| Plymouth Naval Memorial |
| Plymouth Hoe, Devonshire |
After the First World War, an appropriate way had to be found of commemorating those members of the Royal Navy who had no known grave, the majority of deaths having occurred at sea where no permanent memorial could be provided. An Admiralty committee recommended that the three manning ports in Great Britain - Chatham, Plymouth and Portsmouth - should each have an identical memorial of unmistakable naval form, an obelisk, which would serve as a leading mark for shipping. The memorials were designed by Sir Robert Lorimer, who had already carried out a considerable amount of work for the Commission, with sculpture by Henry Poole. After the Second World War it was decided that the naval memorials should be extended to provide space for commemorating the naval dead without graves of that war, but since the three sites were dissimilar, a different architectural treatment was required for each. The architect for the Second World War extension at Plymouth was Sir Edward Maufe (who also designed the Air Forces memorial at Runnymede) and the additional sculpture was by Charles Wheeler and William McMillan. In addition to commemorating seamen of the Royal Navy who sailed from Plymouth, the First World War panels also bears the names of sailors from Australia and South Africa; the governments of the other Commonwealth nations chose to commemorate their dead elsewhere, for the most part on memorials in their home ports. After the Second World War, Canada and New Zealand again chose commemoration at home, but the memorial at Plymouth commemorates sailors from all other parts of the Commonwealth. Plymouth Naval Memorial commemorates more than 7,000 sailors of the First World War and almost 16,000 from the Second World War. Identified Casualties: 23,183
Victoria Cross:
WILLIAM EDWARD SANDERS
Rank: Lieut-Commander, Date of Death: 14/08/1917, Age: 34, Regiment/Service: Royal Naval Reserve H.M.S. "Prize." , Awards: V C, D S O, Panel Reference 23., Son of Edward Helman Cooke Sanders and Emma Jane Sanders, of Russell, Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Held Extra Master's Certificate (Mercantile Marine). Born at Auckland, New Zealand.
Citation: An extract from the London Gazette, No. 30147, dated 22nd June, 1917, records the following- "In recognition of his conspicuous gallantry, consummate coolness, and skill in command of one of H.M. ships in action."
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M/11841 Engine Room Artificer 4th Class Arthur William Worden H.M.S. Dartmouth, Royal Navy, killed in action 15/05/1917, aged 29 Buried at sea Picture courtesy of John Garlington
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D/SSX 25666 Leading Seaman Peter Collier H.M.L.C.I. (L.) 132 "Royal Scotsman" Royal Navy 17/06/1944 Possibly buried at Bolsena War Cemetery, Italy in an unmarked grave Peter Collier, (b.1920) of 111 Cartmel Road, Huyton, Liverpool. Leading Seaman DSSX 25666, 'Royal Scotsman' died 17th June 1944 at the 'Invasion of Elba', Italy. (Missing presumed killed). Picture courtesy of first cousin Laurence M. Furlong |
K/1894 Stoker Matthew Rosevere Davey Burnard Royal Navy 20/08/1917
Extract taken from the Cornish and Devon Post dated 08/09/1917
Mr & Mrs Burnard of Tregoodwell, Camelford have received the sad news of the death of their eldest son, Stoker Petty Officer Matthew R.D. Burnard, killed in action on one of H.M. ships last month. As a youth he was employed at the North Cornwall China Clay works which he left nearly nine years since, on attaining the age of 18 years, to join the navy. For some weeks he fought through the Jutland Battle. Mr Burnard was 26 years of age and was only married in March last to the daughter of Mr. W. Stott of Boscastle. The young widow resides at Teignmouth. Mr & Mrs Burnard had also one nephew killed in action at Salonika and another died of wounds in France. They have one son-in-law and six nephews still serving with the colours. Much sympathy has been expressed with the family in the death of Stoker Matt Burnard, a typical sailor, who possessed many excellent qualities.
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D/SSX27830 Able Seaman Frederick Norman Angove Royal Navy (H.M.S. Stanley) 19/12/1941 aged 21.
Son of Mr & Mrs Angove of Camelford Cornwall.
Extract taken from the Cornish and Devon Post dated 31/01/1942.
Notification has been received from the Admiralty to the effect that Seaman-Gunner Frederick Norman Angove, the second son of Mr. and Mrs. Archie Angove of Moorgate, Advent, Camelford is “missing believed killed.” Twenty one years of age, Norman joined the Navy in November 1938. Mr. and Mrs. Angove’s eldest son is serving in the D.C.L.I.
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D/SSX27818 Able Seaman Harold Smith Royal Navy (H.M.S. Niger) 06/07/1942 aged 24
Son of Bertram and Agnes Smith of Borehamwood, Herts.
Harold Smith, from Borehamwood, served on the HMS Edinburgh as it carried out one such voyage in 1942, carrying 4.5 tons of Russian gold through the Barents Sea to Britain. The gold was Russia's payment to the US for war materials, but German air surveillance had noted HMS Edinburgh's departure, and on April 30 1942, a U-boat fired two torpedoes at the ship, killing more than 57 crew members and wrecking the ship's steering gear. Mr Smith survived, and was transferred to the HMS Niger, but on May 2, the Royal Navy sank HMS Edinburgh, to stop the Germans from taking the gold, most of which was recovered in 1981. But Mr Smith's new ship, the HMS Niger, was destroyed by a mine on July 6, and he died at the age of 24. July 1942 was one of the darkest months of the war a total of 93 allied cargo boats were sunk around the world. His brother, Walter Smith, from Thornbury Gardens, Borehamwood, also served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and served on the battleship HMS King George V.
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