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South African War Memorial
The Memorial depicts two figures representing a soldier leaning on his rifle and standing guard over a wounded comrade.
The funds for the memorial were raised by the Guernsey Patriotic Demonstration Committee, starting with a concert held on 1st December 1902 which raised £40. On 22nd May 1903 at a meeting of the Memorial Committee the site at St Julian's was agreed on and a design submitted by a Mr Newbury was approved. The cost was estimated at £250 of which £200 was already in hand. The cost of the site and the erection of the statue was to be a further £330. This money was raised by public subscription. The site was finally approved and permission to erect the memorial was granted on the 9th September 1903.
The granite for the base was obtained from Grand Camp quarry, Vale and the two Carrere marble figures, representing a soldier standing over a wounded comrade were sculpted in Italy.
The memorial was finally completed on 23rd May 1905. It is 18ft 9in tall, weighs 25 tons and bears the names of the 11 officers and 34 men who fell in South Africa. After completion the memorial remained shrouded in canvas until the unveiling by the Duke, except for one occasion when some practical joker cut the canvas off.
Unveiling of the Memorial
On the 23rd September 1905 the Duke of Connaught, the Kings brother and Inspector General of the Army, arrived in St Peter Port aboard the cruiser Monmouth at 9am. St Peter Port was decorated with banners, lanterns and artificial flowers. The militia was out en masse with a guard of honour at Prince Albert Pier, soldiers lining the quay, North Esplanade and St Julian's Avenue.
Just after 10am the Duke arrived in a steam pinnace and landed on the slipway. He was greeted by the Lieutenant Governor Major General B B D Campbell and escorted to a special dais which had been erected on the pier. Sir Henry Giffard the Bailiff welcomed him. The Duke said that he enjoyed returning to the island. He had previously visited in the 1850's with his father.
After inspecting the guard of honour from the Manchester Regiment the party were escorted by officers and men of the Royal Garrison Artillery with the streets lined by troops of the Royal Guernsey Artillery and Engineers, 1st and 2nd Regiments Royal Guernsey Light Infantry and the Elizabeth College Cadet Force as they proceeded in the Lt. Governors carriage through the crowds to the top of St Julian's Avenue.
After unveiling the memorial, The Duke inspected the Militia Artillery and Engineers at the town arsenal. In the afternoon inspected the 2nd Regiment Royal Guernsey Light Infantry at Beaucamps barracks. He presented Militia long service and good conduct medals to five militiamen. That night St Peter Port streets were packed with people marvelling at the decorations lit with Japanese lanterns.
On Sunday morning the Duke attended the Garrison Church parade at St James-the-Less. The following day the Duke inspected the artillery at Castle Cornet and the garrison at Fort George. On the Tuesday the Duke visited Alderney, inspected the Militia and presented another 23 long service medals before departing once again aboard the Monmouth.
The cost of hosting the visit was £1,472 14s 11d.
The memorial is a Protected Monument.
Inscription
The inscriptions on the memorial read:
On the West face:
To the memory of
the Officers and Men belonging to
Guernsey and Alderney,
who laid down their lives for their country
in the
South African War
1899 - 1902
Major Henry Stevens Le M Guille, Royal Artillery
Captain Amyot Maitland Lennox, Royal Artillery
Captain George Edward Elkington, Royal Engineers
Captain Gaspard De C Le Marchant, Lancashire Fusiliers
Lieutenant Arthur C. Homan, Royal Artillery
Lieutenant William Henry Amedroz, South Wales Borderers
Lieutenant Charles Roland Moore, Royal Munster Fusiliers
Lieutenant Lawrence O. F. Mellish, Wiltshire Regiment
Lieutenant Sydney Wallis de Guerin, 33rd Imperial Yeomanry
Reverend Charles F O Reilly, Army Chaplain
Medical Officer William Chapman CRICC, M.D, Civil Medical Staff
On the North Face:
Trooper Charles Arnold, 12th Lancers
Trooper Frank Urton Price, 17th Lancers
Trooper Percival C. Ozanne, Imperial Yeomanry
Sapper Stanley Stanton, Royal Engineers
Sapper Charles Edward Trinder, Royal Engineers
Private William John Fallaize, Devonshire Regiment
Private William Thomas Heaume, Suffolk Regiment
Private Edward O'Neil, South Lancashire Regiment
Private Alfred Wallace Madell, Loyal N. Lancashire Regiment
Private Charles Kemmett, Yorkshire Light Infantry
Private Frank Keyho, Wiltshire Regiment
Private Richard Broderick, Army Service Corps
Private John Edgar Opie, Army Ordnance Corps
On the East Face:
Alderney Men
Sergeant John Francis Lyons, Army Service Corps
Bombardier James Henry Hunter, Royal Horse Artillery
Corporal Edward Lyons, Royal Engineers
Gunner Elie Picot, Royal Canadian Artillery
Sapper Arthur W Drew of Guernsey, Royal Engineers
Trooper David Best, South African Constabulary
Private George Albert Martin, Wiltshire Regiment
South Face:
Colour Sergeant John Craib, Gordon Highlanders
Sergeant Frank Way, Grenadier Guards
Corporal Thomas Henry Workman, Royal Artillery
Corporal Clifford De Ste Croix, Royal Engineers
Corporal John Renouf, Imperial Light Horse
Bombardier Frederick J. Tanner, Royal Artillery
Bombardier David E Peake, Royal Artillery
Lance Corporal Thomas Jackson, 16th Lancers
Gunner George Walter Henry, Royal Artillery
Trooper William Thomas Sebire, Imperial Yeomanry
Trooper Thomas Henry Alex Brock, New Zealand Contingent
Trooper Walter A. Clarke, S. Rhodesian Volunteers
Trooper Francis Charles Fox, Border Mounted Rifles
Trooper Richmond Brock Tupper, S. African Light Horse
