Nuneaton Boer War Memorial

MATERIALS: Bronze sculpture, granite plinth.

DESCRIPTION: The Boer War Memorial in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, known as the Buller memorial, stands in Riversley Park in front of the Nuneaton Museum and Art Gallery (not listed) and aligned with the town’s First World War memorial. The monument comprises a 1.65m tall bronze statue of an infantryman in Boer War campaign dress, his slouch hat tipped back and holding a rifle with fixed bayonet. The statue stands on the plain cornice of the rough-hewn pink granite plinth. The plinth is raised on a two-stepped base. 

The main plaque is bronze, fixed to the front face of the plinth. Headed by the royal arms and wreathed by laurels, cast in relief, the principal dedicatory inscription reads: ERECTED TO PERPETUATE THE MEMORY/ OF THE MEN OF THE NUNEATON/ DISTRICT WHO AT THE CALL OF/ DUTY WENT FORTH TO FIGHT THEIR/ COUNTRY’S BATTLES IN/ SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE YEARS/ 1899 – 1902./ BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION/ THROUGH THE AGENCY OF THE MIDLAND/ COUNTIES TRIBUNE NEWSPAPER/ A.E.L.ROST SC. On two sides of the plinth are further metal plaques listing the commemorated names, organised by unit.

An inscribed metal plaque to the rear of the top step of the base reads: THIS STATUE ERECTED IN OCTOBER 2008/ IS A REPLICA OF THE ORIGINAL WHICH/ WAS STOLEN IN NOVEMBER 2006./ THE REPLACEMENT WAS COMMISSIONED AT/ THE BEHEST OF THE PEOPLE OF THE/ BOROUGH OF NUNEATON AND BEDWORTH./ SCULPTOR ALLAN BEATTIE HERIOT.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 17 January 2017.