Chepstow War Memorial, in Beaufort Square,

Chepstow Chepstow ( cy, Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western ...

, Wales, commemorates the men of the town who died in the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and

Second World Wars World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. It was designed by Eric Francis, a locally-born architect. The memorial's Neoclassical design is uncommon. The memorial site also includes a German Naval

deck gun A deck gun is a type of naval artillery mounted on the deck of a submarine. Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without a shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret. The main deck gun was a dual-purpose ...

, donated to the town by

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

in commemoration of the posthumous award of a

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

to Able Seaman William Charles Williams, who grew up in Chepstow and was killed at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

. Chepstow War Memorial was designated a

Grade II listed structure In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in 1975.

Background

The loss of life during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

brought about a national response through the construction of an unprecedented number of war memorials to commemorate the dead. Within Wales, which saw the loss of some 35,000 soldiers, memorials were established in many towns and cities during the 1920s.

Description

Chepstow's memorial was designed by Eric Francis, the son of a Chepstow solicitor, who trained under

Guy Dawber Sir Edward Guy Dawber, RA ( King's Lynn, 3 August 1861 – London, 24 April 1938) was an English architect working in the late Arts and Crafts style, whose work is particularly associated with the Cotswolds. Biography Edward Guy Dawber ...

and

Detmar Blow Detmar Jellings Blow (24 November 1867 – 7 February 1939) was a British architect of the early 20th century, who designed principally in the arts and crafts style. His clients belonged chiefly to the British aristocracy, and later he became es ...

. It comprises a two-stage stone column, topped by a stone urn, all resting on a stone plinth with two deep steps. Each of the two stages has sunken panels on all four sides, and a cornice above which has stone orbs at the corners. The design is Neoclassical, an uncommon style for war memorials of this age and type. John Newman, in his Monmouthshire volume of ''

The Buildings of Wales The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of Great Britain and Ireland. Begun in the 1940s by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the original Buildings of England series were published b ...

'', describes the memorial as "the pivotal feature of Beaufort Square" and notes its "eighteenth century idiom". On the lower stage of the column, the sunken panel on the southwest face carries an inscription, "", while the other three faces have metal plaques recording the names of the dead, two with those who died in the First World War, and one with those who died in the Second. The northeast side of the plinth bears the inscription "

Their name liveth for evermore {{No footnotes, date=January 2022 "Their name liveth for evermore" is a phrase from the King James Version of the Bible, forming the second half of a line in Ecclesiasticus or Sirach, chapter 44, verse 14, widely inscribed on war memorials since th ...

". The memorial is now enclosed with a set of railings constructed in the 1980s by members of the

Army Apprentices College The Army Apprentices College was a college system in the United Kingdom that offered military training, education and common core skills, leadership and adventurous training, character development and trade training. History The advent of mechanis ...

based at

Beachley Barracks Beachley Barracks is a British Army base at Beachley in Gloucestershire, England, close to the England–Wales border at Chepstow. The Barracks is located at Beachley Point between the River Severn and the River Wye. It is the home of 1st Battali ...

. Beside the stone column, a

from the German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

, SM ''UB-91'', forms part of the memorial. The gun was donated to the town by

, in recognition of the

awarded to Able Seaman William Charles Williams, who had lived in Chepstow.

Reception

The memorial was installed in the centre of Chepstow, on a platform level with Bank Street and raised by a flight of steps above High Street. It was unveiled on 8 January 1922, in a ceremony presided over by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Ariel Evill DSO, a local solicitor who commanded the 1/1st

Monmouthshire Regiment The Monmouthshire Regiment was a Territorial infantry regiment of the British Army. Originating in units of rifle volunteers formed in Monmouthshire in 1859, the regiment served in the Second Anglo-Boer War and both World War I and World War II ...

in France. The deck gun was unveiled at the same ceremony by Williams' sister, Mrs Frances Smith, who was accompanied by Captain

Edward Unwin Captain Edward Unwin, (20 April 1864 – 19 April 1950) was a Royal Navy officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Ear ...

VC. Deterioration in the condition of the naval gun generated adverse press comment at the time of the centenary celebrations of the end of the First World War in 2018. Restoration of the gun was subsequently undertaken. The

War Memorials Trust War Memorials Trust works for the protection and conservation of war memorials in the UK. The charity provides free information and advice as well as administering grant schemes for the repair and conservation of war memorials. War Memorials T ...

considers the general condition of the Chepstow Memorial to be "good". The memorial is a

Notes

References

Sources

* * *

External links

{{Commons category
Entry for Chepstow at War Memorials Online

Entry for Chepstow in the Imperial War Museum Memorials Register
* Howard Williams
"Sculpting Civic Identity: Chepstow War Memorial and its Lithic Context"
''Archaeodeath'' World War I memorials in Wales Grade II listed buildings in Monmouthshire Grade II listed monuments and memorials Buildings and structures completed in 1922