD LOOK-OUT HOUSE/ AN ADMIRALTY BUILDING/ OF SOME ANTIQUITY/ STOOD ON THIS SITE.

The memorial stands in a circular enclosure defined by low granite posts and chain link fence.

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 13 December 2016 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/9285
War Memorials Online, accessed 13 December 2016 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/169384

Other
Unveiling the Newquay War Memorial, Cornubian and Redruth Times, 26 May 1921
Unveiling the Newquay War Memorial, Devon and Exeter Gazette, 25 May 1921

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