Boer War Memorial

757/0/10110 WHITE ROCK 11-NOV-09 Boer War Memorial

II A war memorial for the fallen of the Boer War by an unknown designer in the form of a pillar, which stands on the Hastings promenade, adjacent to the Pier and opposite the White Rock Hotel and Theatre. The memorial is made of polished pink Peterhead Granite. It is 4m high and comprises a circular pillar on a square plinth and three-stepped base, the lower two steps being of differing stone. It is surmounted by a grenade in gun metal, which itself stands atop a granite sphere, with decorative banding under. There are trophy flags in bronze on each side of the base of the pillar representing the Union Jack and the Colours of the Royal Sussex Regiment. Above the flags on the southern side is the crest of Hastings with the inscription 'Borough of Hastings' underneath.

The inscription on the south face of the upper plinth reads 'ERECTED BY THE / INHABITANTS OF THIS BOROUGH / TO THE MEMORY OF / THEIR BRAVE FELLOW TOWNSMEN / WHO FELL IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR / 1899 TO 1902'. The north, east and west sides carry the names of the 51 fallen, along with their regiment (17 on each face).

HISTORY: The memorial was constructed to commemorate the fallen servicemen of Hastings following the Boer War (1899-1902). It is first mapped on the 1909 Ordnance Survey Map. It was unveiled, on an unknown date, by the Lieutenant-General Sir H M Leslie Rundle (1856-1934). The monument was moved approximately 50m east along the promenade to its current position, between 1928 and 1938.

The Boer War Memorial, White Rock, Hastings is designated at Grade II, for the following principal reasons: * an elegantly executed monument, of pink granite with bronze trophy flags; * of strong historical significance for showing the tragic impact of world events on this community. * group value with the pier and listed building along White Rock.

Sources: http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/35870 accessed 14 September 2009

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, 1 December 2016.