Roll of Honour - Guernsey - St Peter Port Boer

The St Peter Port Boer War memorial lists those men who gave their lives during the South African (Boer) War 1899-1902. The memorial stands on the south side of St Julian's Avenue in St Julian's Gardens and was unveiled by HRH Prince Arthur Duke of Connaught Sunday 23rd September 1905. It was designed by Mr. W Newbury. It takes the form of a soldier standing over a wounded comrade in mourning pose with his head bowed and his rifle reversed the whole stands on a square plinth with a single stepped base. The outstretched foot of the wounded soldier was lost after the statue was scheduled, but it was replaced in 1998.

It is recorded that a replica of the statue belongs to the museum.

39 men from Guernsey and 12 from Alderney were among more than 20,000 British regular and volunteer soldiers who died in the Boer War.

A public meeting in December 1902, the same year the war ended, was held in Guernsey to decide how to remember those who died. Suggestions included a stained glass window at the eastern end of the Town Church, a memorial in front of St James flanked by captured Boer guns or an alternatively sited at Elizabeth College. The final location on the south side of St Julian's Avenue was suggested by William Newbury, who was also responsible for the design and for organising a series of concerts to raise money towards the £350 cost. The two soldiers were sculpted from marble in Italy while the granite plinth was an 11 ton block from the Grand Camp Quarry in the Vale. The hardness of the local granite made the cutting of the 2,230 letters and numbers very difficult and time consuming. The concrete foundation was put in place during April 1905 and on 23 May the three ton marble figures were craned in place and covered in canvas.

The Memorial

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 22 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 were estimated 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 carrara marble figures, representing a soldier standing over a wounded comrade were sculpted in Italy.

The memorial was finally completed on 23 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.

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.

The Duke unveiled the memorial, inspected the Militia Artillery and Engineers at the town arsenal, visited Saumarez park, ate lunch at Gardner’s Royal Hotel and in the afternoon inspected the 2nd Regiment Royal Guernsey Light Infantry at Beaucamps barracks and 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 names here have been sorted into alphabetical order for ease of research and reading but are listed by rank and place of residence.

ST PETER PORT BOER WAR MEMORIAL