October 2010

Image of the Month Feature - October 2010

RA-17-8.jpg

RA/17/8 - Unveiling of the War Memorial, Plymouth, 1924 (Ron Andrews Collection)

This month's image has been chosen from our new Ron Andrews Collection by Joan Hilson, a SWiB search room visitor. Here's what Joan had to say about the image:

"What a wonderful image! The war memorial unveiling is such a notable event in our City's history, my grandfather served in the Great War and is named on one of the plaques. Just look at all the people who turned out that day and the fashions!

This really is a wonderful collection of images documenting a rich variety of events and by-gone scenes in and around Plymouth during the 1920s. I just wish I had given myself more time to spend looking through all the collection!"

Extracts from Brian Moseley's Plymouth Data website:

Following the Great War (1914-18), the Imperial War Graves Commission, as it was then known, was asked to find an appropriate way of commemorating the men who had died in the War but who had no known graves. This was relatively easy with soldiers, it was decided, as they could be remembered by memorials erected on land near where they fell. However, for the Royal Navy, whose deaths occurred at sea, this posed a problem. It was solved by constructing a similar memorial in each of the three ports from which the Royal Navy's ships were manned — Chatham, Plymouth and Portsmouth. The design would be of a unique naval form and each would serve as a marker for shipping.

The memorial was unveiled on Tuesday July 29th 1924 by Sub-Lieutenant HRH the Prince George, who landed at Pottery Quay, Devonport, from HMS Ursula during reserve fleet exercises.

After the end of the Second World War (1939-45) it was decided to extend the memorials to commemorate the dead of that War. For Plymouth this was to be means of a curved sunken garden on the inland side of the memorial.

To see all the images from the Collection visit our RA - Ron Andrews Collection online gallery.

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