Reasons for Designation
The Far East Prisoner of War war memorial on Marine Parade, Great Yarmouth, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural Interest: It is a well-designed monument incorporating several fine decorative details, inspired by 'Festival of Britain' architecture. In particular, the simple, clean lines of the pale limestone, its strong vertical emphasis, and the simple design of the decorations give the monument a particular stillness and elegance.
* Historic Interest: It is a poignant reminder of the tragic impact of world events upon an individual community, commemorating the men and women who lost their lives in the Far East during World War II.
* Intactness: The monument is intact and unaltered, although renovated in 2004.
* Rarity: War memorials in the shape of clock towers are relatively rare, in particular ones erected after WW II. The combination of a clock tower as a war memorial, the dedication to the Far East Prisoner of War Association (FEPOW) victims and the 'Festival of Britain' style architecture is considered to be unique in the country.
* Group Value: The memorial can be seen from a number of listed buildings in the immediate vicinity, giving it strong group value. In addition, the monument has been placed in a prominent, open location on the Marine Parade, symbolically placed on one of the easternmost locations of the English coastline.
Details
839-1/0/10030 MARINE PARADE
06-SEP-10 Opposite Portland Place
(East side)
Far East Prisoner of War, War Memorial
II
War memorial (clock tower), 1958, by H R Lister of Great Yarmouth.
MATERIALS
The memorial is executed in limestone with brass and bronze details.
DESCRIPTION
The memorial stands on an area of square paving in the centre of a small circular garden, which is surrounded by a light grey stone curb. In 2009, a metal fence was added around the garden. The monument itself consists of an unmoulded, square stone base, surmounted by a tall, square pillar. The pillar is plain, save for roll moulded corners. The monument has a simple elegancy and has been designed in the spirit of the 'Festival of Britain'.
All four elevations contain a circular brass relief depicting a map of South East Asia, near the base of the pillar, and a simple bronze clock face near the top, so that the whole structure is an elegant clock tower. A bronze plaque with a dedication is placed on the western face of the base. A similar plaque is placed on the eastern side, containing information about the erection of the monument.
On the western side of the base a plaque contains the following dedication:
ERECTED BY
THE GREAT YARMOUTH BRANCH
OF THE FAR EAST P.O.W. ASSOCIATION
AND DEDICATED TO ALL WHO DIED
AS A RESULT OF THEIR CAPTIVITY.
On the eastern side of the base a plaque contains the following information:
THIS MEMORIAL WAS DEDICATED
ON 3RD MAY 1958
RESTORED AND REDEDICATED
14TH NOVEMBER 2004
WHEN YOU GO HOME,
TELL THEM OF US AND SAY,
FOR YOUR TOMORROW,
WE GAVE OUR TODAY.
HISTORY
The Far East Prisoner of War war memorial was erected by the Great Yarmouth branch of the Far East Prisoner of War Association and was unveiled on 3rd May 1958. It has been dedicated to the people who died as POWs or civilian internees in Japanese hands from 1941 to 1945, and to those who died subsequently as a result of their treatment. The monument was renovated in 2004.
SOURCES
Boorman, D, For Your Tomorrow: British Second World War Memorials, York (1995), 67-68
UK FEPOW memorials, Retrieved on 02 February 2010 from www.cofepow.org.uk/remembrance/pages/trees.htm
United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials: Ref 19912, Retrieved on 02 February 2010 from http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/
War memorials Trust, Retrieved on 02 February 2010 from http://www.warmemorials.org/
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
The Far East Prisoner of War war memorial on Marine Parade, Great Yarmouth, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural Interest: It is a well-designed monument incorporating several fine decorative details, inspired by 'Festival of Britain' architecture. In particular, the simple, clean lines of the pale limestone, its strong vertical emphasis, and the simple design of the decorations give the monument a particular stillness and elegance.
* Historic Interest: It is a poignant reminder of the tragic impact of world events upon an individual community, commemorating the men and women who lost their lives in the Far East during World War II.
* Intactness: The monument is intact and unaltered, although renovated in 2004.
* Rarity: War memorials in the shape of clock towers are relatively rare, in particular ones erected after WWII. The combination of a clock tower as a war memorial, the dedication to the Far East Prisoner of War Association (FEPOW) victims and the 'Festival of Britain' style architecture is considered to be unique in the country.
* Group Value: The memorial can be seen from a number of listed buildings in the immediate vicinity, giving it strong group value. In addition, the monument has been placed in a prominent, open location on the Marine Parade, symbolically placed on one of the easternmost locations of the English coastline.
This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 10 August 2017.
