Abbey Cemetery Crimean War Memorial

The Abbey Cemetery Crimean War Memorial is an obelisk dated 1856, constructed from Pennant Stone by Samuel Rogers, a mason from Widcombe. The memorial stands on a two-stage base, which itself sits atop an eared sarcophagus. Wreaths are carved into each face of the obelisk above inscriptions. One side lists local men who died in the Crimea, from Major General Sir John Campbe, Bart, CB, down to William Shell, a seaman described as “the first who fell in the war,” accompanied by a list of battles: Bomarsund, Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman, Sweaborg, Tchernaya, and Sebastopol. The main inscription reads "ERECTED BY THE CITIZENS OF BATH IN HONOUR, UNDER GOD, OF THOSE HEROIC MEN, ESPECIALLY THEIR FELLOW CITIZENS AND FRIENDS HERE RECORDED, WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES IN THE CAMPAIGNS OF 1854-5, SO TRIUMPHANTLY ACHIEVED FOR THE LIBERTIES OF EUROPE. ‘THERE IS A TIME TO DIE’, Eccl. iii 2 v." The reverse side bears the word “KARS” above the name of General Richard Debauffe Guyon.

This memorial, based on a design found in Pere Lachaise cemetery, Paris, is an unusual civic tribute, differing from common regimental memorials, as it includes names of all ranks—officers and privates. The memorial’s origins lie in the arrival of wounded Crimean War soldiers in Bath in March 1855, on their way from Plymouth to Chatham, which spurred significant civic support. The monument’s construction cost £57/10/-, with an additional £4/12/6 for the lettering. It was unveiled by the Mayor on 29 May 1856, reportedly attended by 15,000 to 20,000 people. Guyon, born in Walcot, had married into the Hungarian aristocracy and fought against Austrian and Russian states. This is considered an early and distinctive civic war memorial.