Far East Prisoner Of War, War Memorial

Far East Prisoner of War War Memorial

This war memorial, designed by H R Lister of Great Yarmouth and dedicated on 3rd May 1958, stands on Marine Parade opposite Portland Place. It commemorates those who died as prisoners of war or civilian internees in Japanese hands between 1941 and 1945, and those who died subsequently as a result of their treatment.

The memorial is constructed in limestone with brass and bronze details. It consists of an unmoulded square stone base surmounted by a tall square pillar with roll moulded corners. The design is notably simple and elegant, conceived in the spirit of Festival of Britain architecture.

The four elevations of the pillar each feature a circular brass relief depicting a map of South East Asia positioned near the base, and a simple bronze clock face near the top, making the entire structure function as a clock tower. A bronze plaque on the western face of the base bears the dedication from the Great Yarmouth Branch of the Far East P.O.W. Association, inscribed: "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." The eastern face carries a second plaque recording the dedication date of 3rd May 1958, a restoration and rededication on 14th November 2004, and the inscription "WHEN YOU GO HOME, TELL THEM OF US AND SAY, FOR YOUR TOMORROW, WE GAVE OUR TODAY."

The memorial stands within a small circular garden surrounded by a light grey stone curb and is accessed across an area of square paving. In 2009, a metal fence was added around the garden. The monument was restored in 2004 and remains otherwise unaltered since its erection.